The name is recorded variously as Kelenduna, Kalenduna and Kelvenduna in the
Domesday Book with the latter meaning Speckled Hill. From its early days in the Mediaeval period until the mid-20th century the main activity in Kelvedon Hatch was agriculture. Records from 1871 show 82 households, of which showed only 3 'white collar' households and 4 landowners or of independent means, with the majority of the rest engaged in a local agricultural economy. During the Victorian years, however, many younger people gravitated towards the main towns, encouraged by railway links at
Ongar and
Brentwood and the decline in the local 'agriconomy' has its roots in that exodus.
Kelvedon Hall and other mansions First mentioned in the
Domesday Book, the main estate building of the village was
Kelvedon Hall. The manor was sold to
John Wright, a
yeoman from
South Weald, in 1538 and it remained in the family until the early 20th century; the manor house was rebuilt in the 18th century by the seventh John Wright. In 1937 the property was bought by
Sir Henry 'Chips' and Lady Honor Channon who restored the house and built the entrance gateway and lodges. In World War II it was used as a
Red Cross convalescent home. Other mansions in the area of Kelvedon Hatch are Brizes, originally built in the late 15th century with the current building on the site dating back to the 1720s; and Great Myles, named for Miles de Muntenay, dating back to the
Domesday Book but was largely demolished in 1837 although a few subsidiary buildings remain today. To the west of Kelvedon Hatch in Navestock Parish lies
Dudbrook Hall, once owned by the
Waldegrave family and which dates back to 1602. During
World War II it was used to billet
RAF officers based at
Stapleford and
Weald aerodromes. It is now a care home for the elderly. The medieval parish church of
St Nicholas was replaced by a Victorian one in 1895. == Notable people ==