About Us

On this page - A Village View \| Memories \|Camps and the Cornells \|
The village of Henham is in the north-west part of Essex about seven miles south of the historical town of Saffron Walden.
Whilst we can trace our origins back to Saxon times, much of Henham's documentary records have been lost or thrown away. What evidence we have of the past we owe to the endeavours of a lady called Joyce Winmill who spent many years researching the general history and specific aspects of village life. Copies of her published work are to be found in the library at Saffron Walden and are a great credit to her.
In some ways we seem over the centuries not to have changed much. Henham has always been and remains a rural community although now perhaps better described as a 'community in a rural setting.'
Now, as with most other villages in the area there are few whose income is dependant on the land and the majority of working residents travel away from the area to seek a living. The advent of the motor car and the ability to travel has contributed to the decline of the number of shops and small businesses the village formerly sustained. No longer can we boast of the blacksmiths, saddlers, shoemakers, drapery shops, basket makers, brewers, tailors and wheelwrights of yesteryear. However on the positive side we retain our own church, primary school, village shop, public house, village hall, church hall and community centre. Our population is probably about 1250 in total, (902 on the electoral roll) and this compares with 809 persons in total according to the 1881 census. There are over twenty active groups, clubs and societies and most village activates are well attended. There are many people who are willing to 'get involved' and there is a great sense of community.
There are also many examples of older properties.......

....and many of those are thatched with turned up ends to the ridges. This, according to Miss Winmill derives from a Viking tradition of placing a dragon's head on the roof to frighten away evil spirits.
One of Henham's claim to fame is a resident dragon, although to be fair it hasn't been seen for about 350 years. The village magazine is called 'The Dragon' and is published every month. A worry to the village is the close proximity to Stansted Airport which is expanding rapidly. In truth we suffer a great deal less than other communities as aircraft taking off and turning left (west) are voluntarily confined to a 3 kilometre swathe which takes them round the back of the parish. Only occasionally do they fly near us and calls of complaint to BAA quickly follow. We also get a fair share of tourists although most of them are people interested in taking advantage of the many 'walks' around the village and surrounding areas. Pay us a visit sometime. Bill Bates - 2000
VILLAGE VIEW Window on the Past A look along the shelves of the nearest bookshop reveals numerous books and pamphlets of local interest. Now we too have our own book about the village, a collection of old photographs and anecdotes entitled 'Memories of Henham'. The book is a tribute to the efforts of two ladies of the village - to their initiative and diligence in bringing the material together. It is also a mark of the co-operation freely given by those in possession of -one might say safeguarding -these historical documents. One's first response on seeing the old, tinted and often blurred pictures is one of curiosity, seeking to identify people and places. Then one notices how things have changed - buildings that have either been extended and developed or disappeared; tracks that have become broad highways, accompanied by so much 'street furniture'. Finding traces nowadays of the long dismantled railway is an interesting exercise in observation and detection on the ground. To some these are real memories, of relatives, childhood friends and experiences, similar to those of so many other people for whom there is no pictorial record: memories which extend back in time for over a century through the remembered comments of parents and grandparents. In an age when movement has become ever more common it is salutary to pause and note that the roots of some families may have been in the village since time immemorial. Those for whom the photographs have no link to memory can but try to imagine themselves into the pictures -into a different world, a more enclosed and self-contained community, a quieter place in the pre-motor age, when the horizons of most were closer, both physically and intellectually. And beyond the visual record? The further back in time one seeks to travel the more difficult it is to appreciate the limits of the world of our forefathers, their daily round, their preoccupations and their notions. No-one's family is older than another's, though some are better documented. Those documents represent for all of us a link to a common past, from which we can learn much - if we are so minded. Christopher Swain April 2002

Memories
Précis of an email received from Mrs. Joyce Smith (nee Willett) in March 2002

My grandfather was born in Henham and I spent a lot of my childhood in Henham. I stayed with my great uncle and family friends, a Mr. and Mrs. Snow for part of the war years. After the was I stayed with my father's cousins, Mr & Mrs Salmon but they gradually all died and I have only visited Henham on a few occasions since. Since I have retired I have been thinking about researching my family tree so my husband and I visited the village a few weeks ago and I saw the 1881 census at ' The Cock'. We were also told Henham has its own web site. I saw in the village shop that you have published a book of the history of Henham but as the shop was closed at the time I was unable to buy a copy. I will be returning in April and I hope to buy a copy and I also hope to find out which branch of the Willett family my father is descended from. I enclose some pictures which belong to my mother.
This is my mother	Standing by the road sign is my mother, Mrs Margaret Willet, my aunt Mrs. Millie Willet, my cousin Joan Willet aged about 7 and Frankie Snow aged about 4.
Frankie Snow was related to a Mr and Mrs Snow who lived in the first cottage near the church. (That is where I stayed during the war). My grandfather's name was Ziba Willett and I was told that he had to leave the village because he had been poaching. Apparently, he walked to London to make his fortune, in spite of being illiterate!
	Looking quickly through the 1881 Census, there was no-one in the village at that time by that name, only a "Faba" (aged 5 years) - could he be one and the same person? If so, I believe my great grandfather was a Richard Willett, an agricultural worker - born 1852, but I intend investigating further. Standing behind my grandfather in this picture is his grandson, my uncle, Bill Willett, aged about 16. (He is the father of Joan Willett).
Henham Station
This page was last updated on 12-09-2008

Letter Received - the Camps and the Cornells
Hello Henham Thought I would get in touch to say how much I have enjoyed the "Memories" book and how useful I have found the website. I am a former resident of the parish but hardly know the village at all, even so I know enough about it to find my way round the book. I spent my first 5 years at Little Henham, in the red brick cottages on the bend down from the hall. My Grandfather, Ernest Camp farmed for Mr Weir alongside Uncle Walter Cornell. In 1968 we moved to Quendon before moving to Cornwall in 1973 where I have been ever since. Having stumbled across a very distant relative a couple of years ago on the www I have in my possession the Camp family tree going back to a George Camp born in Debden sometime in the mid 1700's. He must have moved to Chickney as his son Joshua is born there in 1785. From there my line of the family goes via Debden, Newport and Ugley before reaching Little Henham in 1929. I have not pushed to track the family back beyond George as being down in Cornwall it is not easy to spend time looking at records either kept in London or Essex. Instead I am trying to piece together a biography of my late Grandfathers life. It starts off quite eventful with a trip with the Royal Horse Artillery to the foothills of the Himalayas, catching malaria, returning to England only to fall off a cart and break his leg. He then spent the rest of his days working at Little Henham Hall for Mr Weir until he died in 1977. I am always bothering my father and uncle and aunt for info but again it is finding the right words to trigger memories. Looking through the Henham book there are lots of faces and names my father remembers (sadly he is not in any of the school photos from the 1940's) but as far as I can make out none of the Camps featured are close family. This I will check when I can lay the family tree out in full. What you do have are two nice pictures of Uncle Walter, one driving a combine down near Pattencans, the other in the regalia of the Shepherds society. I am wondering if it would be possible to have copies of those photos? and also if you have any other photos that might feature Little Henham that you could let me have. I was very interested in the wartime memories and log books, did you know there was a searchlight up at Little Henham and the operators were camped down next door to my grandparents in the orchard. Gran who was heavily pregnant with my father would not go out in case they saw her in such a condition. Again if there are any wartime records connected with Little Henham i would love to read them. By way of a swap I have attached a photo of my family taken at Little Henham about 1967. From the right...Ernest Camp (Grandfather), Mabel Camp (Grandmother), Rosie Camp (Mother), Beth Camp (in arms, Sister), Lindsay Camp (Grt. Grandfather), Unknown man with myself in his arms. On behalf of myself and my family can I thank the people who put the book together....and just one last thing. Our local family history specialist down here is related to the Nevilles of Henham....it's a small world! All the best, Mark Camp
Email Received 29th October 2004 On 29th October I received this great email from a lady called Sarah Montgomery who lives in Dorset. Essentially it is in two parts. The first part deals with her ancestors who lived in Henham in the early 1900s and in particular a William Farrington who lived in Henham Cottage. This cottage is the right hand side of the community shop in the High Street. Now there is an extension at the back so the part of the garden shown no longer exists. There is another picture showing the back of Henham Cottage in the Memories of Henham book on page 52, i.e. - This shows a man with a white beard who hitherto had not been identified. As a result of Sarah's photograph it is clearly Mr. Farrington. The coincidence is of course is that I now own the part of the house (above the doorway in the picture and over the shop) as part of Stone Cottage. I am typing this in a room once owned by Mr Farrington. The second part of the email deals with the 1901 census and Sarah has further researched the names shown in the list and has been able to add further information. She has taken a particular interest into the name of C. Smith which features on our War Memorial page. This gentleman, whose name appears on the memorial has so far remained unidentifiable. Her work may well have taken us a little further in finding out who he was. Thanks Sarah. - BB