age of 80. Biographical details are unavoidably deferred to our next issue.

The Rev. EDWARD JAMES REEVE, who has been rector of Stondon Massey since 1849, and an active Justice of the Ongar Bench for thirty-seven years, died at his rectory on August 18th, deeply regretted by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. The deceased, who was seventy-two years of age, was formerly of St. Peter's College, Cambridge, and took his B.A. degree in 1844. In the same year he was ordained, and held the curacy of Ide Hill, near Sundridge, Kent, till 1846. In the following year he accepted the curacy of Little Waltham. He was rural dean of Ongar from 1860 to 1890. The Rev. E. H. Lisle Reeve, curate of St. Botolph's, Colchester, is his only son.

The Rev. CHARLES GEORGE GRETTON TOWNSEND died at his residence, Berwick Place, Hatfield Peverel, on August 24th, aged 74. He qualified as J.P. for the county as long ago as February 23rd, 1858, and was for some years Chairman of the Witham Bench.

ESSEX CHURCHES.

VII. ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, GREAT LEIGHS. BY FRED CHANCELLOR, J.P., .F.R.I.B.A.

THE

HE parish of Great Leighs, originally spelt Leyes, Lees, or Leez, is situated in the centre of the county, abutting upon the ancient highway from Chelmsford to Braintree, although the church stands back in a somewhat secluded position, one mile from the road. Morant says this and the adjoining parish of Little Leighs take their names from the Saxon, leze, leaz, leah, all signifying a pasture, or untilled ground, and from the large area of woodland still existing, it can readily be imagined that the whole parish, in old times, consisted principally of wood and pasture, with but little ploughed land.

The Saxon owners were Edric, Ergar, Scalpin, Godric, and Ulmar; but these had to give way after the Conquest to the followers of William, and so we find that at the General Survey, the Norman owners were:

1. Eudo, distinguished by the cognomen of Dapifer, as one of the seneschals in the household of the Conqueror, an office of great importance conferred upon him by the king, in gratitude for an

important service rendered to him by the father of Eudo at a critical period. Eudo was subsequently made Governor of Colchester Castle by William Rufus.

2. Geoffrey de Mandeville, one of the principal and most energetic captains of William the Conqueror's host, and, therefore, very liberally rewarded with the lands of the poor Saxons.

3. Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, half-brother to the Conqueror.

The advowson was originally attached to the manor of Great Leighs, which was the one held by Eudo, whose only daughter, Margaret, married William de Mandeville, son of Geoffrey, and succeeded to this property. The Mandevilles were succeeded about 1300 by the De Bohuns, and Mary de Bohun marrying Henry de Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby, afterwards King Henry IV, brought this property to the crown. It remained in the crown until Henry VIII, in 1536, granted it to Sir Thomas Audley, whose son-in-law, the Duke of Norfolk, alienated it to the Mildmays, who were succeeded by the Baynings and other families.

Towards the end of the seventeenth century, the stagnation of Fellowships began to be felt in all Oxford Colleges which held few advowsons. The Fellows of Lincoln College then began to subscribe to a "Living Fund" for the purchase of advowsons, with a view to quickening the succession of younger blood in the college.

By means of these subscriptions, aided by legacies from exfellows, the Living Fund in 1726 amounted to £1,320.

Great Leighs was the first purchase in 1726, and the sum paid for the advowson was £800, and in 1734 the college made their first presentation, and have presented ever since upon vacancy.

The following abstract of documents in the possession of the college shows the ownership of the advowson for the last two centuries:

Indenture, 24 June, 1709, of an agreement for the partition of the Essex estate of the Countess of Oxford (who died 1659).

Indenture, 17 May, 1722, of release by Sir Samuel Lennard, Bart., to Katherine, Margaret, and Anne Lennard, co-heiresses of Hon. H. Lennard, of Carlisle.

Indenture, 26 May, 1722, of conveyance by Margaret and Ann Lennard to John Jones of their shares in the manors of Much Lees,. otherwise Great Leeghes, and Lyonshall, and Ging Joy Berd Laundry, alias Blunts, in Harvard Stock, and the advowsons of Much Leighs and Stock.

Indenture, 23 March, 1726, of sale by John Jones, Esq., and Katherine (Lennard), his wife, and Margaret and Ann Lennard, of the advowson of Much Leighs, for £800, to Samuel Wilmot and Joseph Lamb, trustees for Lincoln College.

Indenture, 2 March, 1757, of conveyance of the advowson to Lincoln College by S. Wilmot, the surviving trustee.

The church, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, consists of nave, chancel, tower, south porch, and modern north vestry.

Bearing in mind who were the ancient lords of the soil, Norman nobles of great wealth and influence, we naturally expect to find traces of a church of the Norman period, and there can be no doubt that the nave and tower are of that date.

The nave, 37ft. long by 24ft. 6in. wide, has walls 3ft. 2in. thick, externally covered with plastering, and although from small patches now exposed where the plastering has dropped off, it can be seen that they are constructed of pebbles and flints, there is not a sufficient area uncovered to ascertain whether the walling is of that distinctive character which is found in Norman work; there are, however, other features which enable us to come to the conclusion that the nave was undoubtedly erected in the Norman period, viz : ist. The square quoins were without buttresses. Those at the south-east and south-west corners appear perfect; the north-east corner is covered up with a huge modern angle brick buttress; that at the north-west corner has been restored to a height of 7 feet with modern brick, above which the original stone quoins exist, but nearly plastered over. 2nd. The remains of the original south doorway, the arch of which is still in situ, decorated with the zigzag or chevron ornament, and with a label upon which is cut a Romanesque leaf ornament. The piers or shafts which supported the arch have been either destroyed or covered up, as at a later date, probably about 1400, a smaller doorway was built up within the old opening. There are evident remains of an old stoup on the eastern side of the door outside. 3rd. The three original Norman windows, 14 inches wide and about 4 feet high with semi-circular heads; these windows are somewhat wide for Norman windows, and they are remarkable for the very large splay inside, increasing from 14 inches to 5 feet, the splay continuing in the same proportion round the head as the jambs, but not quite so long a splay to the sill; there is one of these windows on the south side to the east of the doorway,