In the 1870s the location of Stocking Pelham was described as:
"a parish in Bishops-Stortford district, Herts; adjacent to Essex, 5¼ miles N W of Stanstead r. station, and 6 miles E of Buntingford."[2]
The parish church, dedicated to St Mary, has a tiled chancel roof and a nave which date back to around 1360. In either the late 14th or the early 15th century, a narrow aisle was added which required a widened nave. Both the eastern and southern walls of the chancel were re-built in brick in the 19th century.[3][4]
Muriel McKay was kidnapped in December 1969 and was presumed murdered shortly afterwards at Rooks Farm in Stocking Pelham, although her body has never been found. The village was also the home of Christopher Docherty-Puncheon, who shot Lieutenant Colonel Robert Workman, on his doorstep in nearby Furneux Pelham, Hertfordshire, in an "execution-style" killing in 2004.[5]
Electrical grid substation
The 40 acres substation was built from 1964, by Balfour Beatty at Crabb's Green Farm, south-east of the village. Much haulage traffic came through nearby Manuden. Two 215-ton transformers were delivered, requiring roads to be strengthened, and street lights moved.[6] The substation cost £4m.[7] The transformers were delivered on Wednesday 10 November 1965 at Tilbury docks, having left Manchester on Monday, being built at AEI on Trafford Park[8]Switchgear was supplied by A. Reyrolle & Company. The substation is on the Hertfordshire - Essex border, with the eastern half in Berden in Essex.
Demography
The Occupational Structure of Stocking Pelham according to Neighbourhood Statistics
The parish had a population of 196 in 2021.[1] The population had been 163 in 2001,[9] and was 163 again in 2011.[10]
The 1881 Occupational Structure of Stocking Pelham is illustrated in a pie chart below. The chart shows that 46% of the residents at the time were employed in the agricultural sector, hence there was a clear reliance on agricultural labour. In fact, Stocking Pelham was almost completely dependent on primary sector labour with a small fraction of 5% working in 'Professional Labour'.[11] Although, the 2011 Occupational Structure of Stocking Pelham, also depicted in a pie chart below, in accordance to Neighbourhood Statistics shows that since the 19th century, Stocking Pelham has since broke from its dependence on primary sector labour. In comparison to the 1881 Occupational Structure, citizens are no longer heavily dependent on agricultural labour as a means of income and are now harbouring a more diversely skilled workforce, of which 26% are employed in professional occupations and 19.5% are employed as managers, directors and senior officials. The remaining 54.5% of the workforce are reported to be working within the tertiary and secondary sectors.[12]
Pie chart showing the occupational structure of Stoking Pelham according to the 1881 Census of England and Wales
Historically speaking, much of Stocking Pelham was rather heavily dependent on agriculture for income and in some cases this is still apparent. Considering the nature of the environment this may explain why there are now many retired citizens residing here.[13]
12"2021 Census Parish Profiles". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 31 January 2026. (To get individual parish data, use the query function on table PP002.)
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