Place Name
Like nearby Claybury it has been suggested that the name is taken from the local soil, clay, in this area of Ilford. However it more likely derives from the la Claie family who held land here in the early 13thCentury. In 1203 4¾ virgates of land, referred to as la Claie, were granted for life by Adam de la Claie to Richard de la Claie. A Reynold de la Claye is mentioned in 1227. This tenement probably remained in the same family until 1313, when Adam, son of Adam de la Ceye passed some of it to Walter, son of William de Basingge. The manor of Clayhall was named for the first time in 1410. By the middle of the 18thCentury, it had been replaced by a farmhouse and was being let to tenant farmers. In 1918, along with Hedgemans Farm (158 acres) and Dunsprings Farm (75 acres), it was in the possession of the Reverend JH Monins. Frank Lamb was the last tenant before Clayhall was broken up for building. The farmhouse and its out-buildings were demolished in 1935.
