CHURCH
The advowson of Beauchamp Roding descended
with the manor of that name until late in
the 16th century. (fn. 91) Mary, widow of Sir
John Gate, presented in 1570, presumably
by virtue of her life tenure of the manor (see above).
Before this, in 1560, the advowson (presumably in
reversion only) had been granted by the Crown to John
Harrington and George Burden, and in the same year
Harrington and Burden had conveyed it to Sir Richard
Weston, who had recently acquired the lordship of the
manor (also presumably in reversion after Mary Gate's
death). (fn. 92) John Hoskyn, who presented pro hac vice in
1578, probably had the advowson from Sir Richard or
his son Sir Jerome Weston. (fn. 93) The Westons retained
the advowson until 1613, when the younger Sir
Richard sold it to Sir Gamaliel Capel of Rookwood,
Abbess Roding (q.v.). (fn. 94) In 1624 Sir Gamaliel Capel
the son sold it to John Mead and his son William. (fn. 95)
William Mead sold it in 1639 to John Siday. (fn. 96) This
was presumably the John Siday who became rector in
1642. (fn. 97) After his death the advowson passed to his
son, also named John, who became the next rector
(1689). (fn. 98) The younger John (d. 1704) devised the
advowson to his son John Siday (III). (fn. 99) Mary Siday,
widow, presented in 1704, 1710, and 1720. (fn. 1) The rector
whom she presented in 1720 was another John Siday,
probably John Siday (III). In 1739 John and Mary
Siday conveyed the advowson to Thomas Bramston,
who was acting for Sir John Comyns, of Writtle, Chief
Baron of the Exchequer. (fn. 2) At the same time Comyns
bought Gubbiss Farm in this parish. According to
statements made after his death he intended that the
advowson and the farm should be used 'as an honorary
trust for the benefit of poor clergymen and small livings
in Essex'. (fn. 3) There was, however, no such provision in
his will (dated Nov. 1740). He died soon after and
the advowson passed to his wife Ann, who presented
in 1752. (fn. 4) She was succeeded as patron by John
Comyns, nephew of Sir John. In 1768 John Richard,
son of John Comyns, conveyed the advowson and other
property in trust to William Birch in order to provide
an annuity for John Comyns's widow Mary. (fn. 5) In 1770
John Richard Comyns sold the advowson to the Revd.
Richard Birch of Roxwell and John Birch of Boswell
Court, London. (fn. 6)
In March 1771 the above Richard and John Birch
sold the next presentation to Nicholas Toke of Linton
(Kent), and in May of the same year Toke conveyed
this in trust for his nephew the Revd. Nicholas Layton
of Nottingham. If Layton should be alive at the next
presentation he was to have the rectory or was to
nominate a rector. If not, the presentation was to
revert to Toke. (fn. 7) In 1776 Layton in fact became
rector. (fn. 8) He seems to have been non-resident. In 1795
Richard Birch sold the advowson to Samuel R.
Gaussens, who presented in the same year. (fn. 9) J. L.
Barrett, D.D., who was rector in 1829, was also patron. (fn. 10)
For the remainder of the 19th century the advowson
was apparently acquired by or for the benefit of each
successive rector. (fn. 11) J. Howard, who had been curate
from 1882 to 1887, became rector in the latter year
and held the benefice until 1927. It was then united
with that of Abbess Roding (q.v.), the advowson of the
united benefice being vested in the Bishop of Chelmsford and the Revd. Capel-Cure. (fn. 12) For purposes of
internal organization, however, Abbess and Beauchamp
Roding remain separate parishes.
Though the rectory of Beauchamp Roding was never
appropriated, Aubrey de Vere, about 1100, gave twothirds of the tithes of his demesne lands in the parish to
Colne priory. (fn. 13) It is likely that this grant also included
a small portion of land in Beauchamp Roding, for in
1539, after the dissolution of the priory, the king granted
'the manor or lordship of Langbornes in Beauchamp
Roding, belonging to the late priory of Colne' to the
Duke of Suffolk. (fn. 14) In the same year Suffolk conveyed
the property to John Wiseman and Agnes his wife. (fn. 15)
Wiseman conveyed it in 1581 to Sir Jerome Weston. (fn. 16)
It subsequently descended along with the manor of
Beauchamp Roding. At the tithe commutation in
1843 T. W. Bramston, lord of the manor, owned twothirds of the tithes of some 500 acres of land, which was
the greater part of his property in the parish. Most of
the manor of Beauchamp Roding and more than half
of Frayes were included in these 500 acres. John
Walden owned two-thirds of the tithes of a 3-acre field
called Longfield and the Trustees of the late Revd.
Robert Gibson of Fyfield owned two-thirds of the
tithes of a 5-acre field called English Bottom, which was
part of Gubbiss Farm. It was then agreed that the
tithes owned by Bramston and Walden should be
merged in their freehold. A tithe-rent charge was, however, fixed on English Bottom, payable to Gibson. (fn. 17) In
1794 a map of the parish was drawn for Samuel
Gaussens, who was described as the impropriator. (fn. 18)
This probably meant that he was leasing the tithes
belonging to the owner of Beauchamp Roding manor.
In about 1254 the rectory of Beauchamp Roding
was valued at £5 and in 1291 and 1428 at £5 6s. 8d. (fn. 19)
In 1535 it was valued at £16 13s. 4d. (fn. 20) The rector's
tithe was commuted in 1843 for £284. (fn. 21) Sir Peter
Siggiswyk, by his will proved in 1503, left his house at
Beauchamp Roding to the church of Beauchamp Roding
for 40 years for the keeping of his obit and the payment
of 8d. a year to the rector. (fn. 22)
The glebe terriers of 1610 and 1619 state that there
was a parsonage house and some 40 acres of glebe. (fn. 23)
There were 41 acres of glebe in 1843. (fn. 24) In 1618 the
parsonage was found to be out of repair. (fn. 25) Parts of the
back wing of the present Old Rectory may date from
a rebuilding soon after this report. The house is now
T-shaped on plan. It is timber-framed and roughcast
with a tiled roof. The long back wing appears to be of
various dates but the interior was remodelled and the
front wing added about 1800. The entrance front is
Georgian in style. At the south end of the front a
ground-floor room was added in the 19th century.
This is now (1954) used for parish purposes. South
of the house is a large rectangular fishpond. The house
was occupied by the rectors of Beauchamp Roding until
the union with Abbess Roding in 1927. It was then
sold, and is now a private residence. (fn. 26)
The ancient parish church of ST. BOTOLPH
stands on rising ground, the churchyard being completely surrounded by fields. The dedication suggests
that there was a church at Beauchamp Roding before
the Norman Conquest. The building consists of nave,
chancel, west tower, and south porch. The walls are
of flint rubble mixed with freestone. The nave is built
on an 11th- or 12th-century plan but the present structure probably dates from the 14th century. In the
15th century the tower was added and the chancel
rebuilt. The porch dates from 1870.
A piscina in the chancel may be of the 13th century,
indicating that there once existed an earlier chancel of
that date.
The nave has two windows on the south side and
one on the north which are of the early 14th century.
They have pointed heads with quatrefoils in the tracery
and externally they have original label-moulds and
head-stops. The north and south doorways, the former
now blocked, are also of the 14th century.
The church was evidently enlarged and much
altered in the 15th century. The chancel, which was
probably rebuilt then, has two fine three-light windows
with four-centred heads and vertical tracery. Farther
west are two smaller windows of the same period and
a south doorway, now restored, with a four-centred
head. The east window, rebuilt in the 19th century,
is in similar style, and a three-light 15th-century
window has been inserted in the north wall of the nave.
The chancel arch is grooved on the underside, probably to take the tympanum of a rood loft. On the south
side of the nave there is a stone staircase which formerly
led to the rood loft. This forms a projection externally
and is covered with a pent roof. Both upper and lower
doorways are in position and there is a moulded stone
bracket near the former. A piscina in the nave is also
probably of the 15th century. Both the nave and
chancel have 15th-century roofs. The nave, which is
of two bays, has moulded king-posts with two-way
struts. The tie-beam in the chancel has curved and
moulded braces resting on carved stone corbels. One
of these is in the form of a grotesque head, the other of
an angel bearing a shield. The 15th-century west tower
is of three stages with a castellated parapet above. Over
the west doorway is a three-light window with a fourcentred head. There are single-light windows to the
second stage of the tower and larger windows with
four-centred heads to the belfry. Some of the floor-tiles
inside the communion rails are thought to be of medieval
origin.
Some early 17th-century carved oak panelling which
was in the chancel before 1921 is now kept in a chest in
the church. (fn. 27)
On both sides of the nave at the west end are curious
oak benches in three stages, probably dating from the
18th century. Oak steps to the upper stages have ring
handles and can be pulled out like drawers when
required.
In 1870 the church was thoroughly restored and in
the same year the south porch was rebuilt in memory
of Ann Powell. (fn. 28) The exterior was restored in 1893 (fn. 29)
and much of the stonework was covered with cement,
some of which has since been removed.
In 1951 the tower and other parts of the church
were restored after war damage at a cost of £1,300. (fn. 30)
Memorial stained glass was inserted in various
windows in 1850, 1866, 1870, and 1872. There are
four bells, said to be by Miles Graye, 1664. (fn. 31) In
1446-7 William Wiltshire, horner, left a chalice of
the value of 30s. to the church. (fn. 32) At an Archdeacon's
Visitation of about 1816 it was ordered that a pewter
paten and flagon should be sold and a silver or plated
paten provided. (fn. 33) The plate now consists of an undated silver cup, a silver paten of 1778, and a plated
flagon given by the rector in 1835. (fn. 34) There is a tablet
in the chancel to William Bond (1887) rector.