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Ardleigh Alresford Beaumont cum Moze Bentley, Great Bentley, Little Bradfield Brightlingsea Bromley, Great Bromley, Little Clacton, Great Clacton, Little Dovercourt Elmstead Frating Frinton Harwich Holland, Great Holland, Little Kirby, Le Soken Lawford Manningtree Mistley Oakley, Great Oakley, Little Osyth, St Ramsey Tendring Thorpe Le Soken Thorrington Walton On Naze Weeley Wix Wrabness |
The following are extracts from the History, Gazetteer,
and Directory of the County of Essex by William White
published in 1848.
Little BentleyBENTLEY (LITTLE) 8 miles E. of Colchester, and 5 miles S. by E. of Manningtree, is a village and parish, containing 462 souls, and about 2000 acres of land, with a fertile soil, varying from heavy to a sandy loam, and giving rise to two sources of a rivulet, which, after a course of ten miles southward, falls into the sea. At the Domesday Survey, it belonged to Allen, Earl of Bretagne, and Richd. Fitzgislebert, lord of Clare; and it afterwards passed to the le Gros, Bouchier, Pyrton, Bayning, Peck, and other families. Mrs. Eliz. Bond, of London, is now lady of the manor; but a great part of the soil belongs to Col. T.A. Brandreth and several small owners. The Church (Virgin Mary) is an ancient well-proportioned structure, and has a leaded nave and north aisle, a tiles chancel, and a stone tower, containing five bells. It had formerly a chantry founded by Sir John le Gros, in 1386. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £13, and in 1831 at £ 687, is in the patronage of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and incumbency of the Rev. H.R.S. Smith, M.A., who has a neat white brick residence, and about 52A. of glebe. The tithes were commuted in 1840 for £670 per annum. A large National School was erected in the churchyard, in 1848, in the early English style. FOOTPOST daily to Colchester. | |
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