Greensted

Greensted
Greensted
	Greensted Church is believed by many to be the oldest wooden church in the world
	Greensted Location within Essex
Civil parish	Ongar ;
District	Epping Forest ;
Shire county	Essex ;
Region	East ;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Ongar
Postcode district	CM5
Dialling code	01277
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Brentwood and Ongar ;
	List of places UK England Essex 51°42′11″N0°13′37″E / 51.703°N 0.227°E

Last updated September 07, 2023

Greensted is a village and (as Greenstead) a former civil parish, now in the parish of Ongar, Essex, England, strung out along the Greensted Road approximately one mile to the west of Chipping Ongar. In 1961 the parish had a population of 711.^[1]

Toponymy

Greensted's full name is Greensted-juxta-Ongar. Greensted means green place, sted being in the Anglo-Saxon language, the old word for place (and is still used in modern English words e.g. 'instead', 'steadfast'). 'Juxta', from the Latin iuxta, means 'alongside'.

Greensted is situated in a large natural clearing, and would have been a logical place to build a settlement in the dense surrounding Epping Forest especially as it was near an existing route, the Ongar road, later part of the Canterbury pilgrimage mentioned in The Canterbury Tales .

History

Greensted is important because of its longevity: the parish has existed since Saxon times, and little has changed. It is also a place that has strong ties with St Edmund, King of East Anglia. King Edmund's body stayed in the church in 1013 after being moved from its normal resting place in Bury St Edmunds.^[2]

On 1 April 1965 the parish was abolished to form Ongar.^[3]

Landmarks

While very small, Greensted does have one particular feature of note, being St Andrew's Church, commonly known as Greensted Church, the oldest wooden church in the world. It was featured on a British postage stamp issued in April 1972.^[4] The east end, of brick construction, dates from the sixteenth century, while the brick footings, visible below the timber walls, are a feature of extensive restoration undertaken in the nineteenth century

Related Research Articles

Horsenden is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Longwick-cum-Ilmer, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is approximately one mile West of Princes Risborough, seven miles south of Aylesbury and three miles south-west of Chinnor in Oxfordshire. The Icknield Way passes just to the north of the village from north-east to south-west, although there is no connecting road through the hamlet itself. In 1931 the parish had a population of 53.

Chipping Ongar is a market town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ongar, in the Epping Forest District of the county of Essex, England. It is located 6 miles (10 km) east of Epping, 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Harlow and 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Brentwood. In 2020 the built-up area had an estimated population of 6420.

Littleton-upon-Severn is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Aust, in the South Gloucestershire district, in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England, near the mouth of the River Severn and is located to the west of Thornbury. Historically it belonged to the Hundred of Langley and Swinehead. In 1931 the parish had a population of 179. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Aust.

Greensted Church, in the small village of Greensted, near Chipping Ongar in Essex, England, has been claimed to be the oldest wooden church in the world, and probably the oldest wooden building in Europe still standing, albeit only in part, since few sections of its original wooden structure remain. The oak walls are often classified as remnants of a palisade church or, more loosely, as a kind of early stave church, dated either to the mid-9th or mid-11th century.

Abbess Roding is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Abbess, Beauchamp and Berners Roding and the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. The village is included in the eight hamlets and villages called The Rodings. It is in west Essex, 5 miles (8 km) north from Chipping Ongar, and 9 miles (14 km) west from the county town of Chelmsford. In 1931 the parish had a population of 169.

Denton is a small village in the civil parish of Newhaven, in the Lewes district, in the county of East Sussex, England. It adjoins the villages of South Heighton and Mount Pleasant and backs onto the South Downs.

Great Burstead is an urban settlement and former civil parish, now in the parish of Great Burstead and South Green, in the Basildon district, in Essex, England. It is contiguous with the town of Billericay.

Corringham is a town and former civil parish in the unitary authority area of Thurrock, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England, located directly next to the town of Stanford-le-Hope, about 24 miles (39 km) east of London and 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Basildon. Corringham lies on a hill overlooking the Thames between Canvey Island and Tilbury Fort. It is 6 miles (9.7 km) north-east of Grays, the administrative centre of Thurrock.

Ongar is a civil parish in the Epping Forest District in Essex, England. Other than the town of Chipping Ongar it also includes Greensted, Greensted Green, Marden Ash and Shelley. The local council of the parish is Ongar Town Council. Located approximately 21 miles north-east of London, it is a partially developed parish with large sections of open land.

Snave is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Brenzett, in the Folkestone and Hythe district, in the county of Kent, England. It is on Romney Marsh in Kent, England centred close to the A2070 road 8 miles (13 km) south of Ashford. Its buildings are a few houses, barns and store sheds and the church of St Augustine which holds one service per year at harvest festival. In spring, the churchyard is heavily clad in daffodils. The church falls under the ecclesiastical parish of Orlestone with Snave, in the Diocese of Canterbury. In 1931 the parish had a population of 70.

Babingley is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sandringham, in the King's Lynn and West Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England, about 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Castle Rising and 5+1⁄2 miles (9 km) north-north-east of King's Lynn. In 1931 the parish had a population of 91. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Sandringham.

Beauchamp Roding is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Abbess, Beauchamp and Berners Roding, and in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. The village is included in the eight hamlets and villages called The Rodings. Beauchamp Roding is 8 miles (13 km) west from the county town of Chelmsford. In 1931 the parish had a population of 173.

Westley is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. It is located south of Junction 42 of the A14 providing primary access to adjacent market towns Bury St Edmunds (East) and Newmarket (West). The village consists of two central roads: Fornham Lane and Hill Road running north and south through the parish, with adjoining roads accommodating Westley's total population of 183.

Hunworth is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Stody, in the North Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. The village is 11.5 miles (18.5 km) east-north-east of the town of Fakenham, 12.6 miles (20.3 km) west-south-west of Cromer and 125 miles (201 km) north-north-east of London. The nearest town is Holt which lies 3.4 miles (5.5 km) north of the village. The nearest railway station is at Sheringham for the Bittern Line which runs between Sheringham, Cromer and Norwich. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport. The village is situated on the road between Holt and Briston. In 1931 the parish had a population of 173.

Ousden is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. It is located around six miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 72 miles north of London, and as of 2011, its population is 266. The village has an Anglican church of St Peter's and a chapel in the cemetery dedicated to St Barnabas.

Norton Juxta Twycross, usually known as simply "Norton"(or "Norton-Juxta"), is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Twycross, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. The village is part of the church parish of Appleby Magna, with the vicar based in Appleby. In 1931 the parish had a population of 249.

Norton Mandeville is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of High Ongar, in of the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. The settlement is at the north of the parish, and less than 1 mile north from the A414 Harlow to Chelmsford road. In 1961 the civil parish had a population of 187. On the 1 April 1986 the civil parish was merged with High Ongar.

Captain Philip John Budworth, of Greensted Hall, was an English magistrate and one-time Deputy Lieutenant of Essex.

Greensted Hall is a large house in Essex of two storeys with attics. It is of timber-framing partly covered with a later facing of red brick. As it exists today, most of the house dates from about 1700, when it was largely rebuilt by Alexander Cleeve. The date 1695 is carved on the east front, and a sundial on the south front bears the date 1698 and the initials A and MC.

Carleton Forehoe is a village and former civil parish 9 miles (14 km) west of Norwich, now in the parish of Kimberley, in the South Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. In 1931 the parish had a population of 123.

References

↑ "Population statistics Greenstead AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time . Retrieved 22 December 2021.
↑ Hadfield, J. (1970). The Shell Guide to England. London: Michael Joseph.
↑ "Relationships and changes Greenstead AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
↑ Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue (1982), Part 1: British Commonwealth. London: Stanley Gibbons Publications Ltd., p GB 24.

External links

Media related to Greensted at Wikimedia Commons
Greensted Network

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Population statistics Greenstead AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time . Retrieved 22 December 2021.

[2] Hadfield, J. (1970). The Shell Guide to England. London: Michael Joseph.

[3] "Relationships and changes Greenstead AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 22 December 2021.

[4] Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue (1982), Part 1: British Commonwealth. London: Stanley Gibbons Publications Ltd., p GB 24.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]