Almost any good reference book will tell you that Issac Walton, the first and probably the best known angling personality ever produced died in 1683 aged 85 years. But if you were to ask a member of The Kings Arms Angling Society, who feature a picture of the Elizabethan Angler on their club badge, how old their Society was they wouldn’t be able to answer.
For this is a mystery that the has been unable to unravel despite many years of research all we can say for certain that the club then known as the Kings Arms Otters was in existence a 100 years ago and could possibly date back as much as another 200 years.
You may ask at this point just what old Issac had to do with all this, well strangely enough there is a strong link. One of our lines of enquiry has shown that the clubs first headquarters, the Kings Arms, which stood until demolished to make way for road improvements in the early 60’s, was a 16th century fishing Inn on the Lea Bank at Waltham Abbey and Issac Walton had often stayed there on trips to his favourite River Lea in the area.
The Old Kings Arms was entered by a flight of steps that formed part of the roadside pavement. The inside was certainly a part of angling history for it still contained bar long lockers to hold the guest’s rods and tackle as well as an outbuilding where the Landlord would brew the beer that was sold over the bar.
The Club went dormant from 1914 – 1918 with members in uniform in many parts of the Empire and started again in 1919 until the Second World War in 1939 caused a stop until 1948.With members returning after the War the Society reformed in 1948 and family links prevailed with descendants of the formation membership in the reformed Club
The Society at this time was for match fishing only and joined the London Anglers Association in 1953. Moving from Edmonton to Cheshunt, Archie Notman was elected Chairman in his first year. The Club began to grow, Ernie Sims was elected Treasurer, Tony Wigfield was made Secretary, Jeff Norcott joined. and Leo Lee came back from Canada and became Club Captain.
Our next Secretary was Jerry Harper and Jeff Norcott became Vice-Chairman. We then had some members of Blackstock AS move to Cheshunt and join Kings Arms. Among these were Len Miller and Keith Baker. Len Miller became Secretary, and both were keen and efficient matchmen who figured in many successes. Dwindling numbers resulted in the Kings Arms Otters seeking amalgamation with its fellow local club, the Cheshunt AS, and the so-called gang of five, Archie Notman, Jeff Norcott, Ernie Sims, Len Miller and Jim Connor joined Geoff Berry of Cheshunt AS in becoming the Kings Arms and Cheshunt Angling Society also joining the LAA Amalgamation brought a new fishery into the Society, namely Friday Lake in Cheshunt and with it a new era of all round anglers. Friday Lake is named after the Lock keeper of Waltham Common Lock on the Lee Navigation at the time the Lake was excavated. His name was Friday Payne and so I have been told, he only had one Leg, as a result of an accident with a barge horse.
