Colne Engaine is a village and a civil parish in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, England, situated just north of the River Colne and of the larger village of

Earls Colne Earls Colne is a village in Essex, England named after the River Colne, on which it stands, and the Earls of Oxford who held the manor of Earls Colne from before 1086 to 1703. History Manor of Earls Colne In the time of Edward the Confesso ...

, approximately ten miles northwest of Colchester. The village takes its name from the river, around which it is likely that the earliest settlements were made, and the Engaine family, who were the principal family of the village between 1279 and 1367.

History

Variations in spelling may be Colne Gagn and Colne Geyne, as seen in 1418. Previously the village had been known as Little Colne, and is recorded in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 as Parva Colun with 38 inhabitants, returning ' Man-at-arms from Walter the Deacon; Walter from Robert Malet. 2 mills, 3 beehives. 13 goats'.Open Domesday Online: Colne (Engaine)
accessed January 2019. It is one of four villages named after the river (the others being

Wakes Colne Wakes Colne is a village in Essex, England which sits on the River Colne. It is situated next to the village of Chappel, with which it shares Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station. Location Wakes Colne is a scattered village on the north ...

, and

White Colne White Colne is a village and parish in Essex, England, on the north side of the River Colne, opposite Earls Colne, and on the Colchester road, East South East of Halstead.''White's Directory of Essex'' (1848) It traces its history back to the ...

). The parish contains the hamlet of Countess Cross. Evidence of Roman settlements have been found by the Church, and also at Knight's Farm, to the west of the village. The

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

's manor of Colne Engaine was purchased by

John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford (8 September 1442 – 10 March 1513), the second son of John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, and Elizabeth Howard, a first cousin of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk (2nd creation), was one of the principal ...

in 1508, in order to augment his adjacent

manor.

The Village Pub

The Five Bells is the only

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

in Colne Engaine. The building is over 500 years old and a record of landlords since 1579 is displayed in the bar area. In 1689 the landlord was recorded as running a 'disorderly house'. Another public house, the ''Three Cups'' was recorded in 1766.

St Andrew Church

This church is situated towards the centre of the village. The nave was built in the Norman period with the lower part of the current tower added in the fourteenth century. It has a red brick tower. It was restored in 1872-3 under the direction of the architect E. Swansborough. Restoration of the church tower was funded by Katherine Courtauld, a local farmer and landowner. The church is adorned with several twentieth-century stained glass windows, including ones by Arthur Erridge, Alan Younger, and Reginald Bell. The windows include one from 1935 by Reginald Bell showing a sower and a reaping angel in memory of Katherine Courtauld, installed as a memorial by her life-long partner Mary Gladstone.

Courtauld Memorial Hall

This is the village hall. Run by a local charity, it provides facilities for the community to meet for social, educational, and fitness activities. Its construction around 1920 was funded by Katherine Courtauld in memory of her father, George Courtauld.

Colne Engaine Football Club

Colne Engaine FC, nicknamed 'The Engines', was founded in 1921. In 2003, the club folded due to a lack of interest, however, with the help of the parish council and former club members, the club was reformed in 2005; repairing the changing rooms and moving to the local community pitch, Burches Meadow.

Colne Engaine Primary School

There is a

Voluntary aided A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation (charity), foundation or Charitable trust, trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influ ...

primary school.

Notable former residents

Isaac Baker Brown Isaac Baker Brown (1811 – 3 February 1873) was a prominent 19th-century English gynaecologist and obstetrical surgeon. He had a reputation as a specialist in the diseases of women and advocated certain surgical procedures, including clitori ...

, 19th-century

gynaecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with ...

and

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

, was born in the village. The white-brick facade of Knight's Farm, still extant today, is his work. * Katherine Courtauld (1856 - 1935), a member of the

Courtauld Courtauld is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adam Courtauld Butler or Adam Butler (British politician), DL (1931–2008), British Conservative Party politician and MP *Augustine Courtauld (1904–1959), often called August Cour ...

family, farmed at Knight's Farm from 1877 until her death in 1935 and was a major landowner in the area *

Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio station BBC Radio 6 Music. Early life He attended The Ramsey Academy ...

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

DJ and ''

Fighting Talk ''Fighting Talk'' is a topical sports show broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live during the English football season. The show is broadcast on Saturday mornings for an hour between 1100 and 1200 and is based on a similar format to the ESPN show ''Around t ...

'' pundit was raised in Colne Engaine; his parents still live in the village.Steve Lamacq returns to the BBC
2010

References

External links

The Colne Engaine Village Shop Website

The Five Bells Website

Colne Engaine Parish Council/Village Website
{{authority control Villages in Essex Braintree District