Felsted (sometimes spelt Felstead) is a village and
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the
Uttlesford
Uttlesford is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Essex, England. Its council is based in the town of Saffron Walden. The district also includes the town of Great Dunmow and numerous villages, including Stansted Mountfitchet ...
district of
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
, England. The civil parish includes the hamlets of
Bannister Green,
Bartholomew Green, Causeway End, Coblers Green, Cock Green, Frenches Green,
Gransmore Green,
Hartford End, Molehill Green, Milch Hill, Thistley Green, Watch House Green and Willows Green.
History
Felsted 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086 as ''Felesteda'', ''Felstede'' and ''Phensteda'' in the
Hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101.
In mathematics
100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
of
Hinckford, where it was held by
Earl Ælfgar as
feu in the time of
King Edward.
[Open Domesday: Felsted, Essex]
Accessed 7 August 2023. In 1086, Felstead was part of the land of
La Trinité of Caen, who held four hides.
The fifth hide was no longer in this manor as
King William gave three
virgate
The virgate, yardland, or yard of land ( was an English unit of land. Primarily a measure of tax assessment rather than area, the virgate was usually (but not always) reckoned as hide and notionally (but seldom exactly) equal to 30 acr ...
s to Roger God-save-the-ladies and the fourth to Geoffrey fitzSalomon.
The village has links to
Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich
Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich (July 1496 – 12 June 1567), was Lord Chancellor during King Edward VI of England's reign, from 1547 until January 1552. He was the founder of Felsted School with its associated almshouses in Essex in 1564. He was ...
who founded the public school, the
Felsted School, in 1564, and is buried in Holy Cross Church. Lord Rich was an important benefactor of the Felsted Church. The school also has links to
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
, who sent his sons there. The valley between Little Dunmow and Felsted was the location for the only
sugar beet
A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...
factory in Essex, which has been redeveloped for housing in a community called
Flitch Green.
Geography
Felsted is south of the
A120 and is near
Braintree,
Great Dunmow
Great Dunmow is a historic market town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It lies to the north of the A120 road, approximately midway between Bishop's Stortford and Braintree, Essex, Braintree, east of London Stanste ...
and
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...
. It lies on the north bank of the
River Chelmer
The River Chelmer flows entirely through the county of Essex, England; it runs from the north-west of the county through Chelmsford to the River Blackwater, near Maldon.
Course
The source of the river is in the parish of Debden in north west E ...
as it leaves Great Dunmow and turns south towards Chelmsford.
* Latitude/Longitude in decimal degrees:51.85656 0.43327
* Latitude/Longitude in degrees, minutes, and seconds:51° 51' 24" North 0° 26' 60" East
* Height above sea level:76 m, 249.34 ft, 2992.13 in
Community
Felsted is linked to
Little Dunmow by the Flitch Way Country Park, a former railway line. The village has a village store, a coffee shop and a tea room, an antiques shop, a ladies' clothes shop, an estate agent, two public houses (the Chequers and the Swan) and the Felsted Sports injury clinic.
The village is also home of Felsted Rovers Football Club who play their home matches at the rear of the Memorial Hall.
The
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...
of Felsted had a population of 5,525 at the 2011 census.
See also
*
The Hundred Parishes
The Hundred Parishes is a cultural heritage initiative focused on an area in the East of England recognized for its high concentration of cultural and historical significance. Although without formal recognition or status, the concept has the ble ...
References
* John Drury, ''History of Felsted'' (privately published, 1999)
*
(Registration required.)
*
External links
*
Felsted's History by Jules Wallis, Recorders of Uttlesford History
{{authority control
Villages in Essex
Civil parishes in Essex
Uttlesford