Fryerning is a small village and former
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
, now in the parish of
Ingatestone and Fryerning
Ingatestone and Fryerning is a civil parish in the Brentwood borough of Essex, England.
The parish includes the villages of Ingatestone and Fryerning, and covers an area of .
History
The civil parish was formed on 24 March 1889 by merging the ...
, which is situated approximately north of
Ingatestone
Ingatestone is a village and former civil parish in Essex, England, with a population of 5,365 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. Just north lies the village of Fryerning, the two forming now the parish of Ingatestone and Fryerning. Ing ...
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. The parish church of ''St. Mary the Virgin'', on Blackmore Road, dates back from the 11th century, with a 15th-century brick tower. It has a memorial stained glass window to the murdered politician
Airey Neave
Airey Middleton Sheffield Neave, (;) (23 January 1916 – 30 March 1979) was a British soldier, lawyer and Member of Parliament (MP) from 1953 until his assassination in 1979.
During World War II he was the first British prisoner-of-war
...
, which was unveiled by his cousin Penelope in 1985. An ancient
English Yew
''Taxus baccata'' is a species of evergreen tree in the family Taxaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe (including Britain and Ireland), northwest Africa, northern Iran, and southwest Asia.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain ...
, found to the west of the church and is over a millennium old, is thought to be one of Essex's oldest trees. In 1881, the parish had a population of 704.
Fryerning is located in mid-Essex and has several big areas of woodland populated by several large herds of deer, which are frequently seen by walkers and cyclists.
The village has no shops, but two pubs: ''The Cricketers'' and ''The Viper''; the latter becomes particularly busy during its biannual beer festivals.
History
![Ingatestone Sarson Stones](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Ingatestone_Sarson_Stones.jpg)
Fryerning and nearby Ingatestone have always been closely entwined. The earliest surviving signs of their ancient past can be seen on the Fryerning Lane, which connects with
Ingatestone
Ingatestone is a village and former civil parish in Essex, England, with a population of 5,365 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. Just north lies the village of Fryerning, the two forming now the parish of Ingatestone and Fryerning. Ing ...
High Street, where two large
Sarsen Stones mark either side of the lane.
Saxon Period
The name ''Fryerning'' derives from the Saxon period. The syllable "ing" denoting possession, probably during the sixth century, thus Saxon territories each distinguished by the owners name; these were usually prefixed by "ing" or "ging", a principle shared with neighbouring villages: Margaretting, Mountnessing and Ingrave.
Norman Period
After the Norman conquest, the "ings" or "gings" were divided up. Fryerning and Ingatestone were collectively known as ''Ging-at-the Stone'' and was given to the Norman Baron Robert de Germon. Later on, his grandson Gilbert Mountfitchet granted half the manor called ''Ginges'', along with the church St Mary's, to the
Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem and that part was known as ''Ging Hospital''. The
Knights Hospitaller
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...
s constructed a barn at North Hall Farm, which survives to this day; the 13th-century barn is comparable to the better-preserved barn of
Cressing Temple
Cressing Temple is a medieval site situated between Witham and Braintree in Essex, close to the villages of Cressing and White Notley. It was amongst the very earliest and largest of the possessions of the Knights Templar in England,http://www. ...
in
Witham
Witham () is a town in the county of Essex in the East of England, with a population ( 2011 census) of 25,353. It is part of the District of Braintree and is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands between the city of Chelms ...
.
Tudor Period
In 1540, the
Knights Hospitaller
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...
s were suppressed by
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
when the Ging Hospital was transferred to Sir William Berners, the Royal auditor; the area then became known as ''Ging Berners''. Later, in the 16th century, part of the area came into the possession of the De Vere family, Earls of Oxford.
Three generations later, William Berners great-grandson sold Fryerning to
Sir Nicolas Wadham, whose daughter, Dorothy Wadhams, married
Sir William Petre
Sir William Petre (c. 1505 – 1572) (pronounced ''Peter'') was Secretary of State to three successive Tudor monarchs, namely Kings Henry VIII, Edward VI and Queen Mary I. He also deputised for the Secretary of State to Elizabeth I.
Educated ...
. William and Dorothy later went on to found
Wadham College
Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road.
Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...
in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, which still owns land in Fryerning and is the Patron of the parish.
Modern Period
On 24 Match 1889, the parish was abolished and merged with Ingatestone to form ''Ingatestone and Fryerning''.
In 1936, a Spanish oak tree was planted on in the centre of the ancient Church Green to commemorate the Coronation of King Edward VIII. At the time, there was a debate in the village due to the fact that the Oak was not a native English specimen. Local resident, Charlie Cox who was eight at the time, remembers that the green was about 50 yards long on each side forming a triangle.
In 1948, the ''Ingatestone and Fryerning Dart League'' was set up between Pubs Anchor A, Anchor B, British Legion, Crown Hotel, Spread Eagle, Woolpack Hotel Fryerning and Viper Hotel Mill Green.
In 2011, Brentwood Borough Council
[https://document.brentwood.gov.uk/pdf/05092012170002u.pdf ] asked Essex County Council to commission a conservation area in Fryerning, which was subsequently enforced. Many historical buildings, ranging from the 12th century to the late 20th century, were included in the conservation area, along with 3 trees having a preservation order placed upon them: the Coronation Oak and the West and East Ancient Yew Trees at St Mary's Church.
On the 11th of September 2021, Lord Petre visited local residents and dignitaries of Fryerning, at the Church Green, to officially open the recently renovated Fryerning Parish Room; it was built in 1904, extended in 1924 and renovated in 2021.
References
External links
Fryerning Parish Church
{{authority control
Villages in Essex
Former civil parishes in Essex
Borough of Brentwood