Walthamstow

Walthamstow, a suburb of London in the Walthamstow parliamentary division of Essex, England, a short distance E. of the river Lea, with several stations on a branch of the Great Eastern railway, 6 m. N. of Liverpool Street station. Pop. of urban district (1891) 46,346; (1901) 95,131. It is sheltered on the north and east by low hills formerly included in Epping Forest. The church of St Mary existed at a very early period, but the present building, chiefly of brick, was erected in 1535 by Robert Thorne, a merchant, and Sir George Monoux, lord mayor of London, and has undergone frequent alteration. Besides other old brasses it contains in the north aisle the effigies in brass of Sir George Monoux (d. 1543) and Anne his wife. There are a number of educational institutions, including a school of art; Forest School, founded in 1834 in connexion with King's College, now ranks as one of the well-known English public schools. Brewing is extensively carried on.

In the reign of Edward the Confessor Walthamstow belonged to Waltheof, son of Siward, earl of Northumberland, who married Judith, niece of William the Conqueror, who betrayed him to his death in 1075. The estate subsequently passed in 1309 to Guy de Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, and on the attainder of Earl Thomas in 1396 reverted to the crown. Afterwards it came into the possession of Edmund Beaufort, duke of Somerset; from the Somersets it passed to Sir George Rodney, and in 1639 came to the Maynard family. It is supposed to have been the birthplace of George Gascoigne the poet (d. 1577). Sir William Batten, commissioner of the navy (d. 1667), the friend of Pepys, had his seat at Walthamstow, and was frequently visited here by Pepys.