Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for HALSTEAD

HALSTEAD, a town, a parish, a sub-district, and a district, in Essex. The town stands on a gentle acclivity, adjacent to the river Colne, and to the Colne Valley railway, 14 miles NW by W of Colchester. It belonged, in the time of Edward the Confessor, to Earl Godwin; but, at the Conquest, was divided amongst several Norman chiefs. Its name is derived from two Saxon words, signifying '' a healthy place." A market, long before the Norman accession, existed on Chippinghill; but afterwards was removed to the middle of the town; and it seems, from early times, to have been always such as to mark Halstead as a place of provincial importance. The town is irregularly built, but comprises several streets, and has undergone recent improvement. A block of houses, with ornate shops in the basement storey, projecting windows in the second storey, and a projecting roof rising from columns and brackets over the third storey, erected in 1862, after designs byF. Hayward, is a very fine specimen of tasteful street architecture. The town hall, the market house, and the policestation are suitable and good. The mechanics' institute, on Market hill, is a handsome edifice, and has a considerable library. The parish church is ancient; comprises nave, aisles, and chancel, with western tower and spire; had a chantry, founded, in 1340, by Lord Bonrchier; was lately restored and beautified, at a cost of about £5, 500; and contains effigies of a knight and lady of the Bourchiers. The spire is modern; two previous spires were destroyed by lightning; and the second of these was erected in 1717, and is commemorated in some lines of the poet Prior. A new cemetery, on the Colchester road, with a very neat entrance lodge, was opened in 1856. Holy Trinity church, at the W end of the town, was built in 1844, at a cost of £, 000. An Independent chapel was built in 1866, at a cost of £4, 500. There are two chapels for Independents, two for Baptists, and one for Quakers; a grammar school, founded in 1594, with £20 from endowment; three national schools and a British school; a charity of £281 a year for the poor; other charities worth £260; and a workhouse, built at the cost of £, 500, with capacity for 500 inmates. The town has a head post office, ‡ a railway station, two banking offices, and two chief inns; is a seat of petty sessions, and of county courts; and publishes a weekly newspaper. A weekly market is held on Tuesday; and fairs on 6 May, and 29 Oct. Brewing and malting, an extensive manufacture of straw plait, and a large trade in silk, velvet, and crape are carried on. Halstead Lodge, Stanstead Hall, Ashford Lodge, Star Stile, Sloe Farm, Attwoods, the Howe, and other seats are in the neighbourhood. Archbishop Bonrchier was a native, and Bishop Hall was vicar. Pop. of the town, in 1851, 658; in 186, , 707. Houses, 1, 314. The parish contains also the hamlet of GreensteadGreen. Acres, 5, 633. Real property, £2, 987; of which £336 are in gas works. Pop., 6, 917. Houses, 1, 535. Holy Trinity was constituted a separate chapelry in 1844. Pop. of the portion of the parish in that chapelry, 890. Houses, 628. Greenstead Green also is a separate chapelry. The head living, or St. Andrews, is a vicarage, and that of Holy Trinity is a p. curacy, in the diocese of Rochester. Value of the former, £370;* of the latter, £150. Patron of both, the Bishop of Rochester.—The sub-district contains likewise the parishes of Gosfield, Earls-Colne, White-Colne, Colne-Engaine, Pebmarsh, Little Maplestead, and Great Maplestead. Acres, 20, 507. Pop., 1, 544. Houses, 2, 555.—The district comprehends also the sub-district of Hedingham, containing the parishes of Sible-Hedingham, Castle-Hedingham, LittleYeldham, Great Yeldham, Tilbury, Ridgwell, Stambourne, and Toppesfield. Acres, 3, 913. Poor rates in 1863, £10, 131. Pop. in 185, 1, 253; in 186, 1, 482. Houses, 4, 135. Marriages in 186, 102; births, 609, - of which 51 were illegitimate; deaths, 413, -of which 163 were at ages under 5 years, and 13 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 1, 338; births 6, 269; deaths 4, 166. The places of worship, in 1851, were 17 of the Church of England, with, 5, 638 sittings; 8 of Independents, with 3, 863 s.; 7 of Baptists, with 2, 626 s.; 3 of Quakers, with 760 s.; and 1 undefined, with 100 s. The schools were 18 public day schools, with 1, 629 scholars; 35 private day schools, with 740 s.; 30 Sundayschools, with 2, 950 s.; and 4 evening schools for adults, with 139 s.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a town, a parish, a sub-district, and a district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Halstead CP/AP       Halstead Urban CP       Halstead SubD       Halstead RegD/PLU       Essex AncC
Place: Halstead

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