82 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
business for the Club. After expressing our thanks to the Rector and Mrs.
Hall for the hospitable welcome we had received at their hands, we took our
departure and rejoined the coaches awaiting us in the adjacent farm road.
Leaving North Ockendon our route lay through Puddle Dock and across
the Southend road to the parish of Great Warley. Because of the narrowness
of the road it was necessary to go a little beyond the point intended but
nevertheless a short stop was made to refer to the celebrated gardens which
existed at Great Warley at the time of our former member Miss Ellen Will-
mott. A brief history of the estate was given by the leader and various
members present expressed regret that such a noteworthy garden has ceased
to exist as such.
Proceeding by way of Brentwood, Chelmsford and Hatfield Peverel, the
coaches turned off the main road at Spinks Lane near Witham and soon
entered the Faulkbourne road leading to Black Notley. When a suitable
spot was found a brief halt was made to see Faulkbourne Hall which
appeared, in the autumn sunshine to be aglow with red-brick. It was here
that John Bay had spent a brief period after his return to Essex from the
Midland counties. Some four miles on another brief stop was made to see
the site of Dewlands, the house which John Bay built for his mother and to
which he removed from Faulkbourne Hall after her death. The present house
on the site, also known by the same name, is used as a hostel for the nursing
staff of the adjacent hospital. It was at Dewlands that Bay spent the
remainder of his life.
The coaches then proceeded to Black Notley church and here the party
were welcomed by the Rector, the Rev. B. McAllister who briefly described
the church, gave a short resume of the history of the famous parishioner and
closed the proceedings by using some prayers one of which was written by
John Bay. We were afterwards invited to the vestry where the entries in
the Parish Register recording the baptism of John Bay were seen together
with the chalice and paten in use in those days. Leaving the vestry the
party assembled at the tomb of John Bay close by the south porch of the
church. Here the leader gave a short account of the life of Bay and drew
attention to the adjacent tomb of Dr. Benjamin Allen of Braintree, a con-
temporary of Bay. Some brief details of Allen's life and work were given. At
this point we were kindly invited by the proprietor of Black Notley Hall to
visit the gardens but as our programme did not permit of any deviation we
had regretfully to forgo the pleasure of accepting this kind invitation.
Proceeding on foot along Bakers Lane to Bay Cottage we were able, by
kind permission of the owner, to inspect the exterior of the cottage and to see
the pleasant garden and the remains of the smithy. Roger Bay, the father
of John Bay, was the smith and it is probable that this cottage is that in
which the naturalist was born.
Regaining the coaches a drive of a little over 2 miles brought us to the
bustling town of Braintree. Entering the church the party were soon seated
in the Jesus Chapel in the south aisle. The leader drew attention to the
features of interest. This chapel at the time of Bay was used as the grammar
school and grooves in the stonework made by the pupils sharpening their
slate pencils were pointed out as were the archaeological features. A brief
account of the life and work of Dr. Samuel Dale was given and the memorial
to him erected by the Club in 1912 was inspected. From the church the
party made their way through the crowds which throng this ancient town
on a Saturday afternoon seeing on the way the Great House in the square
the home of Benjamin Allen, whose tomb we had seen shortly before at
Black Notley. Re-assembling in the yard of the ancient coaching inn, the
White Hart Hotel, it was not long before we repaired inside to partake of an