PLACE NAME
The name Hainault was recorded as Henehout in 1221 and less than 20 years later in 1239 as Hyneholt, it comes from the Old English words hinga and holt and refers to a wood belonging to a religious community, in this case referring to the ownership of Hainault Forest, part of the far larger Epping Forest, by Waltham Abbey. The spelling was altered from the 17thCentury because of a supposed connection to Philippa of Hainault, wife of Edward III. This street appears as Horn Lane on Andre and Chapman’s 1777 map of Essex, running from the High Road to Manor Road, after which it continued as a footpath through the medieval forest down to today’s Fullwell Cross. In 1662 it was known as Fortey Lane and was described as the road from Chigwell to Barking.
