Felsted (Holy Cross)
FELSTED (Holy Cross), a parish, in the union of Dunmow, hundred of Hinckford, N. division of Essex, 4 miles (E. S. E.) from Dunmow; containing 1798 inhabitants. This parish, the name of which signifies "the hilly place," is separated from Dunmow by the river Chelmer; the soil is generally a strong wet loam, resting on a whitish clay marl. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £13. 16. 8.; net income, £396; patron and impropriator, the Earl of Mornington. The church, situated on elevated ground, is an ancient edifice, with a square embattled tower surrounded by a lantern of elegant design, and contains a superb monument to the memory of Lord Rich, who, by letterspatent in the reign of Philip and Mary, founded an almshouse for three men and three women, under the superintendence of a chaplain: the chaplain, churchwardens, and parishioners form a body corporate. In the reign of Elizabeth, a free grammar school was founded in connexion with the charity, and this respectable school reckons among its alumni Oliver, Richard, and Henry, sons of Cromwell, the Protector; and Drs. John Wallis and Isaac Barrow.
Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858.