THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
53
church of St. Nicholas, Ingrave, a painfully plain red brick erection of
1734 date, built by Robert James, Baron Petre of Writtle, a Roman
Catholic, in exchange for the privilege of destroying two dilapidated
Anglican churches on his estate. The present church, itself utterly
devoid of architectural merit, contains two good brasses, removed from
the destroyed church of West Horndon : they commemorate Margaret
Wake, 1456, with butterfly head-dress, and Sir Robert Fitz Lewes and
four wives, 1528.
At 5 o'clock a specially chartered motor-coach rapidly conveyed the
party to Brentwood, where in the galleried White Hart Hotel tea was
served ; following which a short formal meeting of the Club was held,
with Mr. D. J. Scourfield, I.S.O., presiding, when Mr. Edward W. Green.
O.B.E., of Theydon Priory, Theydon Garnon, was elected a member of the
Club and thanks were voted to Mr. Salmon for this carefully organised
meeting.
A brief inspection of the 14th century ruins of St. Thomas the Martyr's
. Chapel followed, after which the Brentwood Grammar School was visited
under the conductorship of two of the masters, the Rev. R. R. Lewis, M.A.,
and Mr. H. J. W. Stone, B.A. A fairly comprehensive inspection of this
historic School, which was founded in 1557, and part of which dates back
to 1568, was made, including the Chapel, built in 1869, and the Library,
in which latter some 16th and 17th century documents connected with the
School, and the original Seal, were exhibited. In the fine Hall due thanks
were passed to Messrs. Lewis and Stone and leaves taken, the visitors
departing for home by various routes.
Among the birds seen or heard during the afternoon's ramble were
cuckoo, willow warbler, nightingale, Chiffchaff, green woodpecker, skylark,
pied wagtail, swallow and house martin.
VISIT TO THE CLAVERING AND ELSENHAM
DISTRICT (776TH MEETING).
SATURDAY, 29TH MAY. 1937.
Bright, warm, sunny weather favoured this excursion, which was
attended by fifty-five members and friends, under the guidance of Mr. and
Mrs. Hatley.
Travelling by motor-coach or private car, the party foregathered shortly
after 11 o'clock at Clavering, where the parish church, dedicated to
St. Mary and St. Clement, was first visited. The vicar having recently
deceased and his successor not yet appointed, the visitors were welcomed
by one of the churchwardens, Mr. Rolfe, after which Mrs. Hatley gave an
account of the church, which is a large edifice for so small a village, a
reminder of the prosperous days of the woollen trade in Essex. The
beautiful Perpendicular oak chancel-screen, and the roofs of the nave and
aisles, with their carved bosses and angel-corbles, are outstanding features
of what is altogether an exceptionally noteworthy building, containing in
its nave-windows much old 15th century glass.
Adjoining the church is the site of Clavering Castle, now merely an
irregular tract of broken ground, as the Castle itself fell into decay during
the 13th and 14th centuries, and now no single stone remains above ground.