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A brief history
of Ingatestone & Fryerning
Much of Ingatestone’s land was
owned by Barking Abbey, a
powerful religious house, from
Saxon times until the
dissolution of the monasteries
in 1539 when the land was
acquired by Sir William Petre.
Sir William was an influential
adviser to King Henry VIII,
Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth I.
He built Ingatestone Hall, now
open to the public: a fine Tudor
home which is largely unchanged
and is distinguished by an
unusual one handed clock on its
clock tower.
The name Ingatestone had its
origins in Saxon times, when
‘ing’ meant people or
settlement. Therefore
Ingatestone would have meant
‘people or settlement at the
stones’. The High Street stones
are unique to the area, believed
to have been deposited during
the Ice Age.
Ownership of the manor of
Fryerning passed through several
hands until it was bought by
Nicholas Wadham in 1607. He was
the founder of Wadham College,
Oxford and on his death
Fryerning passed into college
ownership, where much of it
still remains.
The parishes, astride the Essex
Great Road, a major route
between London and Colchester
since Roman times, were
prosperous because of the coach
and carriage trade. Originally
little more than a track, the
road increased in importance as
people began to move around the
country. Ingatestone was a day’s
horse ride from London and
became a popular place to stop
for the night. There were 27
inns in the village, compared to
4 pubs today.
This prosperity continued until
the coming of the railways in
1843, and the electrification of
the line in 1956 brought a
faster and more regular service
to Ingatestone. This attracted
many new people into the village
and new houses were built to
accommodate them.
As with many villages, the
oldest building is the church.
St.Edmund & St.Mary, fronted by
a large sloping lawn onto the
High Street, is a fine Norman
example built over 900 years
ago.
Ingatestone High Street was one
of the first Conservation Areas
to be designated in Essex, in
1969. |
