Below is a summary from the recently published
"A History of Felsted" by John Drury.
This 220 page paperback publication contains 54 photographs and illustrations.
Note:
This first comprehensive history of Felsted has quickly sold out.
Information on Felsted's history may be obtained by contacting.
John Drury - EMAIL

Felsted is situated in the middle of the triangle of the Essex towns of Great Dunmow and Braintree to the north and Chelmsford to the south. All these three towns are connected by old Roman roads and consequently it is not surprising that Roman remains have been found in the Felsted area.
Close by the old Felsted railway station were found the remains of a Roman villa.

The first recorded history of Felsted is contained in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the Manor of Felsted is seen to occupy most of the whole of the cultivated land within the parish. The cultivated land though only accounted for 20% of the Parish with the remaining 80% being forest or woodland. After the Norman Conquest King William first gave Felsted Manor to the Bishop of Bayeux but soon after the manor was given to the Holy Trinity church of Caen, Normandy. The reason for the change was that his wife and Queen, Matilda, had founded an Abbey at Caen and this institution was given various estates in England to provide income. The manor remained under the control of Caen Abbey until 1338 when it was forfeited to the crown in view of the war with France at that time. In 1420 the manor was given to the Abbey of Sion in Middlesex but there is no evidence that either Abbey had nuns residing in Felsted. Once again the manor was just held for the income it could generate.

The Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 saw the manor estate taken away again from the Abbey and this time the manor passed into the hands of Lord Rich (Riche) who "acquired" many manors in Essex after the Dissolution. It does seem though that he may have exchanged one of his other "acquired" manors for Felsted in order that he could consolidate his land holdings in the Felsted area.

The Domesday Book made no mention of a church at Felsted, although this detail was not part of the brief of the Commissioners, but it is more than likely that there was a small wooden church with a thatched room. Shortly after the Conquest we see a stone built church being constructed by the Normans in about 1120-30. The tower was the first part to be built and there is evidence of Roman bricks and tiles being used in its construction. Soon after in 1180 the south arcade was built and it is interesting to note that the Norman pillars are all different designs whereas the pillars and capitals of the north aisle are all the same and are dated about 1300. Like most churches there have been many additions and alterations since, not least by the Victorians, the most notable being the Rich chapel.

Lord Richard Rich of Leez Priory was to become Felsted’s greatest benefactor although his good deeds for the Parish of Felsted came after many years of less than honourable behaviour. Historians would say that this description was a gross understatement of this man’s early life. Richard Rich was born in 1496, went to Cambridge to study law and entered the Middle Temple. He became Member of Parliament for Colchester in 1529 He was appointed Solicitor General for his support of the King but his first devious act was to obtain evidence against his friends Sir Thomas More and Bishop Fisher which culminated in their execution. Despite his betrayal Richard Rich was subsequently knighted for his services to the crown. Sir Richard then became Speaker of the House of Commons and was to the fore when Henry V111 dissolved the Monasteries in 1536. Sir Richard was appointed Chancellor of the Court of Augmentation which was the body that diverted all the lands and chattels of the religious houses to the crown. In this position Richard Rich was able to "acquire" 100 manors for himself many of which were in Essex. Sir Richard later became Lord Rich of Leez and retired at short notice to Leez Priory where he built himself a grand new Tudor mansion.

Maybe, in retirement, Lord Rich thought that he should make up for his misdeeds of the past and so he first created a Chantry at Felsted church which also included a gift of herrings for the poor of Felsted and two adjoining parishes. With the abolition of chantries Lord Rich turned his benevolence into the establishment of a school although the herring dole was retained. Felsted School was established in 1564 and two years later Lord Rich set up his third foundation which were almshouses for the poor of Felsted. Lord Rich died in 1567 aged 71 and although one of the most unscrupulous opportunists of the sixteenth century his name will always be remembered in Felsted for his three later life foundations.

The second Lord Rich, in his will that was proved in 1581, said that a chapel should be built by the third Lord Rich in memory of his father and grandfather (the first Lord Rich). The chapel was to be adjacent to the chancel and to include a tomb and memorial to the first Lord Rich and his son. Although the first Lord Rich died in 1567 the chapel was not built by the third Lord Rich until 1607 and he died before the tomb was built. It was therefore left to the fourth Lord Rich to complete the project in 1619.

Felsted School, which was founded in 1564, first occupied the central property in the village which was previously the Guildhall dating back to the fifteenth century. Part of the premises was also the house where the chantry priest lived which later became the schoolmaster’s house. The upstairs schoolroom could take up to 80 pupils. The boys that came to the school could already read and write and went straight into learning Latin and Greek grammar (hence Grammar Schools). In 1802 the school moved 100 metres along the Braintree Road to Ingrams House and in the 1860s an ambitious project was accomplished to build a large school complex to include classrooms, boarding houses and masters accommodation. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the school acquired the surrounding farmland and fields so that almost all the property within "the mile" was owned by the school. Subsequently various new boarding houses, ancillary facilities and a Preparatory School have been built.

© John Drury 2000 all rights reserved.

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The Boote House and Felsted Mill - Taken a ways back!
Taken that the car is at least 1920's?