Beards Of Essex

It may be that not many Essex Beards have made a significant mark on history (although more on that another time…), but they have left traces of themselves around the county in the form of place names.

1. Beards Lane, Arkesden / Duddenhoe End. As of 2025 this still appears on Google maps and runs alongside Wicken Water at CB11 4UX. There doesn’t appear to be a road sign though.
2. Beards Field, Hatfield Broadoak. Recorded in 1838 on a tithe record.
3. Beards Cottage, High Easter. Acreland Green to be precise, at CM3 1HP, and was absolutely the home of the Beard family for a time in the 19th century.
4. Adams Beard, Dagenham. A field appearing in an 1844 tithe record, but may refer back to Adam Berde of the 14th century.
5. Beards Quarter, Writtle. A field divided into “Hither” and “Further” found in 1839 tithe records.
6. Beards Wood, Boreham. Found in a tithe record in 1832.
7. Beards Chase, Morrell / White Roding. A road name found in 1840 tithe records.
8. Beards Croft, High Roding. Another field, found in tithe records in 1839.
9. Beards, Beards Field and Beards Pasture, Great Yeldham and Great Beards and Little Beards fields, Little Yeldham. Dated 1547 (house) and 1840 and 1842 (fields) respectively.
10. Beards Field, Sible Hedingham. Tithe records of 1840.
11. Beards Wood, Beards Wood Field and Beards Wood Farm, Gosfield. Beards Wood and the farm bearing the same name can still be found at CO9 1SQ. Aka “Beardy Wood”.
12. Beards Terrace, Great Coggeshall. Undoubtedly built by the family of that name in the 19th century and still to be found at CO6 1TB.
13. Beards Field, Birch. Found in tithe records in 1842.

Its not a given that these are echoes of past owners, but they do seem to correspond with locations that Beards lived and farmed in.

An honourable mention goes to the Robert Beard Youth Centre in Hornchurch, which appears to have been in operation from 1965 to at least 2015, built by Robert William Beard (born in Dagenham 22 July 1878), a Hornchurch baker who became chairman of Hornchurch Urban District Council.