Evidence of a Roman settlement, indicative of agricultural and industrial activity in Havering, was unearthed here in the 1970s. Pottery and much building rubble was discovered along with a group cremation burial site, as well as gullies and ditches associated with metal-working. Havering-atte-Bower was one of the three former parishes that from 1465 to 1892 formed the Royal Liberty of Havering, the others being Hornchurch and Romford. In 1272 it is recorded as 'Hauering atte Bower', with the suffix meaning 'at the royal residence', and this sparsely populated rural village is steeped in royal history.
There may have been a palace in Havering-atte-Bower as early as the seventh century, during Saxon times. It was possibly established by Sigeberht the Little (King of Essex 617-653), who was active in this area. It would have been a barn-like building constructed of wood; no indication of its location remains.
This palace was likely to have been built by Edward the Confessor (King of England 1042-66) in the middle of the 11th century. Edward the Confessor gave the manor of Havering as a gift to Harold Godwinson, who later succeeded him as King Harold II. When Harold was killed at the Battle of Hastings, the manor passed to the new king, William the Conqueror (r. 1066-87).
Henry III (r. 1216-72) greatly remodelled Havering Palace in Kentish rag-stone during the 1250s. He then granted the manor of Havering to his wife, Eleanor of Provence, in 1267. Many monarchs and their wives stayed at Havering and several of them made significant alterations to the Palace. Plans of the ground and first floors were drawn up in 1578 by Lord Burghley, Queen Elizabeth I's chief minister.
The origins of Pyrgo Palace are unclear. It is commonly thought to have been the dower palace given to the English queens, but there is no written or archaeological evidence to suggest it existed earlier than the late 15th century. It briefly became a royal palace when Henry VIII bought it from Sir Brian Tuke in the mid-1540s, but Elizabeth I gave it away to Sir John Grey in 1559. He was the uncle of Lady Jane Grey, the 'Nine Days Queen'.
Isabella of Valois was only 7 years old when she married Richard II in 1396, but she was
widowed three years later when her husband was dethroned and murdered. She was held at Havering
Palace until she was repatriated to France in 1403.
Joanna of Navarre, the second wife of Henry IV (r. 1399-1413), was accused of witchcraft,
but later pardoned. She died in some disgrace at Havering in 1437, and her ghost is said to
haunt the site of the Palace.
Edward VI spent most of his childhood at Havering Palace and was often visited by his
sisters, the princesses Elizabeth and Mary, and their cousin Lady Jane Grey. Edward became king at
the age of 9, and Sir Anthony Cooke of Gidea Hall, notable for his interest in the education of
his five daughters as well as his sons, was said to have been a tutor to young Edward. There is
no official record of this, and he is more likely to have been a companion and an intellectual
guide.
Elizabeth I was a frequent visitor to Havering and is reputed to have stayed in Havering
Palace the night before she delivered the 'I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have
the heart and stomach of a king' speech at Tilbury in 1588.
Dame Anne Tipping, left a bequest for the education of local children, and the village
school was founded in 1724, and named for her in honour of the bequest. It was rebuilt in 1837, and
the present building dates from 1891.
Bower House Orange Tree Hill, is a mansion built in 1729 for John Baynes, Serjeant-at-Law,
(a high ranking barrister), using stone quarried from the ruins of Havering Palace, including
an angel bust corbel stone bearing the arms of Edward III. It is now a Christian training
centre.
The Round House on Broxhill Road is a building in Havering of special note. Built in the
1790s for wealthy tea merchant William Sheldon, it is said to have been designed in the shape of a
tea caddy to commemorate how Sheldon had made his fortune.
Elizabeth Balls, born c1761, was one of Havering's most eccentric residents. Also known as 'The Goat Woman of Havering-atte-Bower', she shared her home with a herd of goats, a flock of sheep, a few cats, and a dog. No visit to Havering was said to be complete without dropping by to see her, and the animals whom she called 'her dear children'.