In the reign of Elizabeth I, a Chrishall woman set up charities for the benefit of the poor of a number of villages. Who was this Chrishall lady? How was she so wealthy and why did she give so generously? Her name was Lettice Martin and in 1568, when she made her...
Lettice’s father, Thomas Crawley was a wealthy speculator in chantry lands in Essex and in 1553 he had been the escheator (which meant he dealt with property returning to the Crown on the death of someone ) for Essex and Hertfordshire. It is not clear whether this was...
This is one of the village water pumps by the old school. You can see some of the straw cladding that was wrapped around the pumps in the winter to stop them freezing up.
Thomas Crawley was, as far as we know, Lettice Martin's father. He lived in Elmdon and has a wonderful memorial in Elmdon Church. There are several memorial plates in the floor to the right of the altar. These are sometimes covered with a mat to protect them. They...
While you're in Chrishall, why not explore our charming Village Walks? These delightful short strolls guide you through the picturesque local area, highlighting points of interest along the way. For those seeking deeper insights, each walk features QR codes that link...
(The following article was written by Irene Cranwell) I suppose everyone has a favorite saying, or sayings – nearly 60 years ago Richard Llewellyn was the author of one of mine. He wrote “There is no fence or hedge round time that has gone. You can go back and have...
The Meade family have links with Elmdon in terms of property but were close relatives of Lettice Martin in Chrishall. Thomas Meade’s mother was Lettice’s sister, Johan the elder and Thomas was therefore Lettice’s nephew. His mother seems to have died quite young and...
Jack was born at Chalky Lane in 1909 to Fred and Matilda Green. Both his mother and father were born in the village, his father at the old cottages that used to be to the left of the chapel. Jack started school at 5 but "didn't do any good at all". He would much...
Three more photographs of Drage and Kent engines in work. The largest photo below was taken in 1950 and the gentleman standing on the left is Charles Cranwell who can also be seen on the 1917 photograph here where you can also see an excellent film showing how this...
The pump and the pond can clearly be seen here whereas today both are shielded by all the trees that shroud the pond and make the lane quite dark in comparison to this light and airy photograph. Looking at the style of this photograph I wonder if it was taken around...
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