Some nice wrought ironwork scrolling, supporting a simple shield design. The three trees represent Epping Forest, the remains of which lie a short distance to the west of the village. The forest was a favourite haunt of highwaymen in the 18th Century.

One highwayman, Jack Rann, was also known as Sixteen String Jack, and a local pub is named after him. He was hanged at the age of 24 in 1774. Despite his young age, he had previously been tried and acquitted six times for highway robbery. He has been described as a bit of a dandy, “being remarkably clean and neat in his dress and always with sixteen silken strings tying his breeches to his knees and a satin waistcoat laced with silver”. The key to Jack’s success in court was that he always carried out his crimes wearing a mask and dressed like a scruffbag. Whenever he appeared in court, dressed to the nines, witnesses couldn’t believe this could possbily be the same person, and he was thus acquitted. Jack came unstuck after he robbed Doctor Bell, a chaplain to Frederick the Great of Prussia, whose political connections ensured that Jack met the hangman’s rope.

Considering that the village lies within the M25, and could therefore almost be deemed to be part of the growing conglomeration that is Greater London, an interesting feature of the village is the almost complete absence of street lighting. Villagers have consistently voted against the installation of such lighting for decades, constantly fearing the loss of the “rural village” feel.

Theydon Bois Village web site

Theydon Bois – British History Online

Theydon Bois as I Knew it: With Reflections

Theydon Bois OS Grid Ref: TQ 453 990