In early times the Parish of Althorne belonged to St. Paul’s Cathedral. By 1120 a Bishop of London had founded the Priory of St. Osyth, near Clacton and gave Althorne with other parishes to his new foundation. The fact that a church was endowed in about 1225 is confirmed in a Charter from Henry III, dated 11th September 1268. The first known incumbent was Henry Mot, a Chaplain from Kelvedon, who was instituted on 25th September 1323.

After the Dissolution of the Priory of St. Osyth in 1535, Henry VIII gave the Lordship of the Manor of Althorne (along with 100 more), to his agent, Sir Richard Rich. It remained in his family until 1593, passing to the Wisemans of Mayland, to Lord Stourton in 1745, and so on. The present Patron is the Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Chelmsford. Althorne and Creeksea were united as one Benefice from 1795. In January 1980, the group of Crouch Valley Parishes was formed, comprising Althorne, Creeksea, Latchingdon and North Fambridge. Rev. Vincent Castle, the incumbent at the time was also the last Rural Dean of the Dengie Deanery from 1974. In 2008 Creeksea became a separate parish and Cold Norton and Stow Maries joined the Crouch Valley group.

The Church is much restored though the form of the Late Perpendicular building remains, with walls of flint and stone rubble.

The CHANCEL, with brick walls, was built during the 16th century but has a modern East Window. The two early windows, with cinque foiled lights and vertical tracery, and the Chancel Doorway have been restored. The Chancel Arch is modern though the stone responds may be 14th century. A Victorian screen was removed in the 1940s. Sets of four beautiful Altar Frontals and Palls were made in 1964.

The NAVE (38’ x 20’) was built in the late 1400’s. Part of the upper and lower doorways to the narrow rood loft staircase are seen at the east end. They are blocked and formed into a projection. The South Doorway has moulded jambs and a four centre arch, with a painting of the Royal Arms set above. A similar North Doorway opposite is now blocked. The piscina and drain in the South Wall, and moulded bracket on the North Wall are 15th century. The roof timbers and many alterations and repairs were made for Rev. Henry Milligan, by a Faculty of 1884. The Pipe Organ was moved to the west end of the Nave in 1948. A picture of ‘The Last Supper’, worked in 1979, hangs on the wall below the Minstrel Gallery. The Porch is 18th century.

The FONT, dated about 1400 is said to be the finest early 15th century Font in Essex. Pevsner, however, was not impressed! It is an octagonal bowl with seven sculptured panels and a moulded base with flowers. The panels represent the Martyrdom of St. Andrew, the Baptism of a Prince (in a similar font), a King and Queen, a Seraph, two men with scrolls, a man and woman, two figures of men. The Font now stands on a memorial stone to Elizabeth Gordon.

The BRASSES were probably made in London. An inscription below a missing principal effigy reads ‘Of your charity pray for the soul of Margaret Hyklott which deceased 27 August 1502’. Below are 6 ½ “ figures of two daughters, one a nun. William Hyklott is represented full faced, long hair, long civilian robe with wide fur cuffs and broad toed shoes. He ‘paide for the werkemanship of the walls of the church’ and died on 16th September 1508. Two smaller brasses represent The Holy Father and The Blessed Virgin and Child. There is no further history of the Hyklotts.

A Wall Brass in the Nave commemorates three local boys, drowned when their boat capsized in the fast running current of Bridgemarsh Creek on Easter Monday 1919. 

The TOWER has an embattled parapet with flint inlay in a trellis work of ashlar. It was built in 1500 by John Wylson and John Hyll. An inscription over the West Door (now badly eroded) asks prayer for them, “Orate pro animabus dominorum Johannis Wylson et Johannis Hyll quorum animabus propicietur dues amen”. The West window is modern, flanked by two plain brick crosses The Bell Chamber, with a window in each wall, contains two bells. The larger one, with the lighter tone, was made by Thomas Harrys in about 1480. The smaller bell is inscribed “Miles Graye made me, 1638”. The Tower was restored in 1875 and in 1976.

A mediaeval SCRATCH or MASS DIAL is set in a Nave buttress on the South Wall near the porch. An oak peg in the centre was used to cast a shadow for the priest to indicate time of the next Mass.

The SUN DIAL pillar was originally from St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster, and was presented by the Spencer-Smiths in memory of two sons killed in the Great War.

THE VICARAGE. Kelly’s Directory 1848, refers to a good Parsonage with 6 acres of glebe. Rev. Henry Milligan built a new Vicarage in 1862. This and some of the land was sold in 1972 and the present Vicarage built in 1977. The house known as “Silver Ley” was used temporarily as the Vicarage from 1971. Access to the Church was much improved by the surfacing of the Chase and Car Park.

ST. ANDREW’S HALL was built in 1909 at a cost of £400.

ALTHORNE WAR MEMORIAL was paid for by public subscription and erected, in Lych Gate style, by voluntary labour on land given by the London and North Eastern Railway Company (L.N.E.R.). The cost to the Parish was £252. The Memorial was dedicated by the Bishop of Barking on Sunday 11th July 1926.

ALTHORNE is not named in the Domesday Survey of 1066, probably because it was then held by a Bishop of London as part of his vast Manor of Southminster.

In the distant past Althorne formed the three Manors of:

1. STOKES HALL, named for its owner Edmund de Stoke; in 1328 the Manor passed to Alphonse de Vere, son of the Sixth Earl of Oxford. By 1508, the de Veres had gone and William Harrys was Lord of the Manor.
2. HEYRONS MANOR which according to Morant included the present Barns Farm. The Higham family of Cheshire were Lords of the Manor. Manors of the same name existed in Danbury and in High Easter.
3. ALTHORNE HALL which was first recorded in 1203, when it formed part of a larger Manor.

It has been recorded that a Fair was held on June 5th but there are no details.

Althorne is of course marked on many early maps. The Church and Oyster Layings in the Creek are clearly shown in a charming drawing of the Crouch Estuary, of about 1775. “Sighting lines” had evidently been used in the preparation of the sketch and the one from a point north of Foulness to St. Peter’s, Bradwell, is well defined.

In Chapman and Andre’s Atlas of Essex, 1777, Althorne Hall, Stokes Hall, Barns and Mansion Farms are shown, with smaller buildings in the area of the Black Lion, the Forge and Church Chase. The population was then about 350 and the most important land-owners were St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, with extensive interests in the area, and the Wilson family.

A typically “long” village, Althorne had a population of less than 500 until its recent development. With definite plans for main drainage, River View Park expanded in the 1960’s and two housing estates were developed in the 1970’s. The population has more than doubled in 20 years. There is of course much interest in the people and places of the recent past. Village histories are seldom spectacular – that is part of their fascination, and Althorne is no exception.

Vicars of Althorne

1323 Henry Mot

A framed Chronological list hangs on the North Wall of the Nave.

1795 John Robinson, M.A. Benefice united with Creeksea 1795

1831 Henry Fothergill, M.A.

1831 James Bruce

1859 Henry Candy

1861 Henry Milligan, B.A.

1908 Wm. Shaw Stewart, D.D.

1935 Herbert G. Browning

1958 Joseph F. Hayes

1963 Bernard A. B. Rose

1967 Bertram A. C. D. Wilson, B.A., A.K.C.

1971 Vincent C. Castle, B.A. Crouch Valley Parishes 1980

1982 Arthur Marshall

1986 Johnston Llynfi Davies, B.A.

1989 Michael L. Langham, B.A.

1996 Stephen A. Robertson, B. Sc.

2006 Sandra E. Manley, B.Mus., G.R.N.C.M., F.R.C.O., A.R.C.M.

Sandra died on 5th December 2019.

The Late G. A. Newman Esq. Churchwarden 1943-1970 

ALTHORNE

       - named for its wildness, covered with forest trees. The second element is clearly “thorn bush”; the first is old English for “burned”. Through the centuries, various spellings have been:

Aledhorn, Aletorn, Alesthorn, Aldthorne, Alestorn, Alderne, Aletherne, Alborn.

Community links:

Althorne facebook community page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/535326480148133/

Althorne village news: https://www.facebook.com/groups/535326480148133/