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Romford 1874 Post Office Directory
History of
Romford
Romford is an ancient market town and
railway station, and is head of the union and of a county court district, and is
a polling place for the Southern division of the county, in Essex archdeaconry,
Romford rural deanery, and Rochester diocese, seated on the little river Rom, on
the high road from London to Colchester, 12 miles from Whitechapel, 17 south
west from Chelmsford, 8 north east from barking, and 6 south west from
Brentwood: the town consists chiefly of two streets, crossing each other at
right angles; the principal one, in which the cattle market is held, runs from
west to east, and is of considerable length and good width. The Great Eastern
railway passes on a lofty embankment at the bottom of
South street:
there are separate stations for goods and passengers. The town is governed by a
Local Board of Health. Romford is the capital of, and within the liberty of,
Havering ate Bower, which comprises the three parishes of Hornchurch, Romford
and Havering: this liberty has an ancient, peculiar, and separate jurisdiction,
granted by various charters: the original by Edward the Confessor, has since
received many additions and confirmations: it is independent of the county,
appoints its own magistrates, has a clerk of the peace, coroner, gaol, quarter
and petty sessions, courts of record and ancient demesne, and a prerogative
court of wills: it is governed by a high steward and three justices: all
business relative to the liberty is transacted in the town of Romford. The
liberty quarter sessions are held on the Friday succeeding the county quarter
sessions, and petty sessions every Friday. The church of St Edward the
Confessor, erected in 1850 on the site of the old parish church, is a handsome
building, in the later Decorated style, built of Kentish rag stone, with Bath
stone dressings: it has a chancel, nave, aisles, with chapels: the tower stands
on the south, and has an embattled parapet, and is surmounted by a spire, the
whole rising 162 feet from the ground: there is a peal of 8 bells and a clock:
the church contains a monument, with alabaster affigies, of Sir Anthony Cooke,
preceptor to King Edwrd VI (ob 1576), and his family, The register dates from
the year 1561. The living is a vicarage, yearly value £700, in the gift of
New
College,
Oxford,
and held by the Rev Edward Fox, MA, of that college. St Andrew’s church was
erected and a district assigned in 1863: it is a plain stone building in the
Perpendicular style, with spire and 1 bell. The living is a rectory, yearly
value £300, in the gift of
New
College,
Oxford,
and held by the Rev William James Skilton, MA, of
Corpus Christi
College,
Cambridge.
There is an endowed National school, and an infant school on the National plan:
two other schools connected with the church; also a British school, and a school
for Roman Catholics. The Independent chapel, erected in 1812, is endowed with
£95 a year, and originally founded (1794) at Havering Well, where there is still
a cemetery belonging to the congregation. The Baptist chapel was erected in
1847; a Wesleyan chapel, in 1827; and a Roman Catholic chapel erected in 1853;
each of these chapels have Sunday schools in connection. Romford union comprises
the parishes of Barking, Cranham, Dagenham, Great Warley, Havering, Hornchurch,
Rainham, Romford, Upminster, and Wennington: the population of the whole is
24,607. The Union workhouse, close to the town, was built in 1838, and will
accommodate 500 inmates: it cost £9,500; the gross estimated rental of the union
is £191,986; rateable value, £155,827. The county court is held in the Court
House, near the railway station, once a month. The following parishes are within
the jurisdiction of this court: - Abridge, Aveley, Barking, Cranham, Chigwell,
Dagenham, Havering ate Bower, Hornchurch, Lambourne, North and South Ockendon,
Rainham, Stapleford Abbot, Stapleford Tawney, Stifford, Upminster, and
Wennington. There is a branch of the
London and
County Bank, a Savings Bank, and a Mechanics’ Institute; also gas works: the
extensive brewing establishment of Messrs Ind, Coope and Co; agricultural
implemenr works, and foundries. There are almshouses, founded by Roger Reede in
1784, for ten persons, and several other charities. Francis Quarles, author of
the “Book of Emblems”, was born in the old manor house, called Stewards: he was
an adherent of King Charles I. Henry Repton, the celebrated landscape gardener,
resided at Repton Cottage, in the hamlet of
Hare Street.
The market for cattle and corn, one of the largest around
London, is
held every Wednesday. The fair, chiefly for horses and for pleasure, is held in
midsummer. Gidea Hall, half a mile east of Romford, is the residence of the Rev
Thomas S Gray, DD: here, in the old mansion, Sir Anthony Cooke entertained Queen
Elizabeth in 1568. Marshalls,
on the north of the town, is the property of David MacIntosh, esq, and is at
present occupied by a yearly tenant. Priests, the seat of Octavius Mashiter esq,
JP, is on the Havering road, 1 mile north. Market gardening, grazing, and
agriculture form the chief occupations of the people. The parish contains about
6,120 acres; gross estimated rental, £42,175; rateable value £34,712; in 1861
the population of the parish was 6,206, and in 1871, 8,239; the population of St
Andrew’s is 3,766 and of the town about 6,335
Collier Row, 2 miles north; hare Street,
1 mile east; Noak Hill, 4 miles north east, and Prospect Place, 1 mile north,
are hamlets in the parish of Romford. At Noak Hill is a small chapel of ease to
Romford, served by one clergy from the parish church; there is a National school
and post office.
Parish clerk, Chas Bamford, Stanley
Lodge, Eastern Road
Official Establishments, Local
Institutions etc
Post & Money Order & Telegraph Office,
savings Bank & Government Annuity & Insurance Office – Josiah Garnett,
postmaster, South street. Letters arrive from Yarmouth, Norwich, Ipswich,
Colchester, Chelmsford, Ingatestone & Brentwood at 4 am; London at 9 am, 2.15,
6.15 & 9.30 & 12 pm; Grays at 7 pm; Horndon on the Hill at 6.45 pm. Letters
dispatched to Grays at 5 am; Horndon on the Hill at 5 am; London at 3.48 & 9.15
am & 12.15 & 3.45 & 8.30 pm; Yarmouth 8.30 pm; Letter box closes at 10 pm.
Letters delivered in Romford at 7.30 & 9.30 am & 2.30 & 7.30 pm. Messengers
leave Romford to deliver letters at Rainham t 9.30 am; Dagenham at 9.30 am; &
Collier Row at 6 & 9.30 am
Insurance Agents:-
Atlas, H Lucas, High Street; C Freeman,
Marshford House, Dagenham
British Empire
Mutual Life, W B Lake,
High Street
Clerical, Medical & General Lie, A H
Hunt
Economic Life,
E Pertwee, High Street
Emperor Life, H
Biddlecombe,
Victoria
Road
Essex & Suffolk Equitable, Mabbett &
Pink, High Street
General Life, W B
Lake, High Street
Guardian, T Champness
Liverpool & London & Globe, J W Lashan,
High Street; E C Allan, South Street; E Silcocks, High Street
London & Lancashire, H W H Lea
Manchester
Fire, T Robinson, The Library
Northern Fire, J R A Hulse
Norwich
Union,
C I Macarthy
Phoenix Fire, R Roberts, High Crichton
villas
Queen, J Garnett,
South street
Royal Exchange, J Y Collier,
Western Road
Scottish Equitable, R Roberts, High
Street
Scottish Fire, H Biddlecombe,
North Street
Standard Life,
C Burgess
Star Life, C Godfrey
Sun,
N Surridge,
South Street
Union,
J Hammond,
Pavement
Westminster
Fire & Westminster & General Life, G Breeden,
Albert Road
Whittington Life, M Boxall,
Junction Road
Public Establishments:-
Romford Union Workhouse,
Dagenham Road,
rev James Godday, chaplain; James McDonald, master; Miss Mary Best, mistress;
Thomas Wm Capron, hare Street & Alfred Sherman, Ilford, relieving officers
Town hall, Market Place
Corn Exchange, High Street, Thos
Champness, manager
County Court, John Thomas Abdy, LL D,
judge; Henry Skehell Haynes, registrar; Charles Godfrey, high bailiff; office,
South Street
Stamp Office, Market Place, Christopher
I Macarty
Police Office, Court House, Market
Place, james Pepper, inspector
St Edward’s hall, Market Place
Almshouse,
North Street
Public Officers:-
Coroner for the Liberty of Havering ate
Bower, Wm Henry Clifton, H S Haynes, deputy; Joint Clerks to the magistrates &
to the Commissioners of land & Assessed Taxes, Clerks to the Petty Sessions for
the District of the Half Hundred of Becontree, Clerks to the Commissioners of
Sewers of Havering, Dagenham & other Levels, Clerk of the Peace, Keeper of the
Records of Liberty & superintendent Registrar of the Romford Union, William
Henry Clifton, Henry Shekell Haynes, deputy.
Clerk to the magistrates of the Orsett
Division, Clerk to Romford Highway Board, Commissioner to Administer Oaths in
Chancery & in the Common Law Courts, Perpetual Commissioner for taking
Acknowledgements of Marries Women, North
Surridge
Clerk to the Local Board of health, to
Burial Board & vestry Clerk, Alfred henry Hunt
Clerk to the Board of Guardians, William
Smith, Hare Street
Clerk to School Board, William Smith
District Surveyor to Highway Board,
Frederick Nicholson, Eastern Road
Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages,
Thomas William Capron, Hare
Street; Deputy, Charles
Bamford
Town Surveyor, William Owen
Inland Revenue Officer, Samuel Foster,
George Street
Inspector of Corn Returns, Edward
Tolbutt
Inspector of Weights & measures, William
Gilpin
Inspector of Nuisances, William Owen
Inspector of Nuisances for Rural
Districts, Robert Hughes,
North Street
Places of Worship:-
St Edward’s church, Rev Edward Fox, MA,
vicar
St Andrew’s District church, St Andrew’s
Road, rev William James Skilton, MA, rector
Roman catholic chapel, St Edward’s
Square, Rev Joseph William Wright Drew, priest
Baptist chapel,
North Street
Independent chapel,
North Street,
rev Frederick Sweet
Salem
chapel, London Road
Wesleyan chapel, High Street, ministers
various
Schools:-
Albion Street Board school, Mark Boxall,
master
National, Henry Robert Heasman, master;
Miss Mary Ann Woodland, mistress; Mrs Louisa Brewer, infants mistress
Church,
Forest, Collier Row,
Miss Amy Swain, mistress
National, Noak Hill, Mrs Staines,
mistress
St Andrew’s (mixed), St Andrew’s Road,
James Bryant, master
Roman Catholic, St Edward’s Square, Miss
Julia Casye, mistress
Railway Station, Eastern
Road, Charles Collier, station master; Goods Department Enquiry Office, South
Street, James Wright, clerk
Conveyance:-
Posting House, ‘Golden Lion’, Peter
Reynolds, High Street
Mail cart from ‘Lamb’, Market Place, to
Grays, Horndon on the Hill & Ongar
Omnibus to rainham, twice on Wednesday
Omnibus to Hornchurch & Corbets tey,
daily at 6 pm
from Peter Reynolds, ‘Golden Lion’, High Street
Carrier to
London – G
Hoppe, from his own house, High Street, daily at
9 am, returning same
day; & William Manning
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