Place Name
This is probably named after the medieval lords of the manor the de Gaysham family. Roger de Gaysham, was recorded as living here in 1248 but it is thought the name itself, which is connected with the forest, goes back much further. By 1360 Gaysham Hall was owned by Thomas de Sandwich, a steward in the household of Edward, Prince of Wales and when he died in 1310 he was still holding 120 acres of land as well as the mansion. In 1441 Gayshams was recorded as part of Barking Abbey’s demesne, a medieval term meaning land for its own use, having been merged with the older demesne manor of Emelingbury. However the de Gaysham’s appear to have retained an interest in the area with a Lorimer de Gaysham still renting land to tenant farmers in 1456. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, the property passed to Sir William Denham and from there passed through several hands until the late 19thCentury when the Government acquired it following a dispute between the then owners. It was bought by a J H Monins, the then owner of Clayhall, but was sold by his heirs in 1918 to Rupert Brown. The estate was split up and the land developed between the wars.
