CHURCHES.
The 'church of Havering', i.e. St.
Andrew's, Hornchurch, existed by 1163, when
Henry II gave it to the newly-founded priory of
Hornchurch. (fn. 1) When the priory was dissolved in
1391 its possessions in Hornchurch were bought by
William of Wykeham, bishop of Winchester, as part
of the endowments of New College, Oxford. (fn. 2) In
1392 a vicarage was for the first time ordained. (fn. 3)
That regulation was revoked in 1398, (fn. 4) but the
college, following a precedent already set at Romford, made voluntary arrangements in some ways
similar to those of a normal vicarage. Each successive incumbent, styled a vicar or chaplain, (fn. 5) held
office on a long lease. Fifteenth-century leases were
conditional upon the vicar's good behaviour, efficient
service, personal residence, and sometimes his payment of a small rent; he was entitled to oblations,
small tithes, and to allowances of clothing, corn, hay,
and fuel. (fn. 6) By the early 19th century the vicar was
receiving a stipend from the college instead of tithes
and allowances. (fn. 7) Leasing continued until 1926–7,
when the college endowed the vicarage. (fn. 8) New College still has the advowson.
Hornchurch priory probably exercised peculiar
jurisdiction in the parish, but no details of it are
known. New College certainly did so, though its
jurisdiction in Hornchurch seems to have been
narrower than in the college's other Essex peculiar
of Writtle and Roxwell. (fn. 9) The bishop of the diocese
never instituted to Hornchurch before the 20th
century. (fn. 10) In 1410 his authority was invoked to confirm the agreement concerning the new chapel at
Romford, (fn. 11) but in the 18th century he formally disclaimed jurisdiction in the parish at least twice. (fn. 12)
The archdeacon of Essex never inducted the vicar,
but, at least up to the 18th century, the wills of
persons from Hornchurch, Romford, and Havering
were usually proved in his court. (fn. 13) In 1427 and 1532
the archdeacon was involved in lawsuits concerning
his rights in Hornchurch. (fn. 14) Under Elizabeth I and
James I several cases relating to Hornchurch were
heard in the archdeacon's court, including a long
dispute between Romford and Havering over chapelrates. (fn. 15) When the chapel-rate issue recurred in 1660
the church courts had not yet been revived after the
Interregnum, and for that reason no further action
was taken. (fn. 16) In 1682–3 a similar case, and another
concerning the election of a chapelwarden for Havering, were heard and decided by the official of the
archdeacon acting as 'the judge of this peculiar and
exempt jurisdiction' (of Hornchurch). (fn. 17) That formula indicates that the archdeacon was acting only
as the agent of New College, and at the archdeacon's
visitation of 1683 the vicar of Hornchurch formally
denied the archdeacon's right to enter the church,
though later admitting him by courtesy. (fn. 18) In 1740
Romford vestry resolved to ask New College 'to
establish an ecclesiastical court in this peculiar jurisdiction,' (fn. 19) and this was evidently done soon after:
its earliest records date from 1748. The commissary
of the peculiar, appointed by New College, issued
marriage licences, granted probates, and conducted
visitations. (fn. 20) He also confirmed church-rates levied
within the peculiar. (fn. 21) By 1876, however, the archdeacon's visitation included Hornchurch, (fn. 22) and in
1903 the vicar of Hornchurch was instituted by the
bishop. (fn. 23)
About 1355 the church of Hornchurch, with its
chapels, was valued at 100 marks. (fn. 24) The rectory became the manor of Hornchurch Hall, the descent of
which is treated elsewhere. (fn. 25) In 1650 the rectory was
valued at £800, out of which the vicar of Hornchurch received £55 in small tithes, and the chaplains of Romford and Havering £45 and £20 respectively. (fn. 26) In the 1840s the rectorial tithes of Hornchurch, Romford, and Havering were commuted for
£4,272. (fn. 27) Over 900 a. land, also belonging to New
College, were then tithe free. The vicarage was
valued at about £280 in 1791. (fn. 28) In 1846 the vicar's
income included £5 from lands formerly in Havering park. (fn. 29) That payment had probably replaced an
ancient right to a buck and a doe from the park. (fn. 30) In
1851 the vicar's stipend was £700, with a further £30
from fees. (fn. 31)
The ancient Vicarage, known in its later years as
the Chaplaincy, (fn. 32) stood on the north side of High
Street opposite the church. It was built by New College in the financial year 1399–1400, and at the same
time was divided by a wall from the Rectory (later
Hornchurch Hall). (fn. 33) Those arrangements suggest
that the new owners were adapting the priory site
for parochial use. The Vicarage was a timber-framed
building, originally comprising an aisled hall with a
solar wing to the west, and possibly a similar wing
to the east. (fn. 34) In the later 17th century the whole
house except the west wing was demolished and replaced by a two-storey timber-framed structure with
an eastern cross-wing, and a separate gabled compartment on the north front housing the main staircase. Minor alterations were made to the east wing
in the 18th century, and in the later 19th century
two short parallel wings of brick were built at the
east end of the south front. The building went out
of use in 1969. (fn. 35) In 1970, when it was awaiting demolition, a fire revealed substantial remains of the
original structure. (fn. 36) When it was demolished parts
of the framework of the west wing were removed and
stored by the London borough of Havering. The
present Chaplaincy, formerly called Wykeham
Lodge, is a modern house immediately west of the
church.
Simon Abenach, by his will proved in 1307, gave
houses in London to maintain a chaplain at the altar
of St. Peter in Hornchurch. (fn. 37) There may have been
a connexion between that chantry and the guild of
St. Peter, mentioned in 1479. (fn. 38) The guild of Jesus
or the Holy Trinity, and that of St. Mary, also
existed in the late 15th century. (fn. 39) In the early 16th
century they used the south and north chapels respectively. (fn. 40) The Jesus guild survived until its dissolution in 1548, when it had an income of £5 5s.,
and was employing a priest; it was said to have been
founded by William Baldwin. (fn. 41) The 'Trinity house'
still survived in 1708. (fn. 42)
The vicars of Hornchurch have usually been
members of New College, and this tradition is still
strongly maintained. (fn. 43) Thomas Duke, vicar 1531–
40, was suspected of plotting against Henry VIII. (fn. 44)
John Meyrick, 1570–4, was later bishop of Sodor
and Man. (fn. 45) William Lambert, vicar 1574–92, became involved in a long dispute with John Leche,
whom he accused of conducting an Anabaptist conventicle and school at Hornchurch. (fn. 46) Thomas Mann,
vicar from 1632, appears to have been sequestrated
about 1645, though he remained in the parish until
his death in 1648. (fn. 47) John Hoffman was acting as
minister from 1645 to 1648. (fn. 48) He had four successors
during the Interregnum, of whom the last was
Michael Wells, vicar 1658–86. (fn. 49) Few references to
assistant curates have been noticed before the later
19th century, (fn. 50) when the first mission churches were
opened. During the past 50 years Hornchurch, with
a tradition of 'central' churchmanship, (fn. 51) has become
one of the most populous and flourishing parishes in
the diocese. In 1973 the staff included two curates,
a deaconess, and a lay reader. (fn. 52)
The church of ST. ANDREW, which stands on
the hill at the top of High Street, consists of chancel,
north and south chapels, four-bay nave, north and
south aisles, north porch, and west tower. (fn. 53) It is built
of septaria and ragstone, with some brick, and limestone dressings. The present building originated in
the 13th century, but during the 15th century the
aisles and chancel were rebuilt and the north and
south chapels, clerestorey, porch, and tower were
added. The south aisle and chapel were rebuilt in
1802.
Nothing now survives of the church granted to
Hornchurch priory in 1163: it seems to have been
completely rebuilt in the 13th century. Work was in
progress in 1228, and possibly by 1220. (fn. 54) The nave
arcades and the triple sedilia in the chancel survive
from the 13th century. Soon after New College
bought the benefice further work was put in hand.
Between 1405 and 1408 the chancel was rebuilt and
its windows filled with 167 sq. ft. of glass, which no
longer survives. (fn. 55) The aisles were rebuilt about the
same time. Later in the 15th century the chapels,
clerestorey, and north porch were added and the
chancel floor was probably raised. The east window
of the north chapel contains a few fragments of 15thcentury glass, including the arms of Deyncourt and
a royal figure, probably Edward the Confessor. (fn. 56) The
tower, planned by 1476, was completed c. 1491–2. (fn. 57)
It is of 3 stages, with embattled parapet and turrets,
and recessed spire. One parapet bears the letters RF
in stone, (fn. 58) and until 1921 the letter M, or a reversed
W, appeared in stone on the west wall of the tower. (fn. 59)
On the west face of one turret is the stone figure of a
seated bishop. (fn. 60)
The roofs of the chancel, north chapel, nave, and
north aisle, seem to date from c. 1500 and to have
been planned by 1486. (fn. 61) Those of the chancel and
nave were then painted in a red and black chequered
design, with gold quatrefoils superimposed. (fn. 62)
In 1716 the church was 'pewed and beautified'. (fn. 63)
The work then carried out created a rich interior
described by one writer as like those in Wren's city
churches, and including a richly carved wooden
pulpit, a reredos in the style of Gibbons, a panelled
chancel, and a west gallery. (fn. 64)
In 1802 the south aisle and chapel were rebuilt in
brick and the spire was clad with copper, replacing
lead. (fn. 65) The architect was probably John Johnson
(d. 1814), the county surveyor. (fn. 66) In 1826 the east
window, long blocked, was re-opened. (fn. 67)
Between 1869 and 1871 the church was heavily
restored. (fn. 68) A new east window was inserted, the
chancel and south chapel arches were rebuilt, the
sanctuary raised, the chancel ceiled, and the Georgian
fittings removed. In 1913 a choir vestry was made
beneath the south chapel, and in 1921 the eastern
gable of the chancel was rebuilt. (fn. 69) In 1954–62 the
tower was strengthened and the roofs were repaired,
the chancel was unceiled, the sanctuary floor was
again lowered, and new east and belfry windows
were inserted. (fn. 70) In 1970 a new church hall was
opened on the south side of the church, to which it
is connected by a covered way. (fn. 71)
On the eastern gable of the chancel is the carved
stone head of a Highland bull with hollow copper
horns. (fn. 72) It was first mentioned in 1824, though
'points of lead fashioned like horns', apparently in
the same position, can be traced back to 1610. (fn. 73) The
place-name 'Horned church' occurs by the 13th
century. The church may have had horn-like gables,
or have been surmounted by features resembling
horns, possibly associated with the local leather
industry. (fn. 74) When the horns became associated with
a bull is not known. A bull's head appears on the seal
of the prior of Hornchurch in 1384–5, (fn. 75) and by 1719
New College was providing an annual feast of 'bull
and brawn'. (fn. 76)
In 1719 there was a marble font with a black-letter
inscription. (fn. 77) It may have survived until 1817, when
it was replaced by a stone one. (fn. 78) which in turn was
replaced by a wooden one in 1970.
A bequest to the priest of the Holy Trinity guild
in 1479 on condition that he could play the organ
implies the existence of an organ then. (fn. 79) In 1552
there were two organs, both broken. (fn. 80) A barrel organ
was erected in the west gallery in 1833. (fn. 81) A two-
manual organ replaced it in 1861 and a three-manual
one, in the south chapel, in 1913. (fn. 82)
There were five bells in 1552. They were recast
into six by Mears & Co. in 1779, and two more, by
the same firm, were added in 1901. (fn. 83) Two large
earthenware pitchers, dated 1731 and 1815, and
formerly used to hold beer for the bell-ringers, are
in the church. (fn. 84) There was a church clock by 1674,
when it was replaced. A new clock was installed in
1814. (fn. 85)
In 1385 the church had 3 cups and 3 grails. (fn. 86) The
plate now includes 2 silver gilt cups and patens of
1563 and 1733, 2 silver gilt patens of c. 1690 and
1719, a silver flagon of 1699, an alms-dish of 1716,
and a golden cup given in 1948. (fn. 87) The parish chest
dates from the 18th century. Earlier chests, which no
longer survive, were mentioned in 1552 and 1668. (fn. 88)
The church has many monuments. (fn. 89) There are
brasses, or parts of brasses, to Thomas Scargill (d.
1476), Thomas Crafford (d. 1508) of Dovers, Catherine Fermor (d. 1510), George Reede (d. 1531)
vicar, Peerce Pennant (d. 1590) the alms-house
founder, Thomas (d. 1591), Humphrey (d. 1595),
and William (d. 1602) Drywood, and brass indents
for Boniface de Hart, (fn. 90) canon of Aosta and probably
prior of Hornchurch (in 1327), and Philip of Dover
(d. 1335), lord of Dovers. An altar-tomb commemorates William Ayloffe (d. 1517) of Bretons. (fn. 91) There
are other monuments to Francis Rame (d. 1618),
Richard Blackstone (d. 1638), Thomas Witherings
(d. 1651) of Nelmes, Sir Francis Prujean (d. 1666),
and one to Richard Spencer (d. 1784) by John Flaxman. A floriated coffin-lid, probably of the 13th century, survives. Some of the earlier brasses were
mutilated in 1644–6, when their 'superstitious inscriptions' were removed by Parliamentary order. (fn. 92)
There are two charities for the maintenance of the
church. (fn. 93) Church field, comprising 6 a., part of Gibbs
at Perrys farm, Romford, was given in 1563 by
William Talbot, vicar of Rainham. The rent from it
was £2 13s. 4d. in the period 1623–36, £5 in 1656,
and £20 in 1837. In 1934 the land, then 7 a., was sold
for £1,646. In 1975 the income from stock was £100.
Shipman's croft, later called Gogneys, comprised
2 a. in South End Road, Hornchurch. It seems to
have been given in or before 1570 by Agnes Shipman.
In 1624 it was said to be for the poor, but in 1627,
when it was leased to William Gogney for 15s. a year,
the rent was to be used to repair the church. In 1837
the rent was £4 4s. The land was sold in 1938 for
£900. In 1975 the income from stock was £31.
Mildred Bearblock, by her will of 1865, gave £111
in trust for the most regular attendants at church. In
1874 the vicar, who had distributed the charity for
two years, refused to do so any longer, and by a
Scheme of that year the income was to be used for
Sunday school prizes. By 1917 Bearblock's charity
was said to be combined with that of Whennell, the
total income of about £10 being used to buy Sunday
school prizes, books, and furniture. (fn. 94) In 1975 the
income from Bearblock's charity was £7.
St. Andrew, Hornchurch, had two ancient chapelries, Romford and Havering. During the Interregnum an unsuccessful attempt was made to form
them into separate parishes. (fn. 95) Havering eventually
became independent for ecclesiastical purposes in
the 1780s, and Romford in 1848–9. (fn. 96) Since 1849 six
new churches, all originally missions of St. Andrew,
have been built in Hornchurch. Two of them remain
under St. Andrew: the church of ST. GEORGE,
Kenilworth Gardens, (fn. 97) built in 1931, and that of ST.
MATTHEW, Chelmsford Drive (1956). (fn. 98) Of the
others three have been given their own parishes, and
one has been transferred to Rainham.
The mission church of ST. JOHN, South Hornchurch, South End Road, was opened in 1864 and
enlarged in 1882. (fn. 99) In 1954 it was transferred to Rainham. (fn. 100) A new church, dedicated to ST. JOHN AND
ST. MATTHEW was built on an adjoining site in
1957. (fn. 101)
The church of ST. PETER, Harold Wood, Gubbins Lane, originated in 1871, when an iron building
was erected in Church Road. (fn. 102) In 1939 a permanent
brick church was opened in Gubbins Lane with the
help of contributions from James and George H.
Matthews, local millers. A separate parish, taken
out of St. Andrew's, was then formed, the advowson
of the vicarage being vested in New College, Oxford.
Under Bernard Hartley, priest-in-charge and later
vicar, 1913–46, St. Peter's developed a strong evangelical tradition. When the Harold Hill estate was
built after the Second World War the eastern part of
it was transferred from the parish of Romford to
Harold Wood, (fn. 103) and the new church of St. Paul,
Harold Hill (1953) was a mission of St. Peter's until
a separate parish was allotted to it in 1956. (fn. 104) A singlestorey annexe was added to St. Peter's church in
1963. (fn. 105)
The church of THE HOLY CROSS, Hornchurch Road, originated in 1920, when a hut, formerly a chapel in the army camp at Grey Towers,
was re-erected at the corner of Malvern Road and
Park Lane, to serve as a mission church and social
centre for north-west Hornchurch. (fn. 106) The mission
was at first run jointly by the Church Army and the
vicar of Hornchurch, but in 1922 the vicar assumed
complete responsibility. A new parish, taken out of
St. Andrew, was formed in 1925, the advowson of
the vicarage being vested in New College and the
bishop alternately. (fn. 107) In 1933 a permanent church
was built on a new site at the corner of Hornchurch
Road and Park Lane. (fn. 108)
The church of ST. NICHOLAS, Elm Park, St.
Nicholas Avenue, originated in 1936, when a temporary building was erected. (fn. 109) A permanent church
was opened in 1956. (fn. 110) In 1957 a separate parish,
taken out of St. Andrew, was formed, the advowson
of the vicarage being vested in the bishop. (fn. 111)
ROMAN CATHOLICISM.
There are a few references to Hornchurch recusants in the late 16th century. (fn. 112) During the late 17th and early 18th centuries
several members of the Prujean family, of Suttons
Gate, were papists. (fn. 113)
The church of ST. MARY, Hornchurch Road,
which serves north-west Hornchurch, was built in
1931 and consecrated in 1933. (fn. 114) There are junior and
infant day-schools attached. At Elm Park a separate
parish was formed, and a church hall built in 1939. (fn. 115)
The church of ST. ALBAN, Langdale Gardens,
was built in 1960. (fn. 116) It is served by the Verona
Fathers. A parish was formed for east Hornchurch
in 1955, and the church of THE ENGLISH MARTYRS, Alma Avenue, was then opened. (fn. 117) South
Hornchurch is served by the church of Our Lady of
La Salette, which is treated under Rainham. (fn. 118)
PROTESTANT NONCONFORMITY. (fn. 119)
Haveing Well Presbyterian, later Independent meeting,
Hornchurch Road, was first mentioned in 1691,
when its minister, Mr. Dod the elder, had to leave
after a stay of three years because the congregation
was to poor to support him. (fn. 120) He was probably
Robert Dod, who had been ejected in 1662 from the
rectory of Inworth. (fn. 121) By 1698, when Thomas Wight
was minister, a large meeting-house, with a graveyard, had been built at the expense of Thomas
Webster, whose family about that time acquired
Nelmes. Samuel Wilson, who was minister for some
years up to his death in 1727, lived at Dagenham, from
which some of his congregation probably came. (fn. 122) His
successor, William Sheffield, left in 1732. The minister of Romford Independent church then took over
the pastorate of Havering Well. Havering Well continued as a dependency of Romford until 1819, when
it was demolished, and the materials were used in
the building of the new meeting-house in North
Street, Romford. The Havering Well graveyard was
preserved, and interments there continued until the
later 19th century. In 1973 about a third of the
graveyard, on the south side, was ploughed up and
paved in preparation for road widening. (fn. 123)
Hornchurch Baptist church, North Street, seems
to have originated in 1859, when Hermon Independent chapel, High Street, was registered for
worship. (fn. 124) Hermon was probably identical with the
mission which during the 1860s and 1870s was supported by Romford and Upminster Congregational
churches. (fn. 125) In 1877 the members of the mission
formed a church, but having found it difficult to get
Congregational preachers they sought the help of
Spurgeon, who sent students from his Baptist college at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. (fn. 126) In 1880 the
church adopted a Baptist constitution, and in 1882
the present building was erected in North Street, on
land given by John Abraham of Upminister. Spurgeon preached at the stone-laying and gave £100 to
the building fund. (fn. 127) The first settled pastor came in
1890. A schoolroom was added in 1885. The church
itself was enlarged in 1903. Between 1931 and 1936
it was further enlarged and modernized, and new
schools were built. North Street was for long the
leading nonconformist church in Hornchurch, and
founded three other churches.
Ardleigh Green Baptist church, Ardleigh Green
Road, originated in 1914 as a mission of Hornchurch. (fn. 128) In 1932 it joined the Essex Baptist Association. (fn. 129) A new school-chapel was built on the same
site in 1933. (fn. 130)
Harold Park Baptist church, Harold Court Road,
was founded in 1930, and joined the Essex Baptist
Association in the same year. (fn. 131) In 1932–3 the church
was regretting the departure of the Association 'from
old paths' and its 'dabbling in the Oxford Group
movement'. (fn. 132) By 1959 it had joined the Fellowship of
Independent Evangelical churches. (fn. 133) The building
was extended in 1960. (fn. 134)
Elm Park Baptist church, Rosewood Avenue, originated in 1937, with house meetings and a Sunday
school, supported by the Hornchurch Baptists and
the Essex Baptist Association. (fn. 135) A school-chapel was
built in 1938, and the church was formally constituted in 1939. The building was damaged by bombing in 1940. A youth hall was added in 1946. A new
church was built in 1963.
A Wesleyan Methodist society, meeting in a house,
was reported in 1829. (fn. 136) It had a regular congregation
of 80, and was under the care of the Romford minister in the Spitalfields circuit. The house may have
been Hollies, in North Street, which was being used
as a nonconformist chapel about 1835. (fn. 137) In 1854 part
of a building occupied by Jonathan Diaper of Hornchurch was registered for Wesleyan worship. (fn. 138) That
society also seems to have been short-lived.
Gidea Park (Wesleyan) Methodist church, Manor
Avenue, originated in 1926, when a school-chapel,
in the Ilford circuit, was opened. (fn. 139) Extensions were
carried out in 1931–2. Gidea Park was transferred to
the new Romford circuit in 1947. A new church was
built in 1958.
Hornchurch (Wesleyan) Methodist church, High
Street, originated about 1929 with meetings in the
Masonic Hall. (fn. 140) A school-chapel, in the Ilford circuit, was opened in 1933. It was transferred to the
Romford circuit in 1947. A new church was built in
1958.
Harold Wood (United) Methodist church, The
Drive, originated in 1889, when an undenominational mission hall, in Athelstan Road, was registered. (fn. 141) That was taken over about 1908 by the
United Methodists, and became part of the Forest
Gate circuit. (fn. 142) In 1929 a church and school were
built on a large site at the corner of Gubbins Lane,
with the aid of funds from (Sir) William Mallinson
(Bt.). Harold Wood was transferred to the Ilford
circuit in 1946 and to the Romford circuit in 1947. A
new church was built in 1962, and the 1929 building
then became a hall. (fn. 143)
Grenfell Hall Methodist church, Grenfell Avenue,
originated in the early 1930s with house meetings. (fn. 144)
A site was given by Thomas England, the estate developer, and a two-storey church was opened in
1936. It was in the Ilford circuit until 1947 and then
in the Romford circuit.
Elm Park Methodist church, Mungo Park Road,
was opened in 1957, in the Romford circuit. (fn. 145)
Nelmes United Reformed church, Nelmes Road,
Emerson Park, was formed in 1906 as Hornchurch
Congregational church. (fn. 146) Initial help was given by
Romford Congregational church. Meetings were
held in a hall in Berther Road until 1909, when a
permanent building was erected in Nelmes Road, on
a site given by Thomas Dowsett of Southend-on-Sea. (fn. 147) A new hall was added in 1960. (fn. 148)
The Brethren had two congregations at Hornchurch in 1917. (fn. 149) One of them was meeting in the
Billet Lane hall, and it remained there until 1958,
when it built Emerson Park chapel, Butts Green
Road. (fn. 150) The Brethren also have meeting-places at
Bethany hall, Abbs Cross Lane, registered 1935,
Athelstan hall, Athelstan Road, Harold Wood (1952),
and Hillview hall, Hillview Avenue, Hornchurch
(1969). (fn. 151)
The Evangelical Free church, Brentwood Road,
originated in 1888, when a mission hall was built in
Boundary Road, Romford. (fn. 152) A free church was
formed in 1894. The present church, erected in
1902, was just inside Hornchurch. The Full Gospel
church of the Assemblies of God, Frederick Road,
south Hornchurch, existed by 1951. (fn. 153) Whybridge
Evangelical Free church, Rainham Road, south
Hornchurch, originated by 1951 as the Whybridge
Hall. (fn. 154) The church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons), Ardleigh Green Road, was built in 1964 on a
large, wooded site. (fn. 155) It is of white brick and timber
with part of the front wall in rock-faced brick. The
detached spire is of gilded metal in the shape of an
arrow. Among several small undenominational
missions in Hornchurch (fn. 156) is the Craigdale Hall,
Craigdale Road, which goes back to the 1920s. (fn. 157)
JUDAISM.
Elm Park affiliated synagogue was
established in 1939, and became affiliated to the
United Synagogue in 1948. (fn. 158) A permanent building
was erected in Woburn Avenue in 1949.