| Chignall St James | |
|---|---|
 Former parish church of St James, now converted to a house | |
  Chignall St James Location withinEssex | |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHELMSFORD |
| Postcode district | CM1 |
| Dialling code | 01245 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| 51°45′42″N0°25′03″E / 51.76173°N 0.41757°E /51.76173; 0.41757 | |
Chignall St James is a village in thecivil parish ofChignall, in theChelmsford district ofEssex, England. The village is situated 3 miles (5 km) north-west of the centre ofChelmsford.
The meaning of Chignall is uncertain. The second syllable indicates "nook of land", indicating perhaps an area of dry land in a marsh, or an area otherwise separated from its parent territory. The first syllable may come from a personal name "Cicca", or alternatively it may come from "chicken".[1]
The legal name of the parish uses the spelling "Chignall", which is therefore used onOrdnance Survey maps and by theOffice for National Statistics.[2][3] TheRoyal Mail uses the spelling "Chignal" in official postal addresses.[4] The parish council uses the spelling Chignal on its website.[5]
The area once included a Roman villa, the site of which was discovered in the 1970s.[6][7]
InSaxon times, Chignall appears to have been a singlevill. It was recorded in theDomesday Book of 1086 asCingehala in theChelmsford hundred of Essex. The vill was at that time split between two owners.[8][9]
A priest is mentioned in one of the Domesday entries for Chignall, implying it may have then been a parish. It is unclear where the church was at that time. The church of St James at Chignall St James dates back to at least the 13th century,[10] and the church of St Nicholas atChignall Smealy was built in the early 16th century.[11] A third church dedicated to St Mary is known to have formerly existed at Chignall, which had been demolished by the 18th century.[12] The area came to be administered as the two parishes of Chignall St James and Chignall Smealy, with the latter sometimes called "Little Chignall".[13]
In 1888 the parishes of Chignall St James and Chignall Smealy were merged into a new civil parish called Chignall, subject to some adjustments to the boundaries with the neighbouring parishesBroomfield andWrittle at the same time.[14] At the 1881 census (the last before the abolition of the civil parish), Chignall St James had a population of 224.[15]
In ecclesiastical terms, Chignall St James, Chignall Smealy and the neighbouring parish ofMashbury were united into a singlebenefice in 1930.[16] They were later formally united into a single ecclesiastical parish called "The Chignals with Mashbury", which uses St Nicholas's Church at Chignall Smealy as its parish church.[17] St James's Church was declared redundant in 1981; it was converted into a house a few years later.[10]
The village formerly had apublic house, the Three Elms, which closed in 2019.[18]
Businesses providing employment in the area includeAshdown Engineering, Gardening Express[19] and local farms.
Notable village landmarks include an old brick-built farm barn with a dove-cote thought[by whom?] to be the oldest and only example of its type in Essex, an old red brick school (now a dwelling), theformer church, and the Old Rectory.
Media related toChignall St James at Wikimedia Commons
Towns, villages and hamlets of theCity of Chelmsford | ||
|---|---|---|
| Towns |  | |
| Villages and hamlets |
| |
