Buttsbury

Buttsbury is a village and former 2,079-acre (8.4 km²) civil parish (once ancient parish) in the Chelmsford District of Essex, England, a contraction of Botulph's Pirie, a major saint who died in 680.[1] It is sometimes surmised that the name refers to a tree under which St Botolph preached.[2] The civil parish was merged into Stock in 1936.[3] In 1931 the civil parish had a population of 1709.[4]

Buttsbury
St. Mary's church
Buttsbury Location within Essex
OS grid reference	TQ6698
Civil parish	Stock
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Billericay
Postcode district	CM12
Post town	Ingatestone
Postcode district	CM4
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England

Location

It is centred on minor roads between the towns of Ingatestone and Billericay. The parish technically starts immediately north of the old centre of Billericay and extends around the south, west and north sides of Stock.[5]

History

The parish shown south-east of Ingatestone in the 1872-1890 Ordnance Survey Map

The land of Buttsbury has since the early medieval period been mainly agricultural, with some remaining areas of woodland. Of working adult men, in 1831, 84, a clear majority, worked in agriculture. The other three working sectors were: manufacturing: nil, retail and handicraft: 43 and other: 13.[6] This remained the situation by 1881, by which time 18 of the women residents were domestic servants.[7]

Acres of crops in 1801[8]
Wheat	288
Barley	37
Oats	173
Potatoes	16
Peas	95
Beans	60
Turnips or Rape	11
Rye	7

In the early 1870s Buttsbury had 531 residents divided across 109 houses.[1] A wave of early 20th century building was coupled with better general health especially lower infant mortality rates. Between 1911 and 1921 the population rose from 697 to 863, notwithstanding World War I in that period. In the following ten years it rose to 1,709.[9]

Year	Houses[10]
1831	106
1841	123
1851	121
1881	119
1891	123
1901	136
1921	201
1931	467

References

1. "History of Buttsbury, in Chelmsford and Essex - Map and description". www.visionofbritain.org.uk.
2. Eilert Ekwall. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names. 4th ed.
3. "Relationships and changes Buttsbury AP/CP through time". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
4. "Population Statistics Ridlington AP/CP through time". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
5. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10235777/boundary
6. "Buttsbury AP/CP through time - Industry Statistics - Males aged 20 and over, in four industrial categories". www.visionofbritain.org.uk.
7. "Buttsbury AP/CP through time - Industry Statistics - Occupation data classified into the 24 1881 'Orders', plus sex". www.visionofbritain.org.uk.
8. "Buttsbury AP/CP through time - Agriculture and Land Use Statistics - 1801 Crop Acreages". www.visionofbritain.org.uk.
9. "Buttsbury AP/CP through time - Population Statistics - Total Population". www.visionofbritain.org.uk.
10. "Buttsbury AP/CP through time - Housing Statistics - Total Houses". www.visionofbritain.org.uk.

External links

Media related to Buttsbury at Wikimedia Commons