Journal of Proceedings.
xxxix
obliterated. The date is 1630. A square dial on the south buttress of
the tower is of later date, 1765. "Meridies Solarius, lat. 51d. and 32m."
The body of the church is divided from the aisle by four pointed arches
rising on circular clustered columns. Behind the first, which is
apparently hollow, is a small door leading by narrow winding stairs to
an aperture in front of the chancel, sufficiently large to exhibit a
person nearly at full length to the congregation ; this was probably tho
entrance to the rood-loft. At no very remote period it was used for
purposes of general thanksgiving, as appears from a wooden tablet which
used to be beneath the aperture, with the following inscription upon it:
—"I will pay my vows unto the Lord now, in sight of all his people."
On the west wall of the church was formerly an inscription, placed there
probably when the church was repaired: "Robert Keyse, William Camp,
1638." These were probably relations of Nicholas Camp, the younger,
and John Keyse, who were trustees of the will of Bennett Eliot, the
father of the Apostle to the Indians. In the belfry is an ancient oak
chest, curiously bound with iron scraps, in which were probably kept
the churchwardens' books. Before the "restoration" of the church in
1873 the seats presented a curious appearance, being of oak, and carved
at the ends with a variety of grotesque characters. A few of the best of
these seats are now fixed in the aisle of the church. Mr. Winters says
that the parish registers of Nazing are well kept, and are now the most
reliable documents to which he referred for information relative to the
Pilgrim Fathers of that locality. As before stated they commence in
1559. The present vicarage is a modern building. A portion of the old
moat still remains, which, we presume, surrounded the ancient vicarage
house mentioned by Newcourt. The manor of Nazing is now the
property of Sir Hereward Wake. The old manor house was at
Nazingbury, now a farm-house at the edge of the Lea marshes, one
and a half miles west of the church.
The registers were afterwards shown to us, and they were, indeed,
admirably kept. Again resuming the journey shortly before two o'clock,
we entered the parish of Roydon, supposed to have been so called from
two Saxon words meaning "Sweet-hill," and seated, as much of the
ground is, far above the valley of the Stort, and commanding a wide
view to the Rye-house, and over green meadows for many miles beyond,
we could not but admit the plausibility of the derivation. A halt was
called at the ruins of Nether Hall, so called from its low situation, as
are several other "Nether Halls" in Essex, all being on groundless
elevated than other parts of the parishes in which they are built. Then,
at the kind invitation of Mr. Joseph Parish, the party assembled on the
lawn of Nether Hall Farm-house, where the following account of the
old building was read by Mr. J. Reddington of the Record Office, who
had very kindly undertaken the task of "conductorship" at the request
of the Secretary :—
Nether Hall is situated about a mile and a half south west of tho
church at Roydon, and about two miles east of Hoddesdon, in Hertford-
shire. It is a picturesque ruin, surrounded by very fine trees. The
ancient mansion, which had been converted into a farm-house, was
demolished about the year 1773, and these remains owe their preserva-
tion to the very superior quality of the bricks and mortar, which
rendered the destruction of the ruin too expensive a process. The