Marks (or Mark's Hall) was a manor house located near Marks Gate at the northern tip of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in London, England, the house standing on what is now Warren Hall Farm, about two miles west of Romford. [2] The name Marks (historically Markes) is believed to have been derived from the de Merk family who built the original manor in the 14th century. [3] The manor house was demolished in 1808. [4]
The manor lay partly in the parish of Dagenham and partly in the Liberty of Havering [4] with notable burials and marriages being carried out in the parish church in Romford, located in the market place. The origins of the manor can be traced back to the de Merk family, with Simon de Merk recorded in 1330 and Robert de Merk in 1352, although the first record of a house on this site is in 1386. [5] While originally constructed by the de Merk family the manor had changed hands and in the middle of the 15th century was held by Thomas Urswick, Recorder of London. The boundary between Dagenham and Havering was altered to bring the manor house within the Liberty of Havering that was established in 1465. [6] As the four sons of Urswick predeceased him [7] it again changed hands and was owned by the Heton Family in 1488 [8] and was still in the same family in 1556 when the manor was described as having 3 messuages, 300 acres land, 80 acres meadow, 200 acres pasture, 60 acres wood located variously in the parishes of Havering, Hornchurch, Dagenham and Barking. [8] The owners, Thomas and Elizabeth Hales, sold the manor in 1557 to James Bacon and in 1584 it was claimed by Lady Anne Bacon and granted by her to her son Francis Bacon. However a survey made for him soon after this describes the building as "a great house in decay" [8] and there does not seem to be any evidence that Francis Bacon ever resided at Marks, so that by 1589 George Hervey had been installed as tenant, going on to purchase the manor outright in 1596 for £1500.
On his death in 1605 Sir George Hervey bequeathed 'the Manor of Marks in Hornchurch in the Liberty of Havering-atte-Bower held freehold' to his son Sir Gawyn Hervie, Knight [9] who lived there until his death in 1627. [10] An illustration titled 'Marks House' showing a moated Elizabethan house probably dates from around this time, and a map dated 1618 shows Marks house as being just within the Liberty of Havering with a windmill nearby to the East. [11] Gawen Hervey left the manor to his nephew Carew Hervey Mildmay, and as he was a Parliamentary commander in the Civil War Marks was attacked in June 1648 by Royalists on their way to Chelmsford, [5] although the house remained in the family as a document of 1652 is signed by Carew Mildmay of Marks. [11] In 1666 the manor consisted of the main manor house with outbuildings, a yard, gardens and an orchard. [5] The manor then passed down the Mildmay family for at least three generations, and was held by Carew Hervey Mildmay when he was High Sheriff of Essex in 1712, being the great-grandson of the original Carew Mildmay. On his death he left his property, including Marks, to his daughter Anne, but when she died a spinster the property was inherited by Sir Henry St John-Mildmay. [12]
While the manor house itself was demolished in 1808, [13] the windmill associated with the Manor, a smock mill known as Drake's Mill and one of the tallest in Essex, was not demolished until 1920. [14]
The site of the former manor house was transferred from the London Borough of Havering to the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham on 1 April 1994. [15]
An extensive collection of archives of the estate is held by the National Archives. [16] [17]
Harold Wood is a suburban neighbourhood in East London in the London Borough of Havering. It is situated 16.5 miles (26.6 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross. Harold Wood was part of the ancient parish of Hornchurch, which became the Liberty of Havering. Most of the current area of Harold Wood became part of Hornchurch Urban District in 1926. It is near to the Greater London boundary with Essex.
Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London in the London Borough of Havering. It is located 15.2 miles (24.5 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed a large ancient parish in the county of Essex that became the manor and liberty of Havering. The economic history of Hornchurch is underpinned by a shift away from agriculture to other industries with the growing significance of nearby Romford as a market town and centre of administration. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Hornchurch significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming an urban district in 1926 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. It is the location of Queen's Theatre, Havering Sixth Form College and Havering College of Further and Higher Education.
Romford is a large town in East London, England, 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major metropolitan centres of Greater London identified in the London Plan.
Upminster is a suburban town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. Located 16.5 miles (26.6 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan.
The London Borough of Havering in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities include Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham. The borough is mainly suburban, with large areas of protected open space. Romford is a major retail and night time entertainment centre, and to the south the borough extends into the London Riverside redevelopment area of the Thames Gateway. The name Havering is a reference to the Royal Liberty of Havering which occupied the area for several centuries. The local authority is Havering London Borough Council. It is the easternmost London borough.
Elm Park is a suburban planned community in East London and part of the London Borough of Havering. Located 14.3 miles (23.0 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is identified as a district centre in the London Plan with several streets of shops and a priority for regeneration. Prior to the construction of the extensive Elm Park Garden City development in the 1930s it was a scattered settlement of farms in the south of the parish of Hornchurch. Elm Park has been connected to central London by the electrified District line service since 1935 and the planned development of the area formed part of the interwar private housing boom that was interrupted by World War II. After the war Elm Park expanded with social housing and it has formed part of Greater London since 1965.
Emerson Park is a suburban neighbourhood in the London Borough of Havering, east London. The neighbourhood developed as two large housing estates built on the 550 acres (2.2 km2) estate of Nelmes manor in the parish of Hornchurch. Emerson Park estate to the south started construction in 1895 and Great Nelmes estate to the north was begun in 1901. It is located north of the Romford–Upminster line and a station opened at Emerson Park in 1909. The mansion of Nelmes survived until it was demolished in 1967 to avoid preservation by the Civic Amenities Act and was replaced with a small housing estate called The Witherings. Emerson Park is located 15 miles (24.1 km) northeast of Charing Cross in Central London.
Havering, also known as Havering-atte-Bower, was a royal manor and ancient liberty whose area now forms part of, and gives its name to, the London Borough of Havering in Greater London. The manor was in the possession of the Crown from the 11th to the 19th centuries and was the location of Havering Palace from the 13th to the late 17th century. It occupied the same area as the ancient parish of Hornchurch which was divided into the three chapelries of Havering, Hornchurch and Romford.
Romford Market is a large outdoor retail market located in Romford in the London Borough of Havering, England. The market right was established by royal order in 1247. Rival markets are prohibited within 6.66 miles (10.72 km). Governance of the market was strengthened by the 1465 charter of the Liberty of Havering, which was administered from a court house at the western end of the market. Formerly a livestock and agricultural market, cattle was last sold in 1958. The market has been in local authority ownership since it was purchased by the Romford Local Board in 1892 and is now owned by Havering Council. The marketplace was located on the main east–west road through the town until traffic was diverted away from the market in 1969. The market is promoted as a filming location. It is open on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. There was a Sunday market from July 2020 to March 2024. As of July 2020 it has 60 licensed traders, down from a peak of over 300.
Romford is a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2001 by Andrew Rosindell, a Conservative.
Hornchurch was a local government district in southwest Essex from 1926 to 1965, formed as an urban district for the civil parish of Hornchurch. It was greatly expanded in 1934 with the addition of Cranham, Great Warley, Rainham, Upminster and Wennington; and in 1936 by gaining North Ockendon. Hornchurch Urban District Council was based at Langtons House in Hornchurch from 1929. The district formed a suburb of London and with a population peaking at 131,014 in 1961, it was one of the largest districts of its type in England. It now forms the greater part of the London Borough of Havering in Greater London.
Romford was a local government district in southwest Essex from 1851 to 1965 around the town of Romford. It was significantly expanded in 1934 and gained the status of municipal borough in 1937. The population density of the district consistently increased during its existence and its former area now corresponds to the northern part of the London Borough of Havering in Greater London.
South Hornchurch is a locality to the south of Hornchurch in London Borough of Havering, east London. It is a suburban development situated 13.6 miles (21.8 km) east of Charing Cross. The area is a relatively recent addition, compared with the more mature suburbs in Havering. It was built on open farmland and the former site of RAF Hornchurch.
The River Rom, also known as the River Beam below its confluence with the Ravensbourne, is a tributary of the River Thames in England that flows through the east London suburbs around Romford before joining the Thames at Dagenham.
Romford Rural District was a local government district in southwest Essex, England from 1894 to 1934. It surrounded, but did not include, Romford which formed a separate urban district. During the life of the district the area changed in use from rural farm land to sprawling London suburb and in 1926 much of it was removed to form new urban districts.
Gidea Hall was a manor house in Gidea Park, the historic parish and Royal liberty of Havering-atte-Bower, whose former area today is part of the north-eastern extremity of Greater London.
Becontree was an ancient hundred in the south west of the county of Essex, England. Its area has been entirely absorbed by the growth of London; with its name reused in 1921 for the large Becontree estate by the London County Council. Its former area now corresponds to the London Borough of Newham, the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and parts of the London Borough of Waltham Forest and the London Borough of Redbridge. Its early extent also included parts of what is now the London Borough of Havering.
Hornchurch Marshes is an area of the London Borough of Havering, adjacent to the north bank of the River Thames in London, England. Susceptible to flooding from three adjacent rivers, it was the southernmost marshland section of the ancient parish of Hornchurch. It was used for cattle grazing from the 16th to the 19th century and became industrialised by the 20th century. The eastern part of the Ford Dagenham estate extended into the Hornchurch Marshes and it is now an area of regeneration that includes Beam Reach and part of Beam Park. Two of the Dagenham wind turbines are located there and the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence.
Carew Hervey Mildmay was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1654 and 1656. He fought in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War.