THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
89
church chests, and the many monuments were all objects of interest to
the visitors. The rector was away from home, but a friend of his, who
was acting as his locum leucas, showed us the Registers and the Church
Plate.
Mr. Salmon read an account of the history of the fabric and its monu-
ments to the visitors seated in the nave. Our leader also reminded us
of the romantic episode in the life of Hubert de Burgh, chief justiciary
of England in the reign of Henry III., who, when deprived of his merited
honours by his capricious master in 1232, fled for sanctuary, probably
to Orsett (although the incident is usually ascribed to Brentwood);
notwithstanding which, he was dragged from there by his pursuers and
taken prisoner to the Tower of London. Threatened by the Bishop of
London with excommunication for their sacrilegious act, his enemies were
constrained to bring de Burgh back to Orsett church; but, by depriving
him of food, they at length forced him to surrender himself into their
hands, to be again incarcerated in the Tower.
From the Church the visitors made their way to the site of a former
palace of the Bishops of London, known as "Bishop Bonner's Palace,"
consisting to-day of earthworks enclosing a circular "ring" and an
oblong "bailey." The adjoining Hall Farm has a charming half-timbered
east wing, of early 16th century date; and near by is now re-erected the
village lock-up which formerly stood next the pound in the village street,
a stout timber shed whose accommodation was tested by several members
of the party and declared to be not at all bad as a temporary experience.
The farmer's wife caused a diversion by exhibiting a charming little
blue-eyed fox cub, six weeks old, which she was rearing as a pet; a pet
lamb, bottle-fed, was another object of considerable interest to the visitors.
Tea was taken at 5 o'clock at the "Whitmore Arms," after which
Mr. Hugh Main, F.Z.S., was, in the absence of the President, elected to
the chair. The Misses Dorothy and Elsie Russell, of "Gorgys," Chigwell,
were elected Members of the Club. The Chairman proposed the best
thanks of the meeting to Mr. Salmon for his services as organiser and
conductor of the excursion: these were warmly accorded, and Mr. Salmon
replied, expressing his thanks for the company's appreciation of his efforts.
An omnibus back to Grays afforded time at the latter place before
the departure of the 6.26 train back to town for a stroll to the Thames
bank for a peep at the always picturesque panorama of sailing barges
dropping down stream with the tide.
VISIT TO SEWARDSTONE (672ND MEETING).
SATURDAY, 10TH MAY, 1930.
This meeting was arranged in response to two kind invitations: one
from Captain J. S. Wilson, Camp Chief at Gilwell Hall, to repeat our
visit of April 24th, 1926, when some of our members were unable to
attend; and one from our member, Miss A. Hibbert-Ware, F.L.S., to visit
her at her picturesque home, "The White Cottage," in Gilwell Lane:
in addition, opportunity was afforded for a nature-ramble in Epping
Forest, now in its full Springtide beauty.
The party, which, when reinforced by later arrivals, totalled over