Stebbing

Stebbing is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086: <blockquote>"Henry de Ferrers holds Stebbing in demesne which Siward held as a manor and as two hides and 30 acres. Then and later two ploughs in demesne; now 3. Among the men then 4 ploughs now six and a half. There were six villans now eight. Then 16 bordars now 33."</blockquote> Half a mile north-west of the church is The Mount, the moated earthwork identified as the remains of the medieval castle. In the late 13th century the manor of Stebbing passed briefly to the Scottish noble house of Douglas by virtue of the marriage of William the Hardy, Lord of Douglas to Eleanor de Lovaine, the widow of William de Ferrers of Groby. Eleanor was…

The Grade I listed church was built mainly around 1360. An outstanding feature is the stone rood screen, one of only three that survive in Europe (the others are at Great Bardfield and in Trondheim). The earliest written record referring to the present church dates from 1377, when it was reported of Henry de Ferrers that he was “said to have been born in the Abbey of Tilty and baptised in the church of St. Mary the Virgin, Stebbing”. During work inside the church a few years ago part of the foundations of an earlier building were uncovered along with coins of King Henry II (1154 - 1189). During restoration work in 2010 remnants were discovered of medieval wall paintings.