The Higham Family

of Highams Farm

In the 15th and 16th centuries various members of the Higham or Heigham family resided at Highams Farm, which is on the border between Goldhanger Parish and Tolleshunt Major Parish. The most notable local record of their involvement within the village is in St Peters Church as the family are said to have been responsible for the building of the South isle and Lady Chapel, and one of their tombs remains in that chapel. There is also a family tomb and a plaque in St. Nicholas Church, Tolleshunt Major.

Highams Farm in the early 1900s

Highams Farm from a 2000 sales brochure

The family seems to have built or acquired Highams Farm before the time of the Reformation, which is when Henry VIII gave what was to become Beckingham Hall and its estates, to Sir Thomas Seymour, and then subsequently gave it to Stephen Beckingham in 1543. Although Highams Farm was later included in the Beckingham Hall estate it is uncertain if it was gifted at the time by Henry VIII.

 

In 1975 a member of the Higham family wrote a 78-page booklet about the family history which is entitled: From Black Dog to Family Sheep. Four pages of the booklet refer to Highams Farm and the members of the family who lived there. Extracts from these pages are available on this website...

...a sketch from the booklet

 

Family members known to live at Highams Farm...

Robert Higham d:1427+ Letecia Heigham, buried in St. Nicholas (Morant)

Robert Higham d:1429 + Margaret Heigham, buried in St. Nicholas (Morant)

Robert Higham d:1460 + Johanna, buried in St. Nicholas (Morant)

Thomas Heigham d:1531 + Awdie & Francis Heigham, buried in in St Peters (Morant)

Anthonye Heigham/Heyham d:1540, buried in St Peters (Morant)

Anthonye Heigham/Heyham d:1540 + Anne Heigham, buried in St Peters (Frickl)

 

Highams Manor

as described by Philip Morant in 1768...

a brass effigy of Awdie Heigham

in St Peters Church...

 

 

 

Extracts from  “Goldhanger - An Estuary Village”

In 1970 Maura Benham produced a 4-page pamphlet on the history of St. Peters that included a reference to the Higham Family

 

Then in 1977 Maura published  Goldhanger - An Estuary Village which contained these references to the chapel in St. Peters and the Heigham family...

from page-21

from page-28

from page-29

from page-31

The funding St. Peters bell tower

From the extracts above and from other sources we know that the tower was built in the 1400s. Substantial Church towers such as St. Peters tower were always expensive to build, as they needing both expertise and a significant labour force, so one can only wonder who locally might have funded it. The prime candidates must be the wealthy Higham family who resided at Higham Manor between 1400 and the 1545.

 

Family members identified elsewhere...

There were many members of the Higham family, particularly in Suffolk at around the same time, and that also had the first names of Thomas and Robert, making it difficult to track the family relationships. However, it highly likely that the family came from the village of Higham near Dedham in the early 1400s and returned to the hamlet of Cowlinge/Cooling near Bury St Edmunds in the mid 1500s...

 

from... http://www.welbank.net/norwich/hist.html

There were several generations of Thomas Heighams in the village of Higham near Dedham in Suffolk, they were born in: 1368, 1398, 1400, 1420

 

In Goldhanger - an Estuary Village, Maura Benham wrote on page-32...

"...but the Heighams went back to their family seat in Suffolk in 1545"

 

from... http://members.iinet.net.au/~trig/web/familyhis/pafg09.htm#1391

Antony HIGHAM died on 15 Nov 1540 in Goldhanger.

He had the following children:

        Robert HIGHAM died in Cowlinge.

        Robert married Margaret.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/52219527@N00/6014231919/in/photostream/

Cowlinge Church, Suffolk,

"Robert Higham Esq died the 10 day of May AD 1571 aged 45"

Robert Highm, Cowlinge.jpg

"Robert's father Antony and Anne and grandfather Thomas are in brass at Goldhanger Essex"

 

From The Visitation of Suffolk...

Visitations of Suffolk.jpg

 

Other references found to the family have included...

The earliest reference found to a Heigham family member in Goldhanger, dated 1417...

Feet of Fines.jpg

from... http://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol19/no1/pp71-87

Letters & Papers of Henry VIII: February 1544...

Grants in February 1544

Wm. Tooke. Annuity of 20l. out of the manors of Battell Herons, Higham and Wikham, and lands in Bradwell, Tollesbunt Major, Goldhanger, Althorne and Danberye, Essex, which belonged to Ant. Higham, dec, and are in the King's hands by the minority of Robt. Higham, s. and h. of the said Anthony; with wardship and marriage of the said heir.

 

 

1831 - History of Essex 2.JPG

 

1861 - Highams from The people's history of Essex.jpg

 

from Kelly' s Directory - Essex 1882...

Tolleshunt Magna (or Major or Beckingham), Essex

The Church of St Nicholas is half a mile south east of the village and comprises a chancel, nave and brick tower with 3 bells: in the church is a memorial with effigies and an inscription to Robert Higham and his wife: he died 23 June 1427: and other inscriptions to Robert Higham, secondus, 10 August 1429 and Margaret his wife: and Robert Higham, tertious, 4 February 1460 and Johanna his wife, daughter of Thomas Barrington.

 

Many families with the surname of "Heigham" have been found associated with the parishes of Heigham in Norwich city and Potter Heigham in Norfolk from around the same period. The full 75-page Booklet From Black Dog to Family Sheep could well reveal all of these family connections.

 

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