Volume I - Little Baddow History Centre

Francis Beadle received it from Widow Pettit. In 1766 John Dawson was tenant of
“Wilkits field” and was followed by the Burchells.
Thomas Vessey in 1584 was granted a lease by Sir John Smythe for the payment of
£20 “in the name of a Fyne or Income”, for a term of four score years, of Forbyes,
Hellensland and Pearces croft. Forbyes was a cottage with a garden on Hellensland,
occupied by Jonan Springfeld, widow. Hellensland with the cottage consisted of
nearly 5 acres. Pearces croft lay near the “Brooke upon Toftes Common” and
contained just over 3 acres. There was also half an acre in “the little meade”, which
was later part of Huskards mead. The rent was to be 6s.8d. per annum, the same now
the lands were leasehold as when they had been copyhold, and 10d. per acre was to be
paid on the death of any tenant. If the rent were unpaid for 14 days, Sir John could
distrain and the distresses so taken “lawfully to leade dryve chase and carry away And
the same to ympownde deteyne and withholde” until the rent was paid. Thomas
Vessey could use wood and underwood from the properties for fencing and could take
to his own use “suche offal and refuse” that remained after making the fences. He
could in addition take from Tofts common “hulles Fyrres and bushes” towards
hedging and fencing the lands. In view of “divers Variances controversies etc.”
between Henry Lindsell of Burnham (heir to all the Vessey property) and Sir Gobert
Barrington, Henry in 1677 released to Sir Gobert all his rights in Hellensland “with
the edifices thereupon built”, Pearces croft and the half acre in Huskards mead.
Hellensland became part of Tofts manor demesne, the “edifices” vanished and the
name gradually became altered to Herns or even Herrings land. Pearces croft in 1712
was being leased to Samuel Saward at £1.1.0. a year; afterwards it became part of
Porters land and later still was known as Ketchers field after its tenant.
The Vessey property included Glovers, perhaps once owned by Robert Glovar, who,
with his wife, Johanna, and son, William, lived in the village in 1383, when they
acquired half “le Wellecroft” next to land of Stephen Gibbe in Middlemead hamlet.
Their descendants were in the village for another century. Thomas Vessey, junior, in
his will of 1626, said that Glovers was “the howse wherein I nowe dwelle”. By about
1800 it had become part of Hellensland and there was no longer a house. Redens
(meaning “land cleared from the waste”) was called in Thomas Vessey’s will
“Riddens als. Glovers with a howse thereupon latelie builded in 1675, John Packman
leased this freehold house (called Whitehall or Birches cottage) and the land from
Henry Lindsell at the rent of 2s.5d. and in 1702 Thomas Packman surrendered it to
William Herrington. His son, Henry Herrington of Witham, was tenant in 1746,
James Rowley in 1766 and then the Burchell family. The name of Redens was
forgotten at least by 1777, though the Vessey family were vaguely remembered, part
of the field being known as “Vesleys”.
Thomas Vessey, senior, had also held the old free tenement called Balshams (except
for 3 acres with a messuage rented by Richard Vessey containing about 15 acres of
rather scattered lands with the house and at least one cottage (almost all impossible to
locate) for the rent of 3s.10d. When he died in 1596 his son, Francis, was left the 3
acre portion “lieing next under the Parke pale of Sir John Smyth”, where he was
already living and carrying on the trade of a tanner, using the “waterynge and other
necessaries…for his trade”. Thomas, junior, inherited the remainder of his father’s
property. An indenture of 1628 between Anthony Pennynge and Richard Vessey
(grandson of Tomas, senior,) gave possession of Balshams tannery, then in the tenure
of Richard Jackson, “with barnes stables howses orchardes gardens yards landes
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