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Set on a hill, overlooking to the north the lovely Crouch valley, Hockley's parish church is dedicated to SS Peter & Paul. Although mentioned in the Domesday Book, no vestige of that original building remains.
In 1220 the church was rebuilt and enlarged, when a chancel chapel and the beautiful north arcade were added. The font of Purbeck marble dates from 1160 and was hidden for many years in the tower while a wooden bowl was used instead for baptisms.
The tower, built in 1350, is unusual, having two stages; the first square and the second octagonal.
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Until the reformation the living or advowson (the right to appoint the priest) was in the gift of Barking Abbey and a rector looked after the needs of the small scattered population, supported by the tithes they paid and the produce of the church's land.
In 1380 things were going badly for the Abbey. Its income had been greatly reduced when the grazing lands it owned along the
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With the reformation the living passed from St Mary's Abbey, Barking, to the crown and eventually to Thomas Cromwell. In time it came into the possession of Lord Petre of Ingatestone Hall. In 1695 Dorothy Wadham, Lord Petre's daughter, gave the living to the college her husband had recently founded at
Never a rich parish, Hockley suffered badly from absent incumbents. In 1565 the vicar is recorded as living in Kirby Kendal and in 1810 the then vicar resided at
There are constant references to the bad state of repair of the building, and in 1690 snow was coming in through the roof. Evidence of colour on the walls was found during restoration in 1843, but was to faint to preserve. Further restoration took place in 1936 when two piscine (a ceremonial stone bowl with a drain used for carrying away the water used during a service) and a holy water basin were uncovered, as well as the remains of the rood stairway and the original mensa or High Altar was found under the floor.
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Set into the ground immediately outside the Elizabethan brick porch, which dates from around 1580, is a coffin shaped stone bearing the initials of WW and dated 1791. This is said to be the grave of William Waight who left instructions that he was to be buried outside the church door; for having been 'trampled' on in life he saw no reason why this should change after death! In the small window in the Lady Chapel are six panes of glass in the form of a cross and bearing the words 'Deus ictus' (God stricken). How old they are or to what they relate is not known, but the message they carry is certainly poignant. It has been suggested that this refers to an outbreak of the plague. However historical sources record no reference to the plague having visited Hockley or the surrounding area.
A treasure of the church is a very badly eroded slab of stone carved with a barely discernable crucifix. When the tower was renovated recently this slab, which had been built in above the west door, was removed and sent to the Victoria and Albert Museum for restoration. The museum's experts advised that it is alabaster, probably of the 14th century, and once formed the centre panel of a triptych (a work consisting of three panels that are hinged together). It may even have been part of the original pre-reformation altar of the church. The slab is now to be seen inside the church, above the south door.
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Buried in a small and unassuming grave to the west of the church is Alexander Zass, famously known throughout the circus world as 'The Amazing Samson'. Russian born Alexander was captured by the Hungarians in 1915 and imprisoned. He kept up his strength whilst incarcerated by pulling on his chains and prison bars. He eventually realised that this type of training actually increased his strength. Finally when the time was right, he bent the bars of his prison window and made good his escape. After the war he went on the road as a strongman. When his career in the circus came to an end he came to live in Hockley and died in 1962.
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Extracts from
'Hockley, Hullbridge & Hawkwell Past' by Lesley Vingoe (Phillimore & Co Ltd 1999)
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A 360 degree panoramic view of the church is available by clicking on this link:
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