Introduction: There has been a settlement in and around the Heybridge area since Pre-Roman times, as revealed by the recent excavations at the Elm Farm site where the new Bovis housing development now stands. Many fine Roman remains have been uncovered in the Parish and are now in Colchester museum. Evidence points to a wealthy settlement that owed its existence to good communications as the port on the Blackwater. Aerial photography has revealed clear evidence of a Roman road running directly to Heybridge. The Saxon name for Heybridge was Tidwalditune (Tidwald's Town, Tidwald being an early Saxon). There are various spellings in the old records including Tidwaldinton, Tidoldanton and Tidolditune. Similarly, Heybridge is also spelt as Haybridge, Hebregg, Hebrigge and Heybreg.

The present name seems to be taken from the High Bridge over the river. It consisted of five arches and is assumed to have been the bridge over the mainstream of the Blackwater as the bridge at Fulbridge is much later and of shorter span. The Causeway between the two bridges is possibly of Roman origin and was considered important enough for Edward II to order a survey in 1324.

Athelstan became King of the Mercians and the West Saxons in 925 A.D. Tidwalditune was one of the 13 lordships which the King endowed the Cathedral Church of St. Paul. It had certain privileges e.g. no purveyor of the King could take any corn from within its precincts. There was only one Manor in the parish and that was Heybridge Hall. There is no specific mention of a church being built but it has been assumed that a Saxon church predated the present one.

The Doomsday survey did not concern itself with Churches but does record "Tidwoldituna" held by St. Paul's and consisting of 8 hides and 1 manor, 16 villeins, 4 borders and 4 serfs, several ploughs, woodland for 60 swine and pasture for 160 sheep (identified in 1222 survey as a marsh of 60 acres), 20 acres of meadow, 8 beasts, 2 hives of  bees, 1 mill and 1 salt pan. The whole was worth £8.

The present Church was founded between 1160 and 1181 and remains of that period still exist. there is a record of a visitation by the Dean, Ralf de Diceto, on 20th January 1181. The vicarage of Heybridge was ordained in 1243 and assigned the small tithes, alterage and a small glebe.

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Entrance Door: The main entrance door is of the 12th Century and said by Pevsner to be one of the finest Norman Doors in the country.

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General Information: The walls of the Church are of flint rubble, boulder clay and pudding stone with dressings of limestone and clunch, and the roofs are tiled. The Chancel is not structurally divided from the Nave. At the West end are the remains of a Norman tower of unusually large dimensions and exceeding the width of the Nave. Norman towers are seldom of great elevation but the base of this one has been adapted for one of considerable height. Its present height is but very little above the walls of the Nave and is one stage and part of a second. It has a pyramidal roof that is tiled.

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Tower: The Western entrance through the tower is a plain Norman doorway. There were two Norman windows low down which are now blocked. High up are three other Norman openings and a fourth smaller opening that admits light to the stair turret in the North West corner. The tower opens into the nave by a spacious semicircular, plain Norman arch.

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Nave: The Nave, like the tower, is of Norman construction but was substantially rebuilt in the 15th Century. Three small Norman lights remain, although one has a pointed head that may be Norman or a later modification. The North doorway is Norman and has plain jambs and a round arch. The South doorway is similar to the above but has grooved and chamfered imposts and partly restored jambs. The South wall has an early Norman window visible externally above a later window at the East end. The North and South walls each have the splayed lower parts of four clearstorey windows now cut off by the roof timbers.

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Chancel: The Chancel was originally shorter as indicated by the thicker wall to the West of the doorway in the South wall. To the West of the doorway are the remains of a Norman window only visible internally. There is also a blocked Norman doorway with plain jambs and hollow chamfered imposts cut back on the face. At the East end of the North wall over the Freshwater Monument are the remains of another Norman window.

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History 15th Century: It is not clear from the records what happened to our Church in the 15th Century. There are records of a visitian by the Dean of St. Paul's, Willima Say. It was part of a tour of the churches of the Chapter's "peculiars" pertaining to St. Paul's. The records concern themselves with he condition of the church and have a full inventory of the furniture and ornaments. The Dean evidently had inventories of the last visitation with him and was able to check for losses and gifts. No mention was made of any modification to the fabric of this church at the time.

Our church, as it now stands, has many 15th Century features. In the Chancel is a 15th Century East window and is of five cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery in a two-centred head. There are two windows of two lights in the North wall, one of which is blocked by a large monument but visible externally. In the South wall are two similar windows one much restored. Between the South windows is a doorway with modern jambs and a 15th Century two centred arch. This doorway marks the junction of the 12th and 15th Century work, the thicker wall to the West of the door being Norman.

The Nave has in the South wall two 15th century windows each of three cinquefolied lights with tracery in a square head almost completely restored externally. In the West wall of the tower is a late 14th or early 15th Century doorway let into the blocking of the larger, Norman doorway.

The roof of the Chancel has three trusses; the eastern being of late 15th Century sand the two to the west are of late 14th Century or early 15th Century. The late 15th Century roof of the Nave is of four bays with four king posts and one queen spot. the curved braces of the tie beams have spandrels carved with foliage and shields being the initials S, T and G. the modern roof of the South porch incorporates a 15th Century tie beam.

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Flooding: Philip Morant, writing between 1763 and 1768 says this of St. Andrew's - "The church lies on the Strand, over against Maldon, the Sea at high tide coming up to the churchyard." In the last serious flooding on 1953 the water came through the buildings opposite and into the road.

At the time of the flooding of this church the main, navigable river came through Heybridge following what is now known as Heybridge Creek and the Causeway, probably of Roman origin, passed over the marsh. So it is reasonable to expect that our Church has been vulnerable to flooding for most of its existence.

According to Ivor Shortland, St. Andrew's Church History, in 1975, there was massive flooding somewhere around 1450 which silted up the existing river bed and diverted the course of the Blackwater to join the Chelmer at Beeleigh. The vast volume of water undermined the foundations of the tower of the church, which collapsed on to the Nave producing a ruin. The ruin was restored mainly through the efforts of Sir Henry Bourchier of the nearby estate at Langford.

The walls of the Nave were reduced in height to that of the Chancel and a new roof constructed. The roof timbers were placed at the cill level of the former clerestorey windows. This structural alteration is visible from inside the church, where four openings appear in both the North and South walls of the Nave. With surplus salvaged materials the Chancel was extended East forming the present Sanctuary. the 15th Century work is from the Priests door eastward where the walls are much thinner. the tower was reduced in height from two and a half stages to its present height of little over one stage. the stage mark is visible from the outside of the Tower on the North, east and South faces.

It is thought that the restoration work was completed between 1483 and 1485, after more than 10 years work. Sir Henry died in 1483 and his wife Isobel Plantagenent died in 1485. History has it that Isabel was responsible for having the family crest, the Bouchier Knot cared on the spandrel at the North end of the chancel beam.

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Sanctuary: The Sanctuary was not part of the original Church but added during the 15th Century. From the Priest's door in the South wall it can be seen that the walls are thinner. The large East window is of five cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery in a two centred head. The window is very much restored to include only two small fragments of original stiles. The window was repaired again in July 1911 before the erection of the Reredos and oak panelling, a gift of Mr and Mrs E E Bentall.

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Great Rood: A contemporary account of a Visitation by the Dean of St. Paul's, Ralf de Baldock , in 1297, records the existence of the great rood, with St. Mary and St. John either side of a crucifix. It stood on a beam across the entrance to the Chancel for at this stage there were no rood lofts. The absence of rood loft stairs necessiated the use of a ladder to light the candles on the beam and the ladder is included in he church inventory. The present staircase must have been built later, when a screen and rood loft were installed. The stairs were probably appreciated as the inventory of the Churchwarden, John Stocks, 1551, records that there are 18 candlesticks of iron in the rede-loft. During the Tudor convulsions, the rood went in and out of fashion. from the Churchwardens accounts of:

All we have now are the stairs to the Rood loft to remind us of its existence.

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Font: Remains of what is thought to be the original font can be seen built into the West splay of the rood loft staircase. There is part of a Purbeck marble bowl of a font with shallow round-headed panels, also fragments of saltire ornament and other fragments of worked stone. it is conceivable that this font was smashed at the time the tower and roof fell in.

H.W. King in his description of St. Andrew's dated 29th June 1855 describes the then existing font as follows:

"The font placed at the West end of the nave is remarkably small. Its basin is plain and octangular resting upon an ornamented Norman shaft which seems rather designed to support a stoup. As the basin is probably late the shaft may have been adapted to its present use but of this I do not feel sure."

The remains of the shaft to which he refers may be seen on the rood staircase. It may be the shaft of the original font.

The present font was given to the church in 1897 in memory of Rev. Thomas Wren M.A., vicar of Heybridge for 37 years. It is Purbeck marble and is designed in he same style as the original Purbeck marble font whose fragments are described above. It has a square bowl with four shallow blank round-headed arches on each of the two faces and a diagonal cross (Saltire) on each of the other two faces. the bowl is supported on a central drum stem with four corner supports.

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Bells: Bells have been present in this Church from the earliest times. In 1297, the report of the visitation by the then Dean of St. Paul's, Ralf de Baldock, required the repairing of the belfrey and the supplying of a clapper to one of the three bells.

Ivor Shortland says that between 1516 and 1522 the three original bells were housed in the rebuilt tower. the Great Bell of the 14th Century origin was considered too heavy for the tower and removed at the end of 1522. The John Danyell bell, of similar age, was also rehung and the John Darbie bell added in 1684.

H.W. King, Ecclesiae Essexiensis, visited St. Andrew's Heybridge on the 29th of June 1855. he reported that the bell chamber was in the roof of the tower and contained the bells. The place was extremely dark and the only light was through the opening in the roof. Access to the bells was difficult owing to the quantity of the framework. He managed to decipher the inscription on the most ancient which read "Vox augustini Sonet in Aure Dei". The others he said are of the 17th Century and one bore the name "Freshwater".

In 1922, the Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, reported there were two bells. The older, by John Danyell, 15th Century,  inscribed "Vox augustine Sonet in Aure Dei"; the other by John Darbie, 1684, now broken up.

The bell standing by the porch in its wooden frame carries the inscription "Vox augustine Sonet in Aure Dei". It must be John Danyell's bell of the 15th Century and was in use till 1928.

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History 16th to 20th Century: More Recent additions: 16th Century: At the SW angle of the tower is a heavy buttress of several stages built of narrow Tudor brick. The churchwardens accounts for 1516 record - Paide to me Lord Abbot of Bileigh for 2000 bricks, 6s 0d. 17th Century: In the recess containing the Rood Loft stairs, is a window of two plain pointed lights under a three-centred head, which has been partially restored. 18th Century: The fine altar rail of hand turned twisted stems of irregular shape was the work of John Junols, a local craftsman who died in 1744. He contributed many other furnishings to the Church but this is all that has survived.

19th Century: Present font given in memory of Rev. Thomas Wren.

20th Century:

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Music: Music has always been of prime importance n the worship of the Church. the visitation of Dean Ralf de Baldock in 1297 records that Heybridge and Kirkby possessed a pair of organs but no other organs are mentioned in the other churches in Essex included in his tour.

It is not known how old the present organ is. We do know it has a sister organ in East Bergholt Church, It was originally at ground level and hand pumped by successive generations of boys of the parish. Ron Houlding was reminiscing shortly before his death about spells of duty and the last known "pumpers" were members of the Gill family with Peter Gill the most long serving. The electric bellows were installed over 50 years ago.

The organ was raised to its present position at the end of the 1950's. the work involved extensive rebuilding of the vestries and the access to the organ loft was through the vicars vestry. this was not satisfactory and the staircase was moved to the opposite side in the early 1960's. the new panelling and doors were installed at the same time.

In 1974, the organ was found to require extensive refurbishment and a major appeal was launched to finance it. this enabled the work to be succesfully completed and no further maintenance has been required.

St. Andrew's has had a tradition of being good with music. The choir sing for Sunday Services with occasional anthems and is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music.

Mrs. E. Wakefield must have  been one of our longest serving organists. She started playing for St. Andrew's in 1918 at the age of 15 and she died in 1899 having played for 70 years.

Our historian, Ivor Shortland, was originally a choir boy here. He left to serve in the Second World War. A short interval after his return he rejoined the choir and became choirmaster in 1962. He served the church in this position until shortly before he died in 1986.

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Freshwater Family: On the North wall of the Chancel is an imposing marble monument with kneeling figures of a man and his wife. The monument has a double arched recess flanked by Corinthian columns supporting an entablature, achievement and two shields of arms. The figures represent Thomas Freshwater 1638 and Sara, his third wife 1634. The Freshwater family, who originally came from Tollesbury, were the longest leaseholders of Heybridge Hall, the only manor in the parish. there are several floor slabs nearby of other family members. In the Chancel, to Thomas Freshwater 1698, with shield of arms: to Elizabeth (Freshwater) wife of Willima Ayelett 1690, with defaced shield of arms: to John Freshwater 1686, with achievement of arms.

The Parish Registers of the period carry records of the Freshwaters from the early 17th to mid 18th Century. The last family member to reside at Heybridge Hall was the Rev. Julius Hering, died 1775, who has a memorial on the South wall of the Chancel.

The following description of the Freshwater coat of arms is given in Morant's History and Antiquities of the County of Essex, 1763-68:

"Azure, a fesse between two trouts, argent. Crest two arrows saltier wise, tyed with knot. Otherwise, out of a Crown imperial, gules two trouts in saltier, tails erect, argent."

From H.W. King, Ecclesiae Essexensis, 1855 comes this description of:

The Freshwater Charity - Rush Bearing: "A remnant of the ancient custom of Rush Bearing has been singularly preserved in this Parish to the present day. The ancient procession of Rush Bearing is disused but annually on Whitsunday this church is strewed with rushes and decorated with maple boughs. The practice is observed in compliance with the will of one of the freshwater family who bequeathed a certain sum of money for the weekly distribution of bread and the annual donation of gowns to certain poor men and women of this Parish. He also gave ten shillings to the church clerk for the decoration of the church in the manner described, every Whit Sunday in commemoration of the benefaction. Formally it is said rushes were strewed along the road from the hall to the church but this has long been discontinued and the strewing is now confined to the church. Mr. Freshwater seems to have thought it convienent to perpetuate a customer with which he was no doubt quite familiar as it was in use as late as the time of Charles I and I believe still subsists in some few places in England. The "Juncus aromaticus" was the kind of rush used for the purpose when it could be obtained, Why maple boughs are sel;ected here is not quite apparent unless it be from the beauty of its foliage and perhaps that this tree comes earliest into leaf."

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Vicars: St. Andrews has had a number of memorable vicars:

Robert Stylle, appointed 145-?: At the visitation of Dean William Say in 1458, the jurors complained that their vicar celebrated mass on weekdays in authority church and not in the parish church. They also presented him for turning his pigs and mares into the church yard "contra honestatem eccesie".

John Pridden, MA, appointed 1783 resigned 1797: Antiquarian, who located an early church chest that contained the Heybridge parish registers in a state of semi decay. He painstakingly rewrote those for the years 1532-1564 which are now preserved for all time. He was also an amateur artist, architect and philanthropist, elected FSA 1785, In addition to being the vicar of Heybridge, he was concurrently Minor Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral, 1782. Curate of St. Bride's, London 1783 - 1803, Vicar of Little Wakering, 1788, Chaplain to John 4th Earl Poulett 1789, priest in Ordinary of Chapel Royal 1795, Minor Canon of Westminster. His notebooks are kept at the Essex Record Office and show that the Bishop made detailed enquiries as to how he managed his commitments. he evidently paid a curate 25 guineas per annum to take one service each Sabbath in Heybridge. Communion was held four times each year.

Francis J. Waring, appointed 1797, died 1833: Extracts from HW King, Ecclesiae Essexiensis, 1855:  "Parson Waring assuredly excelled all competition for fame and eccentricity. he was instituted to the Vicarage of Heybridge in January 1798 and held also the curacies of St. Mary, Maldon and of Mundon, performing Divine Service in each church every Sunday.

His attire was of singular kind. So regardless was he of his costume that I have been informed that he frequently went to Heybridge Church on Sunday morning in a straw hat with the knees of his breeches unbuttoned and a shooting coat on and so performed the service. Once in the desk the whole service was a regular scamper. He was naturally a fine reader but wen through the service with astonishing rapidity waiting neither for clerk or congregation in their verses ore responses. Latterly psalmody was introduced into St. Mary's and bad enough it was. Mr Waring seemed to have a strong aversion to their music and there was sometimes an earnest struggle whether he should pronounce the Blessing or they should give out their final hymn.

The Vicarage of Heybridge being peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul is exempt from Episcopal and Archidiaconal visitations. Mr Waring having been peremptorily summoned to attend a visitation in Maldon (the Bishop?) went to thither dressed in scarlet plush breeches and white stockings which he took carrot exhibit beneath his gown. the Bishop astonished at this most outrageous attire asked who the wearer was and on being told, deserted his attendance before him. Mr Waring replied in answer to the observations upon his small clothes - My Lord (or Mr Archdeacon) "That you should condescend to notice my breeches is an honour which I did not expect - there is my tailors card". Of another story I am not sure of the truth that when his white linen gaiters were pronounced not in accordance with clerical costume he replied from the Psalm "The Lord delighteth not in any mans legs."

He was a remarkably temperate man and when from home never partook of more than one dish stating as a reason that he could only afford to have one joint on the table at home and therefore was unwilling to acquire the habit of eating off more. I once met him at a musical party and remember that he only drank a little ale. He was a great proficient in music and played admirably upon the violincello and I believe on other instruments also. He was a great wit and his conversation was brilliant and facetious. Upon the occasion to which I refer he "kept the table in a roar". Mr Bugg Mayor and Magistrate for Maldon, a huge pompous powdered man with overbearing speech not unlike the roar of a large mastiff addressed Mr Waring rudely at a public dinner. Looking full in the face of the Mayor he gave a loud Bow-wow-wow-wow-wow.  The Mayor was effectually subdued amid the roar of guests.

Let no one do his memory this injustice. he was perfectly same and a man of vigorous mind and intellect. benevolent, affable and courteous. Greatly respected by all persons."

Robert Prentice Crance appointed 1833, died 1857: For 15 years Chaplian to his Britannic Majesty and British residents at the Court of Brazil in the city of San Sebastian. Held both the Vicarage of Heybridge and the Vicarage of Tolleshunt Major. Was Chaplian to Rt. Hon. Charles Lord Stewart de Rothsay. Baroin and Ambassador Extraordinary to Brazil.

Oswald Fitz Burnell Trellis appointed Vicar of Heybridge with Langford 1985, resigned 1994: He was a native of Guyana who had lived in this country for nearly 40 years. After a visit from the Bishop of Guyana he was invited to become Dean of Georgetown Cathedral, Guyana.

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St. Andrew's Roll Of Honour:

The following information has been supplied by Miss Monica Bayley:

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Finances: Tithes were the way money was raised for King and Church. tithes were a tax of one tenth, usually payable in kind. Tithes might also be one-tenth part of the annual proceeds of land or personal industry taken for the support of clergy and church. Compiling the Domesday record was primarily and accounting exercise for the King to discover what his new kingdom was worth and how much revenue he could expect. The lordship of Tidwalditune was one of the thirteen lordships that King Athelstan had endowed the Cathedral Church of St. Paul and so it remained. It is recorded that:- When the vicarage of Heybridge was ordained in 1243, all the small tithes, together with the alterage and a small glebe were assigned to the vicar who was to sustain all customary burdens, which would include the payment of synodals and the providing of necessary books and ornaments; but at the same time that the formal vicarage was appointed, the dean and chapter of St. Paul's as appropriators, agreed with the new vicar Roger de Stratford to grant him for life all the great tithes, at farm for 14 marks annually (Cart Orig. cited by Newcourt, Repertorium ii 329).

Subsequently, a dispute is recorded between the Canon of St. Paul's, Lord Willima le Facet and Roiger de Stratford' successor, Nicolas, the Vicar of Hebrugg. William claimed that the great tithes (the tithes of sheaves of the parishioners of Hebrugg) pertained to him from the constitution of the Chapter, for the maintenance of the lights of St Paul's Church. The vicar argued that the said tithes ought to pertain to his office because the Dean and Chapter unanimously bestowed the the said tithes upon his predecessor, vicar of the same church, and because he had been in peaceful possession of the same tithes from the time of his institution in Chapter, the Vicar frankly and entirely submitted all his right to the decision of the Dean of the Cathedral.

Our present situation is not dissimilar. The dioceses, Chelmsford in our case, claims from each parish a sum of money known as the Family Purse. This finances the clergy stipends, pensions and the running costs of the diocese.

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Architect's Report: In 2000 we received the Quinquennial Report from the Church Architect, with an estimate for the repairs of the order of £30,000. the problems we face are nothing new, here is a similar report from 1862:

"Altogether there can be no doubt but that the church is generally in a bad condition and has arrived at that state that considerable repairs are absolutely necessary. Looking however at the general character of this church I think the restoration should not be of an elaborate or costly character but plain and substanical.

The following works are in my opinion necessary to be done:

1: New stonework and glazing to the 5 light window.

2: The stonework to the Chancel floor and the door itself to be repaired.

3: The stonework and buttress and East gable to be renewed.

4: The external plastering to be chipped off and the pebble work to be repaired where necessary.

5: The internal; plaster to be stripped off and renewed.

6: The floor to be repaired.

7: New communion rail

8: New benches

9: Repairs to tiling of roof.

Of course a new roof would make the restoration complete and the structure would then last many years without requiring and expenditure upon it beyond that occasioned by accidental damage and in consideration of this matter, it should be born in mind that whilst I do feel justified from appearance in reporting that a new roof is not (?) absolutely necessary yet there can be no doubt that in its present state it will require continual small repairs during its existence. Herewith enclosed sketch of the chancel in its present and in its restored state. My estimate for the work described above is from £250 to £300. If a new roof is put in the extra cost will be from £100 to £150." - Fred Chancellor - Architect.

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