saffron
walden
historical society

Featured image for “Saffron Walden College”
August 5, 2025 • posted in Articles

Saffron Walden College

During the years 1884-1977 Saffron Walden College for Mistresses had a distinguished history
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Featured image for “Clavering Castle: a mysterious moated monument”
July 31, 2025 • posted in Articles

Clavering Castle: a mysterious moated monument

Clavering Castle, which lies next to the Parish Church, is a large moated site designated by English Heritage as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, of Saxon or medieval origin.
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Featured image for “National Trust in Saffron Walden and North-West Essex”
July 27, 2025 • posted in Articles

National Trust in Saffron Walden and North-West Essex

The National Trust in recent years has spoken out about the damage that could accompany ill-considered decisions to build on green-field sites as a result of the relaxation of current planning policies.
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Featured image for “Gold pendant found at Thaxted”
July 26, 2025 • posted in News

Gold pendant found at Thaxted

The piece of jewellery shown above is a 6th Century replica of a Byzantine coin and was found by a metal detectorist near Thaxted, Essex and the discovery of such an early medieval gold coin pendant “literally sheds a light” on a period of a county’s history about which little is known. It was minted in Europe and then brought
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Featured image for “Sarah Chesham, The Archetypical Poisoning Woman”
July 23, 2025 • posted in Articles

Sarah Chesham, The Archetypical Poisoning Woman

Sarah Chesham was a working-class, illiterate woman who lived at Ponds cottages in Clavering. She was charged with murder (poisoning with arsenic) and tried on four occasions,
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Featured image for “Churchmans of 16th and 17th century Walden, Wenden and Littlebury”
July 19, 2025 • posted in Articles

Churchmans of 16th and 17th century Walden, Wenden and Littlebury

People of the middling sort were rare in the 16th and 17th century. In the arable areas of Essex, most people were either farm labourers (i.e. essentially, peasants) or were part of the small, all-powerful gentry.
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Featured image for “Number 1 Myddylton Place, Saffron Walden,the History and Architecture”
July 15, 2025 • posted in Articles

Number 1 Myddylton Place, Saffron Walden,the History and Architecture

Saffron Walden’s Youth Hostel stood on the corner of Myddylton Place and Bridge Street, once the main trading route and busy thoroughfare leading from London to Cambridge.
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Featured image for “Private Boarding Schools for Females c.1791-1861 or ‘Establishments for Young Ladies’ with emphasis on Saffron Walden Ladies’ Schools”
July 11, 2025 • posted in Articles

Private Boarding Schools for Females c.1791-1861 or ‘Establishments for Young Ladies’ with emphasis on Saffron Walden Ladies’ Schools

After 1779 many private schools sprang up to cater for the needs of those who were not only dissatisfied with the old- fashioned, grammar schools for their sons, but also wanted education for their girls.
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Featured image for “Churches of North-West Essex”
July 8, 2025 • posted in Articles

Churches of North-West Essex

In 1973 the National Association of Decorative & Fine Art Societies or NADFAS (Now known as The Arts Society) set up an ambitious project to record all the features of churches, including names of artists, manufacturers, donors and those commemorated.
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