Although there are Roman tiles in the walls of the Nave and Chancel of the church, Buttsbury is believed to have been a Saxon village established after the departure of the Romans. London was left undefended from Pirates (Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Huns, etc.) and its leaders therefore invited a group of Saxons to man Lookout Stations strategically placed to observe approaches to the Essex coast, signal their approach and to intercept them. After a while, the Saxons invited their families and friends to join them and gradually others realised it must be good living with good farming country and more and more came. The area now known as Buttsbury lay on a plain stretching behind a row of Lookout Stations looking across to the North Sea and Wash, so giving an excellent view of any approaching shipping. It therefore had very early settlers in view of its position.

The Kingdom of Essex was established in AD 527 and King Ashwin was it's first King. Under Bishop Mellitus in the reign of King Saeberht, The Kingdom of Essex converted to Christianity in AD 604. Under subsequent Kings and Bishops, it then slipped back in and out of paganism. It finally and permanently became Christian in AD 671.

St Botulph is said to have preached under a pear tree at the present church site in the 7th century in the village then known as "Cingham", meaning "dwellers in the district." This is a lovely story and supported to this day by the recent planting of a pear tree in the churchyard. (See "Events" page above).

Buttsbury is mentioned in the Domesday Book under its then name of "Cinga", ("Inga" is Saxon for "Group of early Saxon settlers", and "C" is the Initial of the name of the leader of the first group as was customary at that time). It then had 19 households consisting of 4 villagers, 12 smallholders and 3 slaves. There were 6 plough teams and pasture for 100 sheep and 500 pigs but only 7 cattle, 40 pigs and 100 sheep. Annual Value to the Lord, Henry de Ferrers of 7 pounds.

It may also be of interest that Ingatestone's name is derived from "Inga" (Group of Early Saxons) and "Stones" referring to the stone circle which then stood in what is now Fairfields, Ingatestone and of which some stones can still be seen by doorways in the High Street and at the junction with Fryerning Lane.

The Nave and Chancel were constructed in the 14th century and the North and South Aisles were reconstructed in the 15th century and like the Nave are short probably reflecting that they were built on the footprint of an earlier Anglo-Saxon church.

Some herringbone work around the base of the church in two places supports this. These indications support the concept of an original chuch built with the coming of Christianity to Essex in the 7th Century.

The original stone built Tower dates to the 15th century but was reconstructed in brick in the 18th century in typical Essex style.

As with most churches there were other Victorian changes which included the East Window in 1876 into Perpendicular style. This has suffered with age and was recently removed for restoration but now back in pristine condition.

A church is first recorded in 1190 when it was given to the Nunnery of St, Leonards-atte-Bow, London. The North Door has been carbon dated to the 12th century, with almost certainly contemporary ironwork in Viking style.

Buttsbury was called "Botoifvspirie" meaning "Botolph's Pear Tree" in the 13th century and one can see that "Buttsbury" has almost certainly emerged over time from that 13th century name.

It seems highly probable that the Village of Cinga was beset by the plague and/or many villagers died in the Peasants Revolt and so the village buildings close to the church fell into decay and were lost. As numbers of settlers built up again the main concentration of occupation appears to have been to the south of the Parish on the outskirts of Billericay (see Exract of map of Buttsbury Parish before and during World War 1 below). It is believed that a local husbandman named Botolph had a Pear Orchard there and Perry Street survives to this day. This is perhaps an alternative and more likely explanation for the source of the village's new name of "Botoifvspirie" around that time.

The War Memorial is exceptional in that the centre panel shows those who died in the First World War and the two side panels show all those that went to war. It was presented by a parishioner in 1920. At that time the Parish of Buttsbury extended to Stock and the outskirts of Billericay and many of those shown actually lived in Stock.

The Parish Silver which is of course not kept in the church for securty reasons