Over Hall Colne Engaine

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

Over Hall Extract from BHO ^[1]

In 1325 Richard of Colne held a quarter fee, (which became the manor of Over Hall. Richard and his wife Avice conveyed the reversion of the estate in 1327 to Walter Finchingfield who in 1333 conveyed it to Simon Bathekyn.

The estate may have passed to William Peverell (before being held in the early 15th century by Richard Thurcote, whose daughter Joan and her husband John Hatherley conveyed it in 1455 to Thomas Dunton. He at once conveyed it to William Crofton and others; they conveyed it in 1460 to Roger and Joan Draper who were succeeded by their son Roger.

The younger Roger's son William in 1545 settled the reversion on Roger London. London died in 1570, devising Over Hall to his wife Joan, who held with her second husband John Brett in 1578. From Joan it passed to Samuel London, to Samuel's son another Samuel (d. c. 1647), and to a third Samuel (d. 1692). He devised the manor to his eldest son Samuel who was succeeded by his brother Richard. Richard was followed by his nephew Samuel, son of his brother John London.

Samuel, or possibly his son of the same name, died in 1778, and his widow Mary (d. 1783) devised Over Hall to Alexander Carter the elder and Alexander Carter the younger. Alexander Carter, presumably the younger, sold it in 1808 to John Mayhew (d. 1853), who was followed in turn by his son J. J. Mayhew (d. 1864) and his grandson E. J. Mayhew. The estate was sold in 1903; in 1922 it was owned by G. F. Brown. It was sold again in 1959.

The surviving house is of the early 19th century, and was probably built for John Mayhew; it is of red brick, two storeys high, and has a Doric portico over the front door.

A bargain and sale of 1810 records that the property was sold by lsaac Brown and John Share to John Jeremiah Mayhew. An inscription 'NIA 1834' is burned into the wood below the stairs. A slate was found in the roof inscribed 'John White, Earl's Colne, May the 21, 1831, Z. Rogers, J. Newport, Bricklayers'. ^[2]

Roger London was in possession of it at the time of his death in 1571. Samuel his son and successor was the father of Samuel who in 1633 was obliged to pay a fine of £10 to be excused from the honour of knighthood. He died about the year 1647, having also an estate at Braintree and Bocking, Samuel London Esq, succeeded him and his sons were Samuel, Richard and John, he also had three daughters. Samuel dying before his father, Richard his second son was his successor. John London was proprietor in 1720. ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ 'Colne Engaine: Manors', in A History of the County of Essex: Volume 10, Lexden Hundred (Part) Including Dedham, Earls Colne and Wivenhoe, ed. Janet Cooper (London, 2001), pp. 107-110. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol10/pp107-110 [accessed 31 January 2020].
2. ↑ British Listed Buildings.
3. ↑ The history and topography of ... Essex By Thomas Wright