Stansted Mountfitchet A Brief History

Since pre-history, human beings have lived and settled in and around the location now known as the Parish of Stansted Mountfitchet. Within the Parish, artefacts have been unearthed from the Palaeolithic (early stone age), Mesolithic (middle stone age) and Neolithic (new stone age) periods. There is little doubt that Bronze and Iron age settlements existed. The Roman conquest around 43 A.D. undoubtedly affected Stansted, followed by the Saxon invasion between the 5th and 7th centuries and the Norman conquest in the 11th century.

The name Stansted is Saxon in origin, compounded from two Saxon words, 'Stan' a stone and 'Sted' a place. How accurately named was Stansted by the Anglo-Saxons, how well we know that Stansted is indeed a stony place.

In the 11th century, William the Conqueror granted the lordship of the Manors of Stansted and Bentfield Bury to the Gernon family, who later changed the family name to Montfichet - derived from Montfiquet in Normandy. From this time the family name was incorporated into the place name. During the 12th century a Norman Knight, Richard de Montfichet had the motte and bailey castle built (mound with outer wall), in which the family lived. The mound and part of the stone wall remains to this day. An impression of what the castle and its activities may have been like in the 12th century, has been recreated on the same site by a local businessman as a tourist attraction visited by many thousands every year. The remains of similar Norman castles are to be seen in Bishop's Stortford and Saffron Walden.

In the North Chapel of the originally Norman Church of St Mary, in Church Road, is a magnificent effigy of a cross-legged Knight, circa 1300, believed to be the tomb of Richard de Montfichet. Other notable tombs within the church are a painted recumbent effigy of Hester Salusbury wearing a fashionable high hat, circa 1614, and an uncommonly sumptuous standing wall monument to Sir Thomas Middleton and his wife, Lord Mayor of London, circa 1631.

Stansted Mountfitchet is one of the largest parishes in the County of Essex and encompasses the settlements of Bentfield End and Burton End. Stansted International Airport with its stunning terminal building designed by Sir Norman Foster is about 2 miles to the south-east. The wealth of 16th and 17th century domestic dwellings in the village are augmented by houses of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Stansted Windmill (1787), is a fine example of a tower mill, the last type of mill to evolve. It last worked in 1910 and in 1935 it was given to the village by Lord Blyth. With Ancient Monument status it is open to the public on the first Sunday of each month from April to October and every Sunday in August from 2.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. It is also open on Bank Holiday Sundays and Mondays and to organised parties by prior arrangement.

St John's Church, in St. John's Road, now the Anglican Parish Church, was built in 1889, designed by the architect W.D. Caroe. It is an interesting example of his early work with touches of wilfulness which characterise his style. The United Reformed Church and the Quaker Meeting House, together with the Peter Kirk Special School, the Post Office, Fire Station, Day Centre, Health Clinic and Parish Council Office all serve the community on Chape[ Hi[I. The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Theresa is situated in Millside near to the Windmill] and formerly was the Miller's House.

The Recreation Ground nearby, was given to the village in 1867 by William Fuller Maitland who built Stansted Hall in 1871, a Neo-Jacobean red brick mansion in Church Road set in the grounds of Stansted Park, designed by Repton for an earlier Stansted Hall. Fullers House in Church Road was built as an almshouse by the Fuller Maitland family and now modernised, still serves the community as 17 self-contained fiats for the elderly. Another Neo-Jacobean mansion, Mary Macarthur House (now Hargrave House), built in 1875, with later additions in 1880 and 1898, is situated in Cambridge Road (BI383) and was designed by C.R. Pritchett. It is now owned commercially and functions as a retirement home, most of the original land having been disposed of.

At the junction of Chapel Hill with Cambridge Road, Western House is a good example of a five bay two-storey Georgian brick house with a modern extension wing at the rear in the style of the original listed building. The property now functions as offices. The Fountain on the traffic island at the top of Chapel Hill is a replica of a cast-iron original erected in 1871, presented to the village by Henry and Walter Gilbey - the gin distillers and wine merchants family. The drinking fountain on the replica does not function, it is likely that the traffic island on Chapel Hill was formerly the site of a chapel of ease for pilgrims.

Cambridge Road follows the line of a Roman Road. Situated at the crossroad is a large cast-iron cover plate (mile iron) indicating Thaxted 9 - Cambridge 23 - Saffron Walden 9 - Dunmow 10 - London 31 - Chelmsford 21. It is said to be the largest mile iron in Essex.

Stansted Mountfitchet is conveniently located in the pleasantly undulating countryside of North-West Essex with road and rail links to London, Cambridge and beyond, and Stansted International Airport offering ever more destinations by air. The 'M11 corridor' is designated by planners as a 'corridor of communication', while the A12/A120 route is at present designated as an area for further development, a situation being strongly challenged and resisted by the local authorities in those areas. There can be little, if any doubt, that East Anglia in general and North- West Essex in particular, will experience increasing pressure for development in the future. If we intend to conserve our heritage and environment and to improve our quality of life, we must be ever vigilant and active to ensure that we leave an inheritance worthy of those who follow us.

The pace of change is ever accelerating but let us attempt to control the pace rather than being controlled by it. The many voluntary organisations, clubs, societies, institutions and special interest groups in our community, will warmly welcome newcomers. For any community to progress and prosper an essential element is the concern and commitment of its residents. Stansted Mountfitchet is a caring community because of the commitment, concern and voluntary service offered by a dedicated but diminishing number of volunteers - more are needed.

Local Government - Essex County Council, Uttlesford District Council and Stansted Mountfitchet Parish Council are responsible for the provision and maintenance of services in the village. The 'hands on' day-to-day service and advice is available from the Parish Council. Established in 1894 as Stansted Rural District Council, the first Chairman was William Fuller Maitland who held office from 1894 to 1919. The Parish Council has 15 members elected every 4 years to represent the three wards - Bentfield, Castle and Mountfitchet. The next election is due in 1999 and it is hoped that many candidates will be willing to stand for election from ail political parties or none - integrity, ability, commitment and experience are the only qualifications.