INGATESTONE
Ingatestone is a small but ancient town, formerly possessing a market, and now served by its own station on the Eastern Counties Railway. It stands pleasantly on the great high road, 6 miles south-west of Chelmsford and 23 miles north-east of London. The parish itself contains only 856 inhabitants and 670 acres, but being intermixed with that of Fryerning, the combined population of the town and its suburbs exceeds 1,600.
It is a post town, and holds a large annual cattle fair on December 1st, followed by a pleasure fair on the 2nd. Its former weekly market, once considerable and held on Wednesdays, fell into disuse many years ago. Owing to its position on the great route between London, Colchester, Norwich, and the east, the town was once a bustling thoroughfare for coaches, vans, waggons, livestock, and carriers; but much of this traffic has since been drawn away by the railway, which runs along the eastern side of the town.
The manor is held by Lord Petre, and in old records is styled “Ging” or “Yng ad Petram”, meaning the Ing at the Stone — a name thought to refer to an ancient Roman milestone and the rich meadowlands surrounding the settlement. The River Wid forms the eastern boundary of the parish, taking in two small tributary streams at this point.
In various medieval documents, the manor appears as Ging Abbess, reflecting its tenure by the Abbess and nuns of St. Mary’s Abbey, Barking.
WRITTLE
Writtle is a large and well-built village, pleasantly located on the west side of the River Can, approximately 24 miles west by south of Chelmsford. The village features a spacious Green with a sheet of water, and a smaller St. John’s Green, surrounded by numerous fine houses and a significant brewery. Historically, Writtle held a weekly market, though it has since lapsed.
The parish is one of the largest and most extensive in Essex, covering 8,673 acres, comprising:
- 5,705 acres arable
- 1,644 acres pasture
- 748 acres woodland
- 319 acres open commons
Population grew from 1,599 in 1801 to 2,521 in 1841, including the hamlets and districts of Oxney Green, Edney Green, Highwood, and part of Cook’s Mill Green, lying 1–4 miles west and south-west of the village.
1. Parish Structure & Landscape
The parish is divided into four quarters: Town Quarter, Roman’s Fee, Highwood, and Bedell’s End. These areas contain scattered houses, including fine examples of old domestic architecture. The Highwood Quarter, bordering Blackmore, is particularly picturesque with woodland and rolling terrain. Arable lands across the parish produce excellent wheat crops, and hop cultivation has historically taken place.
2. Roman Associations
Writtle has long been conjectured to have a Roman heritage:
- Some antiquaries, including Gibson, have suggested it may be the site of Canonium.
- Others, such as Morant, proposed Writtle as Cæsaromagus (though alternative sites include Dunmow for Cæsaromagus and Widford for Canonium, where Roman bricks and tiles have been found).
The London to Chelmsford road is believed to have passed through Writtle until Maurice, Bishop of London, built Moulsham Bridge around A.D. 1100.
Near the village, there exists a square, moated enclosure, thought to be the site of a palace erected by King John c.1211, though no Roman structural remains have been confirmed here.
3. Historical Ownership
In the time of Edward the Confessor, the lordship of Writtle was held by Earl Harold; following the Norman Conquest, it passed into the hands of William the Conqueror. The manor has remained an important center of settlement and landholding through the medieval and early modern periods.
4. LiDAR & Archaeological Notes
While no definite Roman station has been confirmed at Writtle, the following features are worth examining using LiDAR:
- Moated square enclosure near the village — may preserve subtle earthworks from medieval or earlier periods
- Linear alignments or terraces along the former London–Chelmsford route
- Scattered ridges and small platforms that may indicate prehistoric or Roman agricultural activity
- Wooded and open-field interfaces that often preserve former settlement or field systems
Writtle therefore provides a key node in Essex’s Roman and medieval landscape, linking hypothesized Roman stations with later medieval settlement, agricultural development, and parish structure.