The delights of Essex


Blatches Farm was a jumping off point to see Stebbing Church and Stebbing Congregational Chapel where Rhoda Wilkinson had her sins, and there were many, absolved.

On to Tanners farm where a nice lady, the current owner showed us round. This is where George Turner was born in 1865. The house has been expanded somewhat since that time and is now bijou, but in those days was a humble labourers hovel.

The White Hart (where George Schlueter, of Essex Yeomanry fame, grew up). We motored on to Gate House farm where Ezekiel Turner died in 1888. The last photo is Great Easton church where many Jespers were married

Tilty Abbey, also of Jesper fame, from both ends. Great Dunmow Church with gravestone of Chris' great aunt Pett Davies (Nee Mead) - the headstone was put up some time after her death by her family; there was not money for a gravestone when she died.

The Angel and Harp run by Thomas Rolfe Savill in 1874. And Church End Cottages in Great Dunmow where Elizabeth Mead died in 1893

This led to a great many churches where various Parchments and related families were born, bred and died. We also visited the Essex Regiment Museum in an attempt (unsuccessful, but helpful) to find what might have happened to Chris' Grandfather in WW1


And more churches. As we were only sure of the village in which they had lived, the churches were the only buildings that we could associate with them.


We stayed in one of these units at Blatches Farm, just outside Stebbing. After exploring Essex, we left the car here and took a taxi to Stanstead for the flight to Latvia.