The small parish of Ovington, † extending northward to the Stour, is joined to the parishes of Tilbury, Ashen, and Belchamp St. Paul: the soil is on a clay bottom , and generally heavy . It is two miles distant from Clare , in Suffolk, six from the Hedinghams, and fifty - five from London.

A freeman held this parish in the time of Edward the Confessor, and it was one of the six lordships given to Roger Bigot in this county . His successors , of the sur- names of Bigot, Brotherton, and Mowbray, earls and dukes of Norfolk, held it by the service of one knight's fee; and it was annexed to the office of earl marshal, belonging to those noblemen. Roger Bigot , earl of Norfolk, died in 1307, and William de Pinso, under him , held half a knight's fee in Ovington ; and , about the same time, a family surnamed De Creke§ had possession of this manor , which , in the reign of Edward the Second , was , with the advowson of the rectory , and the manors of Gestingthorp , Belchamp Otton and Walter, and St. Ethelbert , vested in Hugh Pierpont, who settled them, by fine , upon John de Botetourt; in 1324 , succeeded by his heir of the same name; and from him it descended to Sir Robert Swynborne , whose successors were the Helions and Wentworths , and to Anne, lady Maltravers, who died in 1580.

The celebrated Sir Francis de Vere was the next possessor of this estate, who out-living all his children, was succeeded in this possession by his brother, John de Vere, Esq. of Kirby Hall; whose brother Horace, lord Tilbury, appears to have enjoyed the estate till his decease, in 1635 , when it was sold by his heirs, to his steward, Timothy Felton, Esq. of an ancient family of the parish of Felton Bridge, in Northumberland, distinguished by its stately castle. * Robert de Felton, a celebrated warrior, attended King Edward the First in his expedition into Scotland, in 1306, and on other occasions.

He was governor of Scarborough Castle, and sat in parliament in the sixth and seventh of Edward the Second. + John, the son of Robert, was sum- moned to parliament in 1342: he was governor of Alnwick Castle, and as well as his father, acquired the character of a warrior, as did also many of his descendants, whose names frequently occur among the high sheriffs of Northumberland. ‡ Timothy Felton, of this family, the purchaser of Ovington manor, was the only son and heir of John Felton, Esq . by his wife Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Roger Rawe. Having been for some time among the retainers of Horace, lord Tilbury , he made him his steward . He married Susanna, daughter and heiress of Robert Watson, of Boston, in Lincolnshire, who, dying in 1665, he survived her eighteen years, dying in 1683. They both lie in the chancel of this church.

They had two sons, Timothy and John, § and five daughters. Timothy Felton, of Ovington, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and Lincoln's Inn, London, and was high sheriff of Essex in 1693; and in the commission of the peace in the beginning of the reign of James the Second, which office he retained til his death in 1694: he married , first , Hannah , daughter and co-heiress of Rowland Hunt, Esq., by whom he had Timothy and John, and four daughters; and his second wife was Dorothy , daughter of John Maidstone , of Pond House.

Thomas was his only surviving son, who, previous to his decease in 1712, sold this estate, with the advowson of the church, to John Poulter, attorney-at-law, of Clare, in Suffolk;

The two parishes of Tilbury East and Tilbury West are on the borders of the Thames, in Barstable hundred ; and this third Tilbury is at the opposite extre- mity of the county, not far from Clare , in Suffolk.

It is a small parish , about five miles in circumference , and watered by a running stream , which has its source in Ridgwell . The soil is rather heavy , and not a fourth part of it convertible into good turnip land . It is distant from Clare three , from Castle Hedingham four , and from London fifty - two miles . Two freemen held this parish in the time of Edward the Confessor; and , at the survey , it had become the property of Tedric Pointel , sometimes named Tiliberia , and of Tihel , a Briton . Besides the capital manor of Tilbury Hall , there were formerly three others , which were subordinate ; but the mansion-houses belonging to them have been destroyed , and even the places where they stood cannot be easily ascertained . These manors were , Skeys or Skeaths , and Brays , and Northtofts . On the road to Ashen , there are some fields which have retained the name of Nortofts ; in one of which , courts were formerly held , under some clumps of trees ; and it appears from the court - rolls , that Skeys extended to the parish of Belchamp St. Paul's . The derivation of its name is unknown : but recorded possessors , of the families of De Bray and Northtofts , have undoubtedly given their names to the other two manors .

This tiny village is situated in peaceful and picturesque countryside near the Essex-Suffolk border, about 2 miles south of Clare and 10 miles north of Halstead. The small church and the Hall stand at the end of a narrow lane, a distance of just over mile from the Clare-Yeldham road, beside which most of Ovington's population of about 53 people reside. There are pleasant views from the lane over the countryside, particularly northwards towards Suffolk. Despite its isolated situation, both the church and churchyard are beautifully tended and cared for a shining example of the way in which so many of our small churches in small communities are still wanted, cherished and used!

Exterior.
When visiting any ancient church, it is worth while walking around the outside, as much which is of interest may easily be missed by not doing so. Here it is worth taking time to enjoy the idyllic setting of this building. The churchyard contains some interesting curiosities which were erected during the early years of the present century; to the west of the church is a large crucifix and south of the porch is a large sun-dial, with inscriptions on its plinth.

The church itself is small (only 52 x 18), simple and unpretentious, and typical of many quaint and rustic churches in Essex. It is a single-celled building, with no structural division between nave and chancel. The walls (of flint and pebble-rubble), tiled roof and wooden belfry all present a variety of mellow colours against the green background of the trees. From the exterior we can learn much of the history of St. Mary's which, like most mediaeval churches, is a mixture of work of different periods and architectural styles, having changed as generations of people have altered and improved it. The construction of the masonry suggests that here we have a Norman church, dating from the 11th of 12th centuries; the font inside is also Norman. The modern stone cross set in the wall to the east of the porch incorporates a piece of ancient stone, bearing zig-zag moulding of the Norman period, although this may have been brought here from elsewhere.

A major re-ordering took place during the 14th century. The large two-light west window has cusped 'Y' tracery and (although restored) dates originally from the early years of the 14th century. The attractive double windows in the north and south walls, also the doorways, date from the latter half of the 14th century. The east wall was rebuilt during a major restoration which took place in 1881 and the three-light east window (in the style of the early 14th century) is entirely Victorian work. An unusual and attractive feature of the exterior is the insertion into the walls of various curious embellish- ments. These were placed here during the incumbency of the Rev'd C.W. Brett (Rector 1898-1943) at the instigation of his wife. Tilbury church received the same treatment and the workmanship is worth noting, not least because it incorporates some pieces of ancient stonework. The Bretts occasionally drove (by horse and carriage) to Bury St. Ed- munds on shopping expeditions and Mrs. Brett discovered these pieces of stone in various stonemasons' yards. Maybe they came from the ruins of the Abbey there. The niche containing the statue of Our Lady and the Holy Child is entirely modern, as is the Christus (from a crucifix) and IHS on the porch. East of the porch is the cross with the Norman stone and over the priest's doorway are ancient stones, including a mediaeval carved head. More ancient carved faces can be seen above the Holy Water stoup beside the priest's door and flanking the east window. In the north wall of the chancel has been placed an arch, set into which is an 18th century headstone. Beneath the west window is the inscription "Ye shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my Sanctuary". As can be clearly seen from these additions, Mrs. Brett was a lady of definite Anglo Catholic persuasion; she had been a missionary with the U.M. C.A. and had known the great Anglo Catholic leader, Bishop Frank Weston of Zanzibar.

The simple wooden belfry is typical of many in Essex. It contains one bell, cast in 1631 by the renowned Miles Graye of Colchester. The south porch retains its ancient timber framework, which is probably 15th century. In the jambs of the door-way to the nave is some graffiti, of considerable age. The sturdy door by which we enter the church has been opening and closing for at least 400 years.

Interior.
The south door gives access to a bright, clean and cared-for interior, and visitors (of which the writer is one!) will be immediately aware of the pride which its present-day custodians take in their church. The walls batter outwards, reminding us of the building's great age and the rustic brick floor is a pleasing feature.

The font (placed near the entrance to symbolise our entry through Baptism into the Christian family) has a circular 12th century bowl, which is the oldest object inside the church. It stands on a later base, into which carved fleurons (flowers) have been inserted. The small 17th century font cover, attractively painted red and gold, adds a pleasant touch of colour. At the west end of the nave is the mediaeval timber framework which supports the bell-turret above. The roof also retains its original 14th century timbers. The benches date from the 1881 restoration and the pulpit is also comparatively recent. Before the interior was redecorated in 1974, the walls were painted with stencilling, executed by Mrs. Brett. Some of her handywork survives on the chancel arch at Tilbury church. On the nave wall is a list of Rectors of Ovington, from Thomas Auncell in 1367. Then the parish of Ovington was even smaller, because in 1473 the parish of Belchamp St. Edmund was united with it. It is interesting to note that during the past 139 years, this church has had only three incumbents the Rev'd Charles Fisher stayed here for 55 years, his successor, the Rev'd Cecil Brett, remained a further 45 years and the present Rector, Canon Edward Powell, has been here since 1943. On the south wall, near the door, is a painting of the Virgin and Child, executed by Joan Gibbings in 1979. This piece of workmanship from our own time rightly takes its place alongside craftsmanship of past ages. The chancel has been judiciously cleared of superfluous furnishings to give maximum space. On its north side stands a fine mediaeval chest, which provided security for church and parish valuables. Thw Communion Rails were given in memory of Lieut. Michael Ratcliff R. N., who died in 1941. The south-east windowsill has been lowered to form sedilia, where officiating clergy could sit during parts of the mediaeval Mass. Beside it is a piscina with an octfoil drain beneath a rectangular recess. Here the water from the washing of the priest's hands at Mass was poured, The east window is filled with colourful 19th century glass, depicting the Virgin and Child, flanked by the Shepherds and the Passover journey to Jerusalem. This is a memorial to the Rev'd John Fisher, who died in 1839 and his wife Frances, who died in 1855. He was related to the Fisher family of Kilverstone, near Thetford and his wife came from the well-known Essex family of Ruggles. They are again commemorated on a wall-tablet on the north wall of the chancel, beneath which is a brass plaque to the Rev'd Charles John Fisher, who was Rector here from 1843-98. A ledger slab in the sanctuary floor marks the burial-place of Charles and Frances Fisher and other members of their family. Two 17th century ledger slabs in the chancel floor commemorate members of the Felton Family. **** Welcome to this ancient church, which has been the centre of Christian worship in this small community for over 800 years. Many generations of Ovington folk have tended it over the years and have passed it down the centuries to us. It is now our privilege to preserve it intact and beautiful for future generations to use and to enjoy; an expensive and difficult task. Please pray for the priest and people here, who would welcome any contributions which their Visitors can spare towards the upkeep of this church. ******

Written and produced by Roy Tricker, who is grateful to Canon E. Powell, Messrs W.M.A. Gardiner, John Bohling, and Miss W. Brett, for their help, also to the Pupils of Copleston High School, Ipswich, who assembled the booklets. May 1982.

It was originally the home of John de Vere (1558–1624), eldest brother of Horace and Francis. They were members of a junior branch of the de Vere family and their first cousin was Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, the owner of Hedingham Castle. In the 18th century it was the residence of Peter Muilman (1706-1790),[2] a Dutch merchant,[3] antiquary and father of the MP and antiquary Trench Chiswell. A view of the house features on a medal Muilman had struck to commemorate his fortieth wedding anniversary.[4][5]
It was Grade II listed on 7 August 1952[6] and is now a significant local farmhouse.