The Church and its Vicarage seem such a staple of village life and it seems odd to think it was ever any other way. But in fact, as this article from Irene Cranwell goes to prove, The Vicarage wasn’t always the same house, or the house that housed the vicar, in the village.
Oliver Rush and Stephen Fortescue, who were the Churchwardens in the year 1744 recorded, “The Vicarage house is a small one and stands at the east end of the Chancell, aboute 20 or 30 ft. from it, and to the south of it. Mr Melville’ (the current Vicar) ‘does not live in it butt in a farmhouse in the Town”” ½ mile or not so muche from the Church”. The farmhouse mentioned in this extract was Parsonage Farm.
In an old Terrier of the Glebe lands, recorded in 1759, the vicarage was described thus:- “… with other rights and profits belonging to the Parish Church of Chresshall in the County of Essex. First a vicarage house with three rooms on a floor with chambers over two of them and a garret over one of the said chambers. A little stable adjoining to the east end of the house. A barn with a little granary and two other small building a the north end of it. The churchyard and the orchard and a little pickle containing all together about 2 acres.” And the Terrier lists the lands farmed by the vicar, with all the boundaries named. Note: A ‘pyckle’, circa 13 century or pightle was a small grass field near the house, and would nowadays usually be referred to as a paddock.
The record goes on to note that, “The Rev. Butler Berry succeeded Rev. Banks in 1787 and he built a new vicarage house at his own expense, at the sum of £500’ (no inconsiderable sum at that time) – ‘and his successor to pay £150.”
The ‘new house’ erected by the Reverend gentleman is thought to really be an enlargement of the lath-and-plaster house already on the site of the vicarage that stands at the back of the church, and with yellow brick facing over the outside walls. More improvements were added a century later when extensive renovations were made to the church. The said Rev. Butler Berry also held the living of the village of Thriplow in Cambridgeshire. In 1831 the vicarage was valued at £200.
It has been said that Glebe Farm, at the bottom of the hill, was once the vicarage, but in spite of exhaustive study I have been unable to find any written proof of this.
Probing into old records and reports is an absorbing pastime. One turns up the oddest and most fascinating facts. Did you know that on March 13 1913 Chrishall contributed £1 12 3d to the Titanic Relief Fund? I’d love to know more on that subject, but not another word can I find. (An article here for anyone who is interested: https://www.titanicmuseum.org/artefacts/titanic-relief-fund-cheque/).
In 1920 at a Parochial Church Council meeting, it is recorded that, “the Vicar agreed to try limiting of sermons to fifteen minutes as some thought it might increase attendance.” – One wonders what would have happened if he had cut out the sermon completely”??
I came across several examples of a highly original way of balancing the books. Here is a typical entry dated April 12 1912. “The Church-wardens’ accounts of collections in church and donations to church purposes were read and passed. For church expenses £18 13s 6d was collected. £21 0s 6 ½ d was expended showing a deficit of £2 7s ½ d which was defrayed at the meeting. So the churchwardens were needed to balance the books!
Surprisingly we don’t seem to have old photographs of either of the ‘vicarages’ – Parsonage Farm or the house that stands at the back of the church. If anyone can help with that gap in the archive we would be very grateful. We do have the picture at the top of this article though, that was taken by the Rev. Bagley (see right) and taken from the vicarage roof! This picture was taken in 1965.
We might not know where they all lived but we do have a long list of the vicars of Chrishall, some with links to interesting stories. You can see the full list here: vicars of Chrishall and development of the church.

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