Hornchurch, Essex
Historical Description
Hornchurch, a large village and a parish in Romford union, Essex. The village stands between the rivers Rom and Ingrebum, 2 miles SE from Romford station on the G.E.R., and has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Romford. The parish extends to the Thames, and comprises 6784 acres; population, 3841. It includes the hamlet of Harold Wood, 3 miles N, which has a station on the G.E.R., and a post, money order, and telegraph office under Romford, and the hamlets of Ardleigh Green and Havering Well. Homchurch Lodge, Great Nelmes, Fair-kytes, Grey Towers, and Great Langtons are chief residences. A priory, subordinate to the hospital of Monte Jovis, was founded here in the time of Henry II., passed by purchase to William of Wykeham, and was given by him to New College, Oxford. Mailing, brewing, iron-founding, agricultural implement making, and the making of bricks, tiles, and drain pipes, are carried on. There are here the cottage homes of the parish of St Leonard, Shoreditch, which have accommodation for about 350 children, the buildings including a school which is also used as a chapel, an infirmary, bakery, laundry, various workshops, a large swimming bath, and a master's house. There is also an attached farm of 70 acres. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of St Alhans; gross yearly value, £740 with residence. Patron, New College, Oxford. The church is an ancient building of stone in the Early Decorated and Perpendicular styles, consists of nave, chancel, aisles, and N porch, with turreted tower and a neat spire 170 feet high, -and contains some old brass inscriptions. Charities, £220 and two suites of almshouses. There is a Baptist chapel erected in 1882.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | Essex | |
Ecclesiastical parish | Hornchurch St. Andrew | |
Liberty | Havering-Atte-Bower | |
Poor Law union | Romford |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Hornchurch from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Hornchurch (St. Andrew))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Essex is available to browse.
The Essex pages from the Return of Owners of Land in 1873 is online.
Maps
Online maps of Hornchurch are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following newspapers covering Essex online: