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Pleshey
Pleshey maps
Historic maps of Pleshey and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Pleshey maps
Pleshey area books
Displaying 1 of 18 books about Pleshey and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Pleshey
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Essex memories
1966-1982
Ford End is now a shell of its former self, almost like the UK. When I was a child in the village, growing up, there was no better place to be. There was a shop, two pubs, the Spread Eagle at the top of the village and the Swan at the bottom of the hill, a dairy, post office, village hall, cricket pavilion and not forgetting the C of E primary school that I attended from 1970 to 1977 before going on to my secondary school in Great Dunmow. As children we used to race home-made go-karts down the hill in Back Lane, sometimes even down Brook Hill (the main road) without any injury or major incident. We had fields, streams, ponds, trees to climb and the River Chelmer was only a short walk for a bit of fishing or, in the summer, swimming. Happy days that I will never forget.
Fond Holiday Memories
In the summer of 1963 my Dad took my sister (11), brother (4) and me (6) to stay with my Auntie Marie. She lived in the house adjoining the pub. I think it had a name like Penryn and appeared on the front cover of Country Life in the early 70's. I remember sleeping in the bedroom over the archway and waking up screaming in the middle of the night as I thought I had seen a gentleman dressed in black wearing a top hat walking across the room at the foot of my bed. Looking back I think I was probably woken by the noise of the pub turning out and a passing car probably caused a shadow across the wall. At the back of the property was a small apple orchard with a swing chair and we walked through grass that came up over our knees to have a swing. There was also lots of horse-radish growing and I think of my late Auntie every time I open... Read more
My Great Grandmother Mary Eve
Mary Ann Eve was from this area. She was my great-grandmother and joined her husband Robert Chilvers in South Africa after the Boer War. she died when I was sixteen years of age and I knew her very well. A feisty little Victorian type lady. I still have her family Bible and sewing machine and other nick nacks, my mother has always been meticulous with family history. In fact my great grandparents were my godparents. My Aunt Eleanor (in SA) has a beautiful framed picture of Mary Ann Eve as a single woman posing in her dress with a beautiful bustle. Mary Ann was an amazing cook and apparently worked in one of the great houses in the area as a very young girl. My mother joined her husband who was away in Germany with the RAF in England just before the end of the Second World War. She was 18 years old when she left S Africa, newly married, and travelled alone all the way on one of the Castle... Read more
Village Policeman
In the late 1950's I was the village policeman at Great Waltham. The police house was the last two-storied house at the Barrack Land end of Cherry Garden Road with my 'office'being in the kitchen and the tsble there was my desk. Next door to us was a lovely old lady - Mrs Woods and on the other side the Hornsby family, daughter's name Jenny. My duties in those days were not very onerous consisting mainly of attending motor accidents, moving on camping gypsies and paying occasional visits to the local pubs in Great and Little Walthams, Howe Street and Mashbury. My means of getting around was on a bicycle although about one a month a police car from Chelmsford would come to Great Waltham and I would act as observer for a couple of hours. My immediate superior officer was Sergeant Leslie Pye from Broomfield who was always very keen for us village policemen (including the one at Ford End (Const.Tom Mitchell) and Great Leighs (Const. Les.... Read more
Born In Gt Waltham 1953
My father Eric Grubb was one of three sons and two daughters of George Grubb. (who lived until he was 100 years old). We lived in Six Bells Cottages until we were rehoused in Cherry Garden Road. My mum Gertrude worked in Snows the butchers, pictured above, making sausages! I remember Mr Butcher the policeman - Mr Moore the poacher was a family friend! I attended the village school and Broomfield Secondary. My father died aged 43 in 1966 and my mother remarried Eric Rickman whose family lived in Barrack Road. My husband and I married in Gt Waltham in 1973 - the Rev. Duke was still there.
THE HAWKES AND BRADLEY FAMILIES
Researching family history led me to Charlotte Bradley and Josiah Hawkes from Great Waltham.
They married in 1871. Charlotte was a servant to the Oddie family and Josiah was an agricultural labourer from a large family.
Addresses are hard to read on the census. Was there a house simply known as 28 Village ? and Chatham Green or Chatham View?
I hope to visit the area sometime soon. For some reason I feel I have to see where Charlotte and Josiah grew up!
Its probably unlikely but I wonder if any of their families still live in the area?
My Roots
Hi i've just found out that my family originate from Great Waltham...the name is 'Hornsby'...I found this out through the ancestry website and looking at old census records...i'm hoping to come along and visit Great Waltham with my father who is a 'Hornsby' and discover where they used to live on..'Broads Green'
