Stock, Essex

Stock is a village and civil parish^[2] in south Essex, England. It is about 6 miles (10 km) south of Chelmsford, the county town, and about 2.5 miles north of Billericay. The village is in the borough of Chelmsford and in the parliamentary constituency of Maldon.

Stock
Stock Windmill
Stock Location within Essex
Population	2,100 (2011)[1]
OS grid reference	TQ6998
District	Chelmsford
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	INGATESTONE
Postcode district	CM4
Dialling code	01277
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Maldon
List of places UK England Essex 51.6626°N 0.4440°E / 51.6626; 0.4440

History

The origins of the village are uncertain and are subject to debate. Archaeological finds suggest that during the Iron Age period there was a settlement on the site. The Domesday Book of 1086 does not mention Stock.

The first documentary evidence of the settlement dates from the 13th century. Until the 16th century, the village was known as Hereward Stock / Stoke or variations thereof.^[3]

Formerly half of the village was in the parish of Buttsbury and the parish had within its boundaries a hamlet, which was a detached part of Orsett. Both of these anomalies have now been resolved.^{[citation needed]}

Amenities

The village has three churches: the Church of England parish church of All Saints, the Catholic Church of Our Lady and St Joseph and Christ Church (Free).

There are three pubs in the village: The Bear, The Hoop and The Baker's Arms. Two further pubs lie on its outskirts: The Ship, near West Hanningfield, and The King's Head near Billericay. There is a post office and general store, a tapas restaurant and a coffee shop. The village has 2 hotels: Greenwood’s Hotel and Spa and The Harvard Inn (which is also a bar and restaurant). The village also has a common.

Stock Windmill is located to the east of the village.

Stock Church of England Primary School was rated as Good by Ofsted in September 2022.^[4]

Transport

The B1007 runs through the centre of the village, providing a direct connection by road to Chelmsford, Billericay, Basildon and Stanford-le-Hope. It also links Stock with the A12 trunk road to the north via junction 15.

First Essex operates frequent bus services on route 300 between Chelmsford, Galleywood, Billericay and Basildon. There are also two-hourly services on route 14 between Chelmsford, West Hanningfield and Wickford.^[5]

The nearest National Rail stations are at Ingatestone, on the Great Eastern Main Line, and Billericay, on the Shenfield-Southend line; Greater Anglia provides services from both stations to London Liverpool Street.^[6]

Notable residents

The poet William Cowper (pronounced Cooper) was a friend of Willam Unwin, who was the rector from 1769 to 1787. The Cowper poem that is most closely connected with Stock is Tithing Time at Stock or the Yearly Distress.^{[citation needed]}

Admiral Sir Vernon Haggard lived in the village.^[7]