Perses (EHER 37265)

Perses is a late 16th century timber-framed house of transitional type. This transitional type of cottage, with one bay open to the roof but with an original end chimney stack, is of particular interest historically, and seems to occur earlier in Essex than is recognised elsewhere.

Cottage of the late 16th century, extended and altered in the 17th and 20th century. It is timber-framed, plastered, and the roof is thatched. It originally comprised two bays only, storeyed in south bay, open to the roof in the north bay, with original brick chimney stack at north end, of the late 16th century. A floor was inserted in the open bay, dormer inserted in west pitch of the roof, of the early 17th century. In the original cottage there are jowled storey posts and curved tension bracing trenched inside studs. There are original floor boards in the north bay. The occupation of this site is fully recorded from 1504 to 1823. Until 1595 it was a holding of 4 acres; from then it became a holding of only 1½ acres burdened with reaping service. This change of status appears to correlate with the building of the two-bay cottage which forms the earliest part of the present structure. There is a very similar building at The Cottage, Stane Street, Little Canfield, described as recently built in a survey of 1590 (Essex Record office D/DHt M20), and other similar buildings without documentation are known. This transitional type of cottage, with one bay open to the roof but with an original end chimney stack, is of particular interest historically, and seems to occur earlier in Essex than is recognised elsewhere. <1> See: <2>