Probate in Danbury

We have local consultants in Danbury who can visit you in the daytime or evening. Our consultations are free, there is no obligation and no pressure. We provide a sympathetic and personal service to suit your needs. Our advisors are fully trained in subjects such as Probate, Wills, Letters of administrations and much more

To speak to an advisor please call us free of charge on 0800 612 6105, alternatively if you prefer to call a land line number or if calling from a mobile phone call 020 8150 2010

History

Danbury is a village in Essex, England. It is located 33.5 miles (54 km) northeast of Charing Cross London and has a population of 6,500. It is perched on a hill 112 metres above sea level.

The village was built on the site of a megalithic hill fort noted for its oval shape. This shape is formed by placing two 3-4-5 right triangles together to form an isosceles triangle with altitudes of 3. The chancel of the St John the Baptist church is at the centre of the small arc and the axis of the church lies along the hypotenuse of one triangle. The church of St John the Baptist is the oldest building in the village, dating from the 13th century.

According to the official parish publication Danbury Parish Plan 2003, first Iron Age settlers, then the Romans followed by Saxon tribe the Dćningas, originally occupied the Danbury area. They built a hill fort. It was known as Danengeberiam in the Domesday Book of 1086, a name meaning 'stronghold of the family or followers of a man called Dene'. After the Norman Conquest, King William took the lands and settlement and granted it to Geoffrey de Mandeville who was made Earl of Essex.

In medieval times Danbury developed from two manors: St Cleres/Herons and Runsell. Traces of both exist. There was also a small part of a third, now extinct, manor of Gibcracks. The village has a long connection with the Sinclair family, known locally as St Clere. There are three wooden effigies in the church which date back to the thirteenth and fourteenth century. One has been identified as being that of William St Clere. In 1968 it was taken to be exhibited in Paris.

In 1779 the tomb of a knight was disturbed, and the body therein was discovered to be perfectly preserved in what was described as pickle. In 1785 Psychic Questing investigator Andrew Collins suggested that the body was that of a Knight Templar, but this was contested by Joseph Strutt, MP for Maldon. Strutt also attempted to write a romance with a book called Queenhoo Hall. In 1808, Walter Scott was asked to complete the book by his publisher John Murray. Scott visited the village and stayed at the Griffin to make his first stab at romantic fiction.

The church also contains some memorial slabs to the Mildmays. Sir Walter Mildmay was the founder of Emmanuel College, Cambridge and built Danbury Place locally in 1589. The original building has long since disappeared but another was built to succeed it in 1832. This is in a Tudor style in red brick. It was acquired by the Church of England in 1845 and became the residence of the Bishop of Rochester. From then on it became known as Danbury Palace.

The village is at the centre of extensive areas of woodland and heath owned by the National Trust and other preservation organizations. However the quietude of the surrounding countryside contrasts with the A414 - the main road that runs through the centre of the village linking it with Maldon to the east and Chelmsford to the west. Several bus services running from Chelmsford link Danbury with Maldon, Great Baddow, Little Baddow, South Woodham Ferrers, Sandon and various villages around Maldon. In 2008 planning permission was requested to build a 5-mile long tunnel all the way under the village in order to eliviate traffic. Discussions about these plans are ongoing.