Dwellings

Bayning House - A newspaper article written after the official opening noted “The Datchet Evangelical Fellowship built the flats particularly for retired Christian workers but their isolated situation only suited the active and mobile.

Late last year the flats were taken over by the Baptist Men’s Movement Housing Association, and nominations for half the tenants are now made by Tendring District Council”.

Filde Hall -  Kelly’s Directory of 1870 states “The Rectory, a handsome residence, standing in a small park, was built by the present Rector (Richard Somers Smith) in 1825”.

 Memories of Eleanor Worne, daughter of Rev. Barlow (Lt. Bentley vicar 1929-34)

My father was offered the Little Bentley living in 1919.  It belonged to Emmanuel, his old Cambridge College.  The previous incumbent had been there about 40 years and nothing had been done to the house in that time!  He had been looked after by his daughter and finally left at the popular request as he had done nothing for some years.  My mother nearly ran away when visited it when it was offered.  However, they accepted it, but had to have the house completely ‘gone over’.  There was no water of course, only a pump by the stable. There was also no water or gas – none in the village, and the nearest phone was at Great Bentley.  But we all loved the house and even then, it was lovely.  The ‘living’ was between £600 and 700, good for those times, but as his predecessor was still alive, my father had to pay him £180 a year, as that was then the custom for incumbents.  So my father took 3 resident pupils to coach for Cambridge.  They were Persian – we had 2 or 3 lots and they were all very nice! The bedroom over the scullery was made into a bathroom, with a hole made by an ‘installed’ bath.  This went down into the scullery where the maid worked a rotary pump from water heated in the boiler. We restored the tennis court which faced the front of the house.  This was done by most of the Rectories who had young families.  This was really the only and favourite amusement, particularly in our case as my father was a Cambridge Tennis Blue.

Gurnhams -“Landes Lyinge within the Parrish Of Tenderinge” and in the occupation of William Warren in 1627 was “One Caputall Messuage called or knowne by the name of Garnams”. Although much of the land lies within the Tendring boundary, Gurnhams has always been attached to Little Bentley. (A Manor of Gernons - site unknown - was quoted in 1384; in 1512 the name of Garnons appears in records and it was by this name that Paul, Viscount Bayning held a Manor at the time of his death in 1629). The carriageway to the house was in a direct line from the Church. bearing south across the fields opposite the Hall and crossing the Brook below Spring Meadow.

Little Bentley Hall About 1680, the reversion of the Manor and other estates were sold to Edward Peck of Little Sampford (serjeant-at-law) Edward Rigby of Covent Garden and Mrs. Pierpont etc.

 When the Earl of Oxford died in 1703, an Act of Parliament was obtained to settle the division of the estates. Little Bentley Hall was allotted to William Peck (grandson of Edward) and his son William succeeded him. The Peck family owned the Manor of Little Sampford at one time and a Gertrude Peck (1705) and William Peck (1740) were recorded as benefactors to the poor of that parish. In the Church there, are several handsome monuments to the Peck family. (William White’s Directory 1848).

 In 1740, William Peck parted with the Manor and Estate to John Moore of Southgate in Middlesex.Morant records that in 1761 the estate was sold for £8,800 to Sir Percy Brett, “Captain of a Man of War and Commodore”. After his death, it passed to his only daughter Henrietta. In 1812, Thomas Hamlet - the London Goldsmith bought the estate and in 1826 it was sold to John Shaw of London. Mrs. Bond, daughter of John Shaw, held the estate until her death in 1868 when her heirs sold it to John Woodgate who had resided there since 1846. An Essex history written in 1877 notes that he had ‘done much to improve and embellish it as a residential property.’ He also ‘accumulated a valuable library of old and rare books’.

Bentley Manor is the location of the Parsonage prior to 1825. The Glebe Terrier of 1610 notes that it stood one hundred yards farther north from the Church and situated on the left hand side of the road stood “..... the Parsonage House and Barne and Stable with 7 yards lying east betweene ye house and the higheway. . .“. On each of the other three sides were pightells named respectively South, West and North “which sayde three pightells does abutt West upon Cowey Wood”. “The south parte of the Parsonage house with the West Pightell. is in the occupation of John Willis, now parson of Little Bentley and the North part of the house, Barne, Stable Yardes and the South and North pightells in the tenure and occupation of Robert Munte”. 

(Pightell = Enclosure)

Rectory Cottage used to be two cottages with, in the early 19th century, a schoolroom attached.

Warrens Farm   The name of Warren (sometimes spelt Warren, Warne or Wareyn) has been associated with Little Bentley for many years. In 1492 the lane to the south of the present farmhouse was known as Wareyn’s lane. The earliest Will still in existence in the name of Warren was made in 1501. In 1578, Agnes Rand agreed to serve Robert Warren for one year, taking as wages 24s and one pair of shoes of thread.  The Parish Register notes that in 1602 William Warren married Susan West.