The manor and estates of Little Easton were held in the Middle Ages by the Bourchiers, Earls of Essex 1356 – 1540. In 1582 the Manor of Easton, with its estates, was gifted by Queen Elizabeth I to Henry Maynard in recognition of his long service as Private Secretary to Lord Burleigh, the Queen’s Treasurer and Lord Chancellor.

George Wombwell was one of nine children of John Wombwell and Sarah Rogers. George was born on 24 December 1777 in Duddenhoe End in N.W. Essex

On 1st July 1916 began the longest and most costly land battle in British history – the battle of the Somme.

Seventeen members & guests of our Society enjoyed an afternoon being entertained by Richard Dolby, chairman of the Hadstock Society on Wednesday 25th June 2025

With the kind permission of Steve Cox and the Saffron Walden Football Club. I was afforded the opportunity to conduct an extensive survey of the football pitch both before and during soil disturbance

Saffron Walden’s many and remarkable old buildings include features of nearly every architectural period from Norman times until the present day.

On the north wall of what used to be called ‘Battles’ Chapel’, now the vestry of St Mary’s Church, Manuden, is a large, elaborate tablet extolling the virtues of Sir William Waad who lived at Battles Hall, Manuden from 1586 to 1623

The country was hard-pressed to feed itself during the war, looking to the farmers to plough every last acre. Come harvest time, there was a shortage of labour.

The last few household possessions had been securely lifted into Mr Horley’s van and my mother had gone back to the cottage to lock the front door. She tried the handle again to make sure it was locked then put the key in an envelope, together with a note for Charlie. She walked briskly to his door and pushed it underneath. Walking back past our cottage she took one last look through the front window, hesitated a little, then turned and walked quite quickly down the path to the removal van.

Today the “iconic” Fulbourn windmill is set to be restored to full working order after a charity stepped in to fund its repairs.

Small parishes do not necessarily have brief histories. Strethall (600 acres, 11 houses – current population 22) is arguably the smallest parish in Essex but its origin can be traced back well before Domesday when the 10 hides of land sold by King Aethelred