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From "History, gazetteer and Directory of the County of Essex" by William White (1848)
"Great Dunmow, a small ancient market town, is pleasantly situated on a gravelly hill of considerable height in a salubrious and fertile part of the county, and on the Braintree and Bishop Stortford road. It consists principally of two streets and is well lighted and paved, and supplied with good spring water"
"Its parish had 1828 (inhabitants) in 1801 and 2792 in 1841 and contains 6746 acres of land including the many farms extending three miles N and NE of the town and the sylvan suburb of Church End on the banks of the river near Newton Hall the ancient seat of the Rev. Sir A B Henniker, Bart. Near the river are some of the finest meadows in the county."
"The church of Great Dunmow parish is a large and handsome structure in the decorated English and perpendicular styles and is situation at Church end on the well wooded banks of the Chelmer. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and consists of a nave with side aisles, a chancel with a south aisle and a lofty tower containing six bells."
For a history of the church and details of its activities today, see the St Mary's website
Dunmow is of course home to the famous Dunmow Flitch trials. This ancient custom rewards married couples, who can prove domestic bliss, with a flitch of bacon.
The first known award was to Richard Wright (and presumably his wife!) in 1445 at the priory.
By 1701 the Lord of the Manor was in charge of proceedings and the event became more of "trial"
The event lapsed somewhat until Victorian novelist Harrison Ainsworth revived the event in 1855 as a civic event, attracting many visitors to see the trial, sports, amusements and procession
Today the trials are carried out every four years in front of a judge, counsel for the claimants and the bacon, and a jury of six maidens and six bachelors.
See the Flitch website for more details
One successful winning couple in the 1980s were Jack and Betty Pepper!
The Flitch Oath You doe swear by custom of confession That you ne're made Nuptiall Transgression Nor since you were married man and wife By Household brawls or contentious strife Or otherwise in bed or at boarde, Offended each other in Deed or in Word Or in a twelve moneths time and day Repented not in thought in any way Or since the Church Clerke said Amen Wish't yourselves unmarried agen, But continue trud and in desire As when you joyn'd hands in Holy Quire The Sentence Since to these conditions without any fear, Or your own accords you doe freely swear, A whole flitche of Bacon you doe receive, And bear it away with love and good leave, For this is the Custome of Dunmow well known, Tho' the pleasure be ours, the bacon's your own.