Publications

The following publications about Purleigh are available.

For further details, and to order, please contact Steven Potter on 01621 828270 or email steven.potter@purleighparishcouncil.gov.uk

Purleigh's Church Explained

Author: Steven Potter
Published by The Friends of Purleigh Church (2002)

A detailed explanation of the origin, architecture, fixtures and contents of Purleigh’s medieval church. A5 format, 52 pages, 42 full colour and 4 black and white photographs.
Price £3 plus £1 p&p, cheques payable to The Friends of Purleigh Church

A Souvenir of All Saints Church Purleigh

2nd edition
Author: Henry Bettenson
Published posthumously by Purleigh Parochial Church Council (2002)

Consists of a list of all the rectors from 1220 to present with biographical details (and photographs of some of them), as well as few of the curates, patrons, and Purleigh’s connection with the English Bible. A5 format, 12 pages, 7 black and white photographs.
Price 50p plus £1 p&p, cheques payable to Purleigh Parochial Church Council

Purleigh's Past in Old Photographs

(Second Edition)
Author: Steven Potter
Published by the author (2007)

A collection of old photographs of Purleigh, dating from 1865 to the 1930s, each with a comprehensive caption, showing views, buildings, people and activities in the parish during this period. A5 format, 72 pages (including
preface, acknowledgements, introduction and a map of the parish), 130 black and white photographs.
Price £5 plus £1 p&p, cheques payable to The Friends of Purleigh Church

Recreational Walks in the Parish Walk No.1

Author: Kevin Ascott
Published by Purleigh Parish Council (2001)

Detailed instructions of a three mile circular walk along footpaths in the centre of the parish. Bullet pointed for easy reference. A5 format, 4 pages printed on thick card with a map and seven line drawings of views along the route.
Free of charge, £1 p&p, cheques payable to Purleigh Parish Council

Recreational Walks in the Parish: Walk No.2

Author: Kevin Ascott
Published by Purleigh Parish Council (2001)

Detailed instructions of a four and a half mile circular walk along footpaths in the west of the parish. Bullet pointed for easy reference. A5 format, 4 pages printed on thick card with a map and ten line drawings of views along the route.
Free of charge, p&p £1, cheques payable to Purleigh Parish Council

Purleigh 2001

Author: Steven Potter
Published by Purleigh Appraisal Team (2001)

A comprehensive report on the Purleigh Parish Appraisal conducted in March 2001. Sixteen sections covering topics such as public transport, highways,
housing, services, footpaths and social activities. A4 format, 64 pages includingnumerous tables, graphs and line drawings.
£5, p&p £1, cheques payable to Purleigh Parish Council

Lawrence Washington, Rector of Purleigh 1633-1643

Author: Anonymous
Published by Purleigh Parochial Church (1976)

Biography of Lawrence Washington, great great grandfather of George Washington, (first president of the United States of America) who was rector of Purleigh in the seventeenth century. A5 format, 7 pages, 4 black and white photographs.
Price 50p plus p&p £1, cheques payable to Purleigh Parish Council

Purleigh: Historic Settlement Assesment

Author: Steven Potter
Published by the author (2004)

Detailed assessment of the evolution of settlement in Purleigh from the Roman period to the twentieth century and specifically within the conservation area. Details of listed buildings in the parish are included. A4 format, 18 pages including 6 maps.
Price £5 plus p&p £1, cheques payable to Purleigh Parish Council

Purleigh's War Memorial And The Men It Commemorates

Author: Steven Potter
Published by the author (2018)

Details the creation of Purleigh’s war memorial in 1919-1920 and brief
biographies of the fifteen Purleigh men who fell during the Great War. A5
format; 17 pages; fifteen illustrations.
Price £1 plus p&p £1, cheques payable to Purleigh Parish Council

A New World In Essex: The Rise And Fall Of The Purleigh Brotherhood Colony, 1896-1903.

Author: Victor Gray
Published by Campanula Books (2019)

A story of disappointed idealism set in late-Victorian rural Essex where a group of Christian Socialists, inspired by the writings of Leo Tolstoy, went ‘back to the land’ to create a Utopian colony at Cock Clarks. A5 format, 187 pages.
Available from Campanula Books @£10.
ISBN 978-869848-24-8.

Aspects of Purleigh's Past

Author: Steven Potter
Published by the author (2022)

Twenty-one essays on various aspects of Purleigh’s history, with topics covering, for example, aspects of the landscape (deer parks, woodland and the commons), local administration (manor courts and the care of the poor), local industries and commerce (potash production, pot kilns and grocers’ shops) as well as wine, witchcraft and windmills. A4 format, 140 pages, 50 illustrations.
Price £15 plus p&p £3