Stock, Essex

Stock is a village and civil parish in south Essex, England. It is about 6 mi south of Chelmsford, the county town. The village is in the borough of Chelmsford and in the parliamentary constituency of Maldon.

History
The origins of the village are uncertain and are subject to debate. Archaeological finds suggest that during the Iron Age period there was a settlement on the site. The Domesday Book of 1086 does not mention Stock.

The first documentary evidence of the settlement dates from the 13th century. Until the 16th century, the village was known as Hereward Stock / Stoke or variations thereof.

Formerly half of the village was in the parish of Buttsbury and the parish had within its boundaries a hamlet, which was a detached part of Orsett. Both of these anomalies have now been resolved.

Amenities
The village has three churches: the Church of England parish church of All Saints, the Catholic Church of Our Lady and St Joseph and Christ Church (Free).

There are three pubs in the village: The Bear, The Hoop and The Baker's Arms. Two further pubs lie on its outskirts: The Ship, near West Hanningfield, and The King's Head near Billericay. There is a post office and general store, a tapas restaurant and a coffee shop; The Harvard is a hotel, bar and restaurant.

Stock Church of England Primary School was rated as Good by Ofsted in September 2022.

Transport
The B1007 runs through the centre of the village, providing a direct connection by road to Chelmsford, Billericay, Basildon and Stanford-le-Hope. It also links Stock with the A12 trunk road to the north.

First Essex operates frequent bus services on route 300 between Chelmsford, Galleywood, Billericay and Basildon. There are also two-hourly services on route 14 between Chelmsford, West Hanningfield and Wickford.

The nearest National Rail stations are at Ingatestone, on the Great Eastern Main Line, and Billericay, on the Shenfield-Southend line; Greater Anglia provides services from both stations to London Liverpool Street.

Notable residents
The poet William Cowper (pronounced Cooper) was a friend of Willam Unwin, who was the rector from 1769 to 1787. The Cowper poem that is most closely connected with Stock is Tithing Time at Stock or the Yearly Distress.

Admiral Sir Vernon Haggard lived in the village.