A History of Little Bentley
Little Bentley is a long lane of a village running between one parish and another with, to the east, the village of Tendring - its very name ending indicating that it was an early Saxon settlement. To the west lies Frating which was also established at the same time.
The name of Bentley probably means a clearing in the rushes. The word Bent means a place where rushes grow and the parish gives rise to two sources of a rivulet. Coarse grass is still referred to as “bents” in many East Anglian districts today. A Ley is a pasture or unploughed land.
Bentley, Little (St. Mary)
BENTLEY, LITTLE (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and hundred of Tendring, N. division of Essex, 8 miles (E.) from Colchester; containing 472 inhabitants. It comprises 2000a. 2r. 14p., of which 1660 acres are arable, 135 pasture, and 162 woodland. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13, and in the patronage of Emmanuel College, Cambridge: the tithes have been commuted for £650, and there are 58 acres of glebe. The church is an ancient building, consisting of a nave, north aisle, and chancel, with a tower of stone. A chantry was founded by Sir John Le Gros. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; and a school is partly supported by the rector.
Early History
Once the Romans withdrew their soldiers from the forts built between the Solent and the Wash, the Anglo-Saxons made frequent attacks upon the south east corner of Britain. The Saxons travelled inland along the rivers and Holland Brook was a navigable river for some miles in those days. Two factors governed the siting of the Saxon village - the nature of the soil and the availability of water. The pattern of their cultivation was shaped by the distribution of river and stream. Suitable clearings were found in which to settle and villages were established similar to those that the Saxons had left on the Continent. There the land had often been flooded and was not fertile, but in the east of England the soil was good and there was running water to supply the village and the farmland when needed.
At first the Saxons built rough wooden and thatched huts, round or rectangular, and only the Thane’s hall (a large barn type structure) was big enough for meetings and feasts. Later as the Christian religion spread, the buildings were of wood and rubble and mortar. It has been suggested that the Church has Saxon origins and this seems possible given there is evidence of Roman construction in the quoins (brick bases of pillars) found in the present building.
There were once two Manors at Little Bentley called Benetlea and Menetlea which were in the possession of the Saxon nobles named Elwin and Wisgar. This was in the reign of Edward the Confessor. Edward was succeeded by Harold, the last of the Saxon kings, who died within the year at Hastings. The new Norman ruler William started to reward his Barons and followers including his nephew, Alan Earl of Bretagne, to whom he gave the Manors of Little Bentley. At the time of the General Survey it was held by this nephew and Richard Fitz-Gilbert, Lord of Clare, their under tentants being Henry de Spain, and a person named Roger.. Later, these two Lordships were united into one Manor and called Bentley Hall.
14th Century
There is no record of the owners of the Hall until, in Edward II’s reign, it was held by the Le Gros family who had several estates in other parts of the county. The manor changed hands many times with this family - the names William, Walter and Hugh Le Gros occur all within the course of ten years. In 1360 it was held by Alicia, and Hugh de Gros .On her death was succeeded by his son William Le Gros, who died 2 years later and was suceeded by his brother Thomas. It was a Sir John Gros who was last mentioned as the owner and he died in 1383. A Grose-Preste is mentioned as Chaplain of a chantry founded in the Church in 1386.
Sir John granted the Manor, should he die without an heir, to Sir Richard de Sutton and others on condition that they found a Chantry. Sir Richard and Sir John Cherteseye and others rebuilt the old Chapel belonging to the Church and founded a Chantry for one Chaplain. (The purpose of the chantry was the offering up of prayers for the souls of the founder and his family. The ordinary chantry priest, however, had parochial duties assigned to him under the direction of the rector and corresponded to the assistant curate – he was also often a schoolmaster.) Little Bentley’s chantry was endowed with one acre of land, a yearly rent of £8.3d, and two hundred faggots from Little Bentley Woods, New Hall Tendring and Hamnestall in Wykes. Sir Richard, who died in 1395, had a son and heir named Thomas.
After this, the Manor came into the hands of the Bourchier family - Sir Bartholomew married the widow of Sir John de Sutton. When he died in 1409, he left it to his second wife Idonea Lovee, widow of Edmund, son of Sir JohnBrookesbourne.. They had an only daughter Elizabeth who had two husbands; her first, Sir John Stafford took the title of Lord Bourchier arid died in 142l. Her second husband was Sir Lewis Robessart (Knight of the Garter, Standard Bearer of England to King Henry the sixth) who died in 143O. There were no children and when Elizabeth died, three years later, her cousin Henry Bourchier Earn of Eu inherited the estate. Elizabeth is buried in St. Pauls Chapel in Westminster Abbey.
15th Century
The Pyrton family whose Coat of Arms (Ermine, on a chevron engrailed azure, three leopards, or) is on the Font, held “the Manor of Little Bentley and all lands and tenements thereto belonging...” in the fifteenth century. This family descended from William Pyrton of Ipswich and it is his grandson William Pyrton and his wife Catherine who are buried in the Chancel of the Church. William, described as a great warrior (and Captain of Guisne in Picardy) was knighted and died on the 1st July 1490. Sir William had five sons and five daughters who were either buried in the Church or were referred to on a stone slab with brasses which was removed to the vestry a hundred years ago or more. (The brasses and stonework have been very much damaged). Four generations of Pyrtons held the Manor until in 1609 it was left to a cousin Edmund Pyrton who sold it.
The 16th Century
In Little Bentley, evidence of the changes brought by the Protestant Reformation can be found in the closure of the chantry and its priest that had been set up by Sir John le Gros in the 14th century. Church property was frequently destroyed or removed during this period for both the religious reason of removing ‘popish’ adornments and the secular reason of providing revenue for the Crown.In 1552 Sir William Pyrton seized Little Bentley’s church bells to ensure that the bells were sold to benefit him rather than the King. Puritanism had a particularly strong presence in Essex. Little Bentley had a Puritan rector, William Tey, who was suspended in 1588. He was later, however, installed as a rector in Peldon. Tey was a leading member of a group of local Puritan ministers who met weekly to discuss doctrine and evaluate the moral and spiritual qualities of neighbouring clergy.
In June 1589, Morant notes that Captains were to muster men in Little Bentley, with orders issued for the Lord Lieutenant to review them. Soldiers were to assemble at the sound of the drum under pain of death for absence.
A reminder that Little Bentley was not that far from the coast and its smuggling trade is provided by a report that the privateer Captain Blunt was believed to be staying at Warrren’s Farm in 1572.
Paul Bayning acquired the Manor of Little Bentley in 1609. Born in 1559, he was the son of Richard Bayning of Dedham and the family came from Nayland. Paul Bayning was an Alderman of the City and in 1595 had been Sheriff of London. Morant states that ‘he accumulated a very great fortune merchandizing; so advantageous was Trade even in its infancy.’ His extensive land holdings in Essex and Suffolk included almost the whole parish of Little Bentley.
During the reign of James I, Paul Bayning had the stately Hall of Little Bentley built as his own private residence. It was a magnificent building with tall red brick towers and stone decoration. It had spacious halls and extensive dormitories and high mullioned windows made of stone. There was a great arched entrance and its western front overlooked a large sheet of water. It was at this time that the grounds were laid out and the stewponds were made -these were a series of pools for the rearing of fish. Paul and his second wife Susan (daughter of Richard Norden of Mistley) had a son who was knighted and created a Baronet. Paul the Peer married Anne, daughter of Sir Henry Glenham and had one son Paul and four daughters, Cecily, Anne, Mary and Elizabeth. They all married well. In fact, Mary married three times. Her second husband was Christopher Villiers and one of his descendants came from Canada to Little Bentley in the 20th century and found a bride.
From the will of Joan Bartlet, widow, of Little Bentley (in Essex Wills, Archdeaconry of Colchester (762)
To Peter Cranvin of ‘Bilson’ (Bildeston, co. Suffolk) the bed that I lie on, a table napkin, a pair of sheets, 2 kerchiefs (1 of holland, the other of lockram), a canvas apron, a smock, a neckerchief, a black apron, a tablecloth, a brass pot, a kettle, a skillet, a pewter dish, a condlestick, and a salt. To his wife a russet petticoat and my best cassock. To Thomas Lindar of Weeley a bed, a tablecloth, a pair of sheets, 2 kerchiefs, a rail, a crosscloth apron, a board cloth, a brass pot the least, a kettle, 2 pewter dishes, a skillet, a candlestick, a salt, a red petticoat, and a table napkin. To Robert Hose that dwelt in Wix a bed, a pair of sheets, a kettle, a skillet, a pewter dish, a candlestick, a salt, a kerchief, a rail, and a neckerchief; to his wife a smock; to his least daughter a saucer. To Edmund Hose a pair of sheets, a covering, a kerchief, a napkin, a holland pillowbere, a saucer, and a pewter dish; to his mother a double rail and a kerchief. To John Steven the cupboard in the hall, paying 4s for it, and a frying pan. To Thomas Herd’s wife, the chest that standeth at my bed’s feet and 2s. To Thomas Coole the younger and his brother George Coole each 6s 8d. To Mr. Pirton’s wife the hangings in the hall. To the poor of Little Bentley all my wearing apparel. To three poor women of this parish that of my ‘verworne’ sheets. To the poor of this parish 3s 4d. The rest of my goods to Thomas Coole of this parish for the poor of Little Bentley, he being paid for all his labour, charges and pains, whom I ordain my executor. Proved 27 April, 1574.
17th Century
Life in Little Bentley during the seventeenth century centred on the Manor and the Church and the southern end of the village was then well populated. While the first two decades of the century were prosperous, the following three brought repeated crop failures, depression in the cloth trade, and Civil War. The effects of Puritanism and the Civil War can be seen in the decapitated angels on the Church’s hammerbeam roof.
Paul, Viscount Bayning born in 1616, the year in which his Grandfather died, lived only 22 years and died on the 11th June, 1658. He was buried in the Church vault. His wife Penelope (only daughter and heir of Sir Robert Nautin) was left with two daughters, Anne and Penelope. Anne married Aubrey de Vere, the 20th and last Earl of Oxford. The De Vere family money had been largely dissipated by the 17th Earl in the reign of Elizabeth. The 20th Earl worked his way through the Bayning money and then pulled down the Hall which was sold by auction. The materials from the Hall were then used to build many of the best houses in Colchester and elsewhere. Farm buildings now stand upon the foundations of the old Hall and part of the Park yielded to the plough. The deaths of Paul Bayning and Aubrey de Vere thus ended both the short-lived status of the Bayning family as members of the upper gentry and the prominence of the De Vere family, Earls of Oxford since 1142. In about 1680 they sold their estates to Edward Peck esq. seageant at law of Little Samford, then passed to William Peck his grandson. His son William sold it in 1740 to John Moore, who again sold it to Sir Perry Brett, captain of a man of war and Commodore.
Another major landowner in the 17th century, as documented by the Glebe Terrier of 1610, was William Warren, owner of Warrens Farm. William’s land adjoined the Bayning estate and extended to Tendring.
John WILLIS
The Revd. John Willis was both a Stenographer and Mnemonician. He graduated (B.A.) from Christ’s College, Cambridge in 1592-3 (M.A. 1596 B.D. 1603) and on the 12th June, 1601 he was admitted to the Rectory of St. Mary Bothaw, Dowgate Hill, London. He resigned in 1606 on being appointed Rector of Little Bentley in Essex.
Willis invented the first practical and rational scheme of modern shorthand founded on a strictly alphabetical basis. The earlier systems (devised by Timothy Bright 1588 and Peter Bales 1590) were utterly impracticable and had no result whereas Wilils’s method was published again and again, and was imitated and improved upon by succeeding authors.
The first work in which his system was explained appeared anonymously under the title of “The Art of Stenographie, teaching by plaine and certaine rules, to the capacitie of the meanest, and for the use of all professions, the way to Compendious Writing”. This was printed in 1602. The only copies known to exist are in the British Museum and the Bodleian Libraries. The fourteenth edition of his work appeared in 1647 - some twenty years after his death. Willis’s shorthand alphabet, the first introduced into German literature, appeared in Nurenberg in 1653.
To students of mnemonics, Willis is well known as the author of “Mnemonica” - a book which develops the principles of the local memory in an apt and intelligible manner - this was originally printed in Latin in 1618. The whole work was translated into English by Leonard Sowersby, a bookseller at the Turn-Stile, near Newmarket, in Lincoln’s Inn Fields in 1661.
18th Century
The population of the Tendring Hundred gradually rose during this century. Nearby Colchester and smaller towns such as Dedham and Ardleigh were hard hit by the decline of their previously flourishing cloth making industries. Little Bentley was not unaffected by the decline of spinning, but few weavers had worked in the Tendring area. The economic situation in the countryside was fairly static; food prices and rents were generally stable. Wages in 1700 were probably 6s for a farm worker -this seemed to be the standard wage over most of Essex. After 1750 things began to change and wages rose to 7s. This was not the only income as the wife probably had some employment, although spinning ceased to be a reliable source of income, and sons might earn a shilling or two on a farm. At this time, two pounds of Beef cost 5d. and Cheese too could be bought for 2 1/2d per pound.
For many years there are records of two Inns or Beerhouses in Little Bentley - as far back as 1604, 2 Inns are recorded. However, after a change in licensing laws and the closure of many beerhouses in Essex, the village was left in 1769 without one Inn for a time. (Little Bromley also suffered in this way).
Figures in the Guildhall Museum collected by the local clergy indicate that the population in 1723 is recorded as 27 families and in 1763 as 30 houses. By 1790, there were 34 houses. (See appendix for population figures) A 1772 history of Essex states that the Hall was in a ‘ruinous condition’.
19th Century.
Villages on the Tendring Peninsula, some distance away from market towns such as Colchester, did not attract many of the small but growing middle classes of 19th century merchants and professionals. Nor were there many large estates of the landed gentry. The formerly grand Manor of Little Bentley had been divided into smaller parcels. The land in Little Bentley instead supported a number of small and medium sized arable and mixed farms. In Little Bentley, only a few well-to-do farmers and the vicar could afford to keep household servants.
The reverend H.R. Somers Smith came to Little Bentley at the beginning of the century and died here in 1871. The original Parsonage was situated on the opposite side of the road to the Church and in the vicinity of the Glebe Barn. The new Rectory (with 52 acres of Glebe) was built in the centre of the village in 1825 for the Revd. Somers Smith .(Now Filde Hall)
There was a sudden increase in the number of available dwelling houses in the village between 1801 and 1831. The population figure rose by over a hundred - from 331 to 438 - and this accounted for 92 families. There were 89 inhabited houses; two families shared a farmhouse and two more families shared the Workhouse facilities.
The population total of 438 is made up of 226 Males (110 over 20 years of age) and 212 Females.
The village was completely self-sufficient and all needs were catered for within the parish, Amy South (a widow with one daughter) ran a little General Shop. Thomas Askew was a Shoemaker and so was James Meyer who also had a shop. James Porter was a Butcher and there was a miller, Brewer and Master. James Burling was the Blacksmith and Thomas Salmon was a Wheelwright. There were two Beershops; one run by a man named Church and another by Joseph Pellen at the top of the village - this is how Pelhams Corner was named, Pellen was corrupted to Pelhams which is easier to say. The village had two Carpenters by the name of Seger - Samuel and his married son Samuel Seger jnr.
The population of the village was thus able to provide much of its own needs, but life was very hard for most, particularly the agricultural workers. Their thatched cottages, while outwardly picturesque, were overcrowded and poorly ventilated. Many cottages were very small and many of them were double tenements. There were two Round-houses in those days and each was intended for two tenants - the only “uninhabited dwelling house” in the village in 1831 was half a Round-house!
Another trade that appears in the 1831 Census return is that of a Brickmaker by the name of James Cooper. The tithe map of 1840 shows a brick kiln on Tendring Road just before the boundary with Tendring.
20th Century
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Bricklayers Arms was a weatherboarded building looking south towards Church Road where the Post Office (run by Mrs. Elizabeth Hazel) was situated at Orchard House. To the left of the house was a large shed where, amid the sweet aromatic smell of many woods, Mr. Hazel was busy with spokeshave and other fine woodworking tools for he was the Wheelwright and also the Coffin Maker.
To the east, the Tendring Road ran past the Village Pump, its refreshing waters always flowing and safe from the winter frost because of the solid wooden box (stuffed with straw) which encased it. There were a number of other wells and springs scattered throughout the village providing additional sources of water. On the right was all that remained of the old Postmill - the ruined round-house and soon that too was to disappear.
At the junction of the roads, the Corner House might aptly have beer called ‘Shoemakers as five people had carried on the craft in this house. First James Meyer and then his son of the same name, followed by Askew, Southgate and finally Mr. Fred Eagle.
The "High Street" of Little Bentley was Rectory Road where there were shops for provisions. Looking north from the Green the chimney of the Bakehouse (now “Coppins”) could be seen to the left of the Bricklayers Arms - the morning air was heavy with the aroma of freshly baked bread. Later, the cooling ovens, heated in the age-old way with wood, were used on payment of a copper or two for the baking of people’s pies and puddings etc. Mr. Arthy was the Baker and he also ran a shop.
A few yards further on could be seen the ebb and glow of the Smithy - the ringing notes of the hammer echoing around the heart of the village. This was a farming community still, and farming as dependent on horses; horses were dependent or Austin Suggate the Blacksmith. Mr. Suggate was a busy man - there were always new shoes needed for plough horses, frost nails to be fitted in the winter. Ploughs to repair, shares to be made - the Smithy was a meeting place. This was the time when a day's ploughing at The Hall saw thirteen teams (26 horses) cross the road to begin work on the big field.
There was another General Store opposite the Rectory gates and Mr. Southgate continued his shoe repairing now in this road, surrounded by a pile of leather shavings so deep that he fitted a board across the doorway rather than remove his thick spongy carpet.
At the Rectory, the Revd. Joseph Dixie Churchill was in Residence. In the Cottage at the gates lived the School Mistress and in the old Schoolroom at its side had long since been converted into a dwelling house.
Between the Rectory and “Huntsboys” there was a grassed down field in which the popular game of Quoits was played. The Quoits were heavy and made of steel and could weigh 2 or 3lbs (sometimes more) and were pitched onto an iron stake standing on a mud (on clay) bed. Two points were scored if the quoit fell over the stake and one point for a hit. It was an absorbing game with many finer points and matches were held in competition with other villages. The teams were usually attached to the local Public House and this was the meeting place of the Bricklayers Arms Quoits Club - at one time Captained by Austin Suggate.
This was a time when all entertainment was homemade and the community spirit was strong. Shows were held at the Hall and concerts, were performed in the village hall. Many children spent happy hours at the Rectory rehearsing and reciting in the Playroom.
Further to the northwest is Monkey Street where legend has it that in an old Cottage set back from the road and now destroyed, an elderly man kept monkeys.
The old Workhouse opposite Pelhams Corner had been converted into four Cottages in the 19th century.
To the west and almost on the boundary lime, the buildings of Clipt Hedge farm still looked new, replacing those lost in a serious fire on a September night in 1892 when seven stacks where also ablaze and furniture from the house was carried out to the lawn when it was feared that it too might be destroyed.
The last farm to the north is Welhams Farm. Those who remembered the stockyard blaze could remember also the tragedy here in the August of 1892 when there was a fatality in the harvest field. Steven Mason was pitching and, as the wagon moved forward, he fell. Both wheels, passing over his head and chest caused “almost instantaneous death”.
From this end of the village, children had to walk to the School standing in the shadow of the Church. Children from Ravens Green walked through the beautiful Beech Avenue of Little Bentley Hall Wood when weather permitted. (This avenue of trees was felled during the First World War). In the Hall grounds, the Lakes were clean and alive with fish and on the islands in the centre there were Summer Houses.
There was another Public House in Ravens Green called the Gamekeepers Arms. This quiet house was taken over before the First World War by Mr.& Mrs. Neal. None of the family drank beer (or any other form of alcohol) and as only 4 gallons of beer were consumed during the week in the bar, business was very poor. When the War broke out, Mr. Neal went off to fight and Mrs. Neal’s name “Sarah Jane” went up over the door as licensee. The arrival of the Somerset Regiment who were stationed in Little Bentley for a time revived the trade. Mrs. Neal was an excellent cook and served some of the Officers with their evening meal. The Gamekeepers Arms soon became a popular meeting place and remained so until its closure in the middle of the century.
The Annual Outing to Clacton when the Harvest was safely gathered in was a day to be remembered. Wagons and horses supplied by Mr. Carter of Dairy House Farm, Ravens Green and Mr. Knowler of the Glebe Farm took as many of the inhabitants as possible for a day at the seaside. Both the waggon and horses were gaily decorated.
John Knowler senior was born in 1821 the address was The Cottage , Tendring Road, Little Bentley on the tendering road and their occupation was agricultural labourer and horsekeeper , and his son john was born in 1854 at the same address( Supplied my Mrs E Shackleton - relative)
Later in the year, there were Harvest Suppers - Cold Beef, Salads, Apple pies and plenty of Beer. These were held in the larger farm barns which were decorated for the festival with bracken and other greenery. Opportunity certainly knocked for local talent on these occasions - “Come on Joe, give us a song boy...”.
Prior to the First World War, a Carriers Cart pulled by a pair of horses, was the only transport available. This was provided by a Mr. Parker from Thorpe-le-Soken and. ran into Colchester three times a week. It was a very special treat for a child to have a ride and visit the tows. Mr. Robert Southgate was a general carter from the village to Thorpe Market, taking provisions such as eggs and chickens to be sold. After the War, Hooks Bros. from operated a service with Motor Driven Vehicles, built by themselves. Many people owned bicycles and they could be bought in the village itself from Mr. Eagle. The first two Motor Cycles seen in the village were ridden by Dr. Frank Atthill (from Great Bentley) and Mr. Bell the Road Superintendent.
THE MILL
See Little Bentley Windmill page
THE WORKHOUSE
In a majority of Essex villages workhouses were established to house poor and disabled people. Little Bentley’s Workhouse was established in 1774 and had accommodation for 26. It was situated on the opposite side of the Harwich Road . Many sale catalogues of the local farms and cottages describe places “on the any to Workhouse Green” or “at Workhouse Corner”. The parish was advertising, in 1774, for a man “able to run the spinning”, which was a major source of workhouse income. In 1831 there were 17 inhabitants of the Workhouse. Two families accounted for 10 of these residents. The man of each of these two families and the Master of the Workhouse are listed in the Census as employed in Agriculture. Three other men were perhaps elderly, ill or disabled. There were also two young brothers and two girls listed.
The Poor Law Amendment of 1834 removed responsibility for the poor from parishes over to a Board of Guardians for the area. Each union had its own workhouse, and Little Bentley was part of the Tendring Union with its workhouse at Tendring Heath.
Little Bentley Horticultural Society
The annual event to which the Village looked forward between the Wars was the “Flower Show” held in the Park of Little Bentley Hall. The Show took place in July and arrangements were made to avoid it clashing with the Tendring Hundred Benefit Feast - this event was organised by a Friendly Society and it was most important to see that the two dates did not coincide. Also the same Committee who were organising the Show were probably the people who would be asked to help with the Benefit Feast. (If the Feast were to be held in the parish, there was a Church Service followed by a meal. There was also a Beer Tent on these occasions)
The schedule for the Show included “A Collection of Potatoes” of four varieties - six of each; the entrance fee for this class in 1926 was 6d. and the prizes were 7/6d, 5/- and 2/6d. There was also a special prize of 7/6d to a Member and Exhibitor in Class A. who had the greatest number of exhibits in all classes. There were classes for Pastry and Buns and another section for Knitted Garments, Crochet and Embroidery. The class for Fruit included plates of Raspberries, Black Currants and Red Currants and various Jams and Preserves. Among the Flowers, Sweet Peas reigned supreme and a collection of these meant six varieties twelve spikes of each. The biggest prizes were given for Table Decoration and was the highest award. Children were catered for and there was a special class of Handwriting for the under-eight’s. The prizes of 2/-, 1/-. and even 6d must have been greatly treasured.
The Great Bentley Brass Band were asked to play between the hours of 2-30 and 9-0 p.m. and there were many Sideshows in the form of Bowling for the Pig, Aunt Sally, Skee Ball, Coconut Shies, Darts, Guessing the Weight of the Pig, Driving the Nail, Guessing the Number of Peas in a Bottle and Ringing the Peg.
Farming
Farming has always been at the heart of life in Little Bentley. The Saxons were farmers and for 900 years their methods of sowing, scything, thrashing and winnowing were still in use. The importance of farming is clearly revealed in the Census figures for the 1800s which show all in the village employed as farmers, agricultural labourers, or the trades and businesses supporting them such as the blacksmith, miller, baker, and beer-shop keeper. In 1831, for example, of the 92 families, 75 were concerned with Agriculture. 14 were employed in and maintained by Trade, Manufacture or Handicraft.
Farming practices and methods changed little in the years prior to the 20th century, although the types of arable crops changed over time, and improvements to farming practice such as crop rotation were readily adopted by Essex farmers. One Little Bentley farmer in 1724 was quick to introduce the newly introduced crops of clover and turnips, used to provide animal fodder.
The families in Little Bentley did, however, change over time, with many labourers moving between nearby villages. The Census records for the 19th century show that Little Bentley residents were more likely to be born in adjacent villages or even counties than to be Little Bentley natives. The agricultural depression of the last part of the 19th century had a particularly dramatic effect on the makeup of the village, with many emigrating elsewhere to better their fortunes, and their places taken throughout the next few decades by immigrants from Scotland and elsewhere in England. Current Little Bentley farming families tracing their arrival to the early years of this century include the Kings and the Evans from southern England and the Clachans and the McDonalds from Scotland.
20th century mechanisation has had a dramatic effect on farming, reducing the numbers needed to grow crops with machines replacing men and animals. Mechanisation, however, took its time to finally triumph – McDonald’s farm, for example, continued to use a cart horse until the 1960s, as seen in the photograph. Little Bentley’s population declined from its mid-19th century peak of over 400 as result of the decline in demand for farm labourers, but it remained fairly constant through the 20th century, with former agricultural cottages now inhabited by those who commute to jobs elsewhere.
Law and Order
The Quarter Sessions records at the Essex Records Office provide an interesting window into daily life in Essex villages, in particular the nature of crime and punishment. As would be expected in a rural area, livestock theft was a frequent crime. In 1559, Ardleigh labourer Robert Sparre was indicted for stealing 8 sheep from a Little Bentley farmer. In 1667, three Great Bentley residents were indicted for killing four ‘fallowe deare’ in Aubrey, Earl of Oxford’s Little Bentley Hall Park.
In 1671, there was an indictment of Elizabeth Livinge for stealing ‘one petticoate’ worth 2s, ‘one sheete’ worth 6s, ‘three squares’ worth 6d, ‘foure handkerchiefs’ worth 8d, ‘one apron’ worth 4d and ‘one stomacher’ worth 4d. The records noted that the accused confessed and was branded.
Methodist Chapel
In his history of Essex during the 18th century, Arthur Brown notes that the Anglican and traditional non-Conformist churches both had a low profile in the Tendring Hundred, giving space for expansion to the Methodists ‘the latest and most zealous of all the denominations’. Methodist services were held in a Little Bentley farmhouse in the early years of the 1800s and in 1811 were transferred to a permanent chapel.
The Church
Little Bentleyhall Wood
There is evidence that nearly all of eastern England was covered with forest in pre-historic times with clearings, to form the present day farmland, taking place between the Neolithic and Anglo-Saxon period. (In 1086 there was not much more woodland than in 1800).
Little Bentleyhall Wood appears to be an ancient woodland which has continued since the last cold phase of the Ice Age some 10,000 to 11,000 years ago.
Traditional woodland management results in ancient woods retaining their continuity with the original forests and are of particular biological and historical importance.
Little Bentleyhall Wood is, in structure, a coppice with some standard woods. The Coppice, mainly sweet Chestnut, is felled at intervals for large poles and allowed to grow again. The larger trees, of sweet chestnuts and Oak are allowed to mature and may be felled at longer intervals to yield large trunks. Coppicing was recorded here in the Middle Ages.
The sweet Chestnut is a long established alien species (its remains are often found in Roman sites” in the woods of the Tendring Hundred. There are few mediaeval references to it but one of these, for Little Bentley, shows that it reached the Tendring peninsula by the 15th century.
A Manorial Survey of 1627 provides information compatible with the present wood boundaries. And other historical evidence leads to the conclusion that this wood has existed within its present boundaries since the 17th century and, prior to that, as part of a mediaeval woodland park.
A Survey of the 1790’s included Little Bentley in a list of Essex parishes with coppiced woods.
Little Bentleyhall Wood is the largest tract of woodland left in the Tendring Hundred.
Little Bentley Population
18TH CENTURY
|
YEAR |
FAMILIES |
HOUSES |
|
1723 |
27 |
|
|
1763 |
30 |
|
|
1790 |
34 |
|
|
1801 |
59 |
40 |
19TH CENTURY
|
YEAR |
POPULATION |
|
1801 |
331 |
|
1811 |
309 |
|
1821 |
402 |
|
1831 |
438 |
|
1841 |
462 |
|
1851 |
428 |
|
1861 |
458 |
|
1871 |
326 |
|
1881 |
309 |
|
1891 |
296 |
20TH CENTURY
|
YEAR |
POPULATION |
|
1901 |
291 |
|
1911 |
308 |
|
1921 |
293 |
|
1931 |
322 |
|
1951 |
306 |
|
1961 |
260 |
|
1971 |
229 |
|
1981 |
269 |
|
1991 |
248 |
Sources: 17th Century Essex at Work, 1700-1815, A.F.J. Brown, Essex Records Office, 1969
18th and 19th Centuries - Decennial Census
MORE LINKS
Follow above link for Weddings and Baptisms in Little Bentley 1754-1813