Blackmore: Connection with St Paul's Cathedral (completed 1708)

On 26 February 1677/78 the King (Charles II) issued a Brief to all parishes requesting contributions towards the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral. The project had been dogged with financial problems. Christopher Wren’s masterpiece was not finished until 1708 and finally paid for two years later. The return for Blackmore, along with others, is preserved at the Guildhall Library [Guildhall Manuscripts 25565/8 f31].

The Briefs for the Cathedral Church of St Paul was published the twenty Eighth day of April in the year of Our Lord 1678 in the Parish Church of Blackmore in the Diocese of London & collected thereupon the following viz


..................................£ s d
Thomas Smyth Esq 00 – 10 – 00
Thomas Barrett 00 – 09 – 00
Joseph Springham 00 – 00 – 06
Thomas Simonds 00 – 00 – 06
Ignatius Glascock 00 – 00 – 06
Mary Hubbard 00 – 00 – 06
Thomas Sachs 00 – 00 – 04
Thomas Poole 00 – 00 – 06
Richard Wolcott 00 – 00 – 06
Elizabeth Petchy Wilds 00 – 00 – 06
Natherath Springham 00 – 00 – 04
Thomas Mott 00 – 00 – 06
William Ponde 00 – 00 – 04
William Livermore 00 – 00 – 03
William Baker 00 – 00 – 02
Jeffrey King 00 – 00 – 02
Humphrey Jackson 00 – 00 – 02
Sum is 00 – 16 – 09

Published by John Glascock curatibitis
Collected the weeks following at their … houses
By us William Baker )
Christopher Sachs ) Churchwardens

Area: England In The Days Of Old

Short extracts from William Andrew’s book published in 1897.

The age of snuffing

“Schoolmasters were forbidden to smoke. In the rules of Chigwell School, founded in 1629, only fourteen years after the visit of James to Cambridge, it is stated: ‘The master must be a man of sound religion, neither Papist not Puritan, of a grave behaviour, and sober and honest conversation, no tippler, or haunter of alehouses, and no puffer of tobacco’.”

Bread and baking in bygone days

“Towards the close of the thirteenth century the chief bakers who supplied London with bread lived at Stratford-le-Bow, Essex, doubtless on account of being near Epping Forest, where they could obtain cheap firewood. At a later period some were located at Bromley-by-Bow. The bread was brought to London in carts, and exposed for sale in Bread Street. The bakers attended daily excepting on Sundays and great festivals. It was no uncommon circumstance to seize the bread on its way to town for being of light weight, or made of unsound materials. It was not until the year 1302 that London bakers were permitted to sell bread in shops.”

Harvest home

“Tusser tells us that:

‘In harvest time, harvest folk, servants and all,
Should make all together, good cheer in the hall,
And fill the black bowl, so blithe to their song,
And let them be merry, all harvest time long’.”

Andrew Smith

Christmas Day 1914 in the trenches

The following was written by Revd E H L Reeve, Rector of Stondon Massey (1893 - 1935) and local historian. (Source: Essex Record Office T/P 188/3 f97).

28th January 1915

When travelling by train to London from Ongar on Jan 25th I had for a fellow passenger for part of the way a Lancashire man who had returned wounded and frost-bitten from the front, and was now sufficiently convalescent to be going for a short spell to his native county before returning to France.

His first-hand report of the conditions of things abroad was very interesting. He had often been for days together standing in water in the trenches, and the plight of the soldiers in the cold, wet, and filth was, he said indescribable. The Germans were in as bad or worse plight. During an interval on Christmas-day some of the enemy had approached our trenches and joined in conversation with our men. One German soldier had given his cigarettes and offered him brandy.

In reply to the German invitation to drink with him the British soldier declined, until by way of assuring him took a pull himself at the flask he was offering! Lancashire shyness was then overcome, and the soldier accepted a draught of the “Cognac” for such it proved to be. The time was soon over for these pleasantries, and the two dropped back again into their several positions, having apparently no special desire to kill one another, save at the call of duty! I wished my fellow passenger a safe return to England at the close of war.