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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.
Kirby le SokenKIRBY-LE-SOKEN, 2 miles W. of Walton-on-the-Naze, and 11 miles S.E. of Manningtree, is a village in two divisions, half a mile assunder, called Upper and Lower Streets. Its parish contains 924 inhabitants, and 3874 acres of land, including Pewit and Horsey Islands, in the bay, on the north side of the village, near the promontory called the Naze, and near Kirby Quay, where &c., is shipped. The three adjoining parishes of Kirby, Thorpe, and Walton, form a peculiar and manorial jurisdiction, called Liberty of the Soken, which has a seperate ecclesiastical court in which wills are proved, and marriage licenses granted. This court may be held every three weeks, or as occasion requires, at Thorpe Church, where the wills &c., are deposited; and a manorial court is held annually, on the 26th. July. The Executors of the late B. Chapman, Esq., are lords of the manor and liberty, and appoint the Commissary (now vicar), and a Registrar, now Edw. Chapman, Esq. The origin of this peculiar liberty is trace to the Saxon King Athalstan, who granted it to the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, London, about 940. After the Reformation, it was granted by Edward VI, to Sir Thomas Darcy, with other large estates, when he was created Baron Darcy. The lord of the liberty has also the privelege that no bailiff can arrest within its limits but his own. There are within it several dependent manors, and those in Kirby parish are Kirby Hall, belonging to W.P. Honeywood, Esq.; Sneating Hall, belonging to the Prebendary of Sneating, in St. Paul's Cathedral; and Moreland and Grove House, formerly held by the Reynsforth and Shaw families. Henry Blanshard, Esq., own Horsey Island; and Leonard and Jeremiah Foakes, Esqr., P. Bennett, C.H. Barber, H. Burnley, S. Baker, T. Inman, Mrs. Barnard, W. White, and several smaller owners have estates in the parish, mostly copyholds, subject to small certain fines. Horsey Island averages about two miles in length, and one in breadth, and is used for grazing, and near it is Pewit, and another small island, called Holmes, on that side of the bay called Hainford Water. Pleasure fairs are held in the Upper Street, on the 6th., and in the Lower Street, on the 26th. of July. The Church, (St. Michael), which stands in the Lower Street, being very ancient and much dilapidated, was taken down and rebuilt, except the tower and part of the north wall and chancel, in 1833, at the cost of about £1200. It is now a neat brick structure, with a tower and five bells, and near it is a Sunday School, built in 1828. The vicarage is consolidated with those of Thorpe and Walton-le-Soken. The joint benefices, valued in K.B. at £35, and in 1831 at £513, are in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. Wm. Burgess, B.D., of Thorpe-le-Soken. The Rev. W.L. Coxhead, M.A., is the curate, and resides at the Vicarage House, near which are 4A. of glebe. The tithes of this parish were commuted in 1841, the rectorial for £840, and the vicarial for £230 per annum. THe former belong to W.p. Honeywood, Esq. In the Upper Street is a small Wesleyan Chapel. The poor parisioners have 2A. 2R. of land, left by the Rev. Joseph Avery, in 1719, and arrears of interest. POST OFFICE at John Down's. Letters desp. 5½ eveng. by Colchester mail cart. CARRIER to Colchester, Monday, Wed. & Sat. Cooke John | |
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