DUNMOW (properly GREAT DUNMOW), a market town in the Saffron Walden parliamentary division of Essex, England, on the river Chelmer, 4o m. N.E. by N. from London on a branch from Bishop's Stortford of the L.N.E. railway. Pop. of civil parish (1921) 2,506. The church of St. Mary is Decorated and Perpen dicular. The town was corporate from 1556 until 1886. Roman remains have been discovered. Two miles east is the village of LITTLE DUNMOW. The old church of St. Mary, Little Dunmow, contains some interesting early monuments. Robert Fitzwalter, who was one of the barons at the signing of Magna Carta was lord of the manor of Little Dunmow. It was formerly the seat of an Augustinian priory, remarkable for the custom of presenting a flitch of bacon to any couple who could give proof that they had spent the first year of married life in unbroken harmony. Later in place of the monastic judicature, a jury of six bachelors and six maidens appear in the 16th century. A rhyming oath, quoted by Fuller, was taken. This institution, which had its parallel at Whichanoure (or Wichnor) in Staffordshire, at St. Moleine in Brit tany, and apparently also at Vienna, appears to be of very ancient origin. The first recorded instance of its award is in the reign of Henry VI. But there are references which point to it in Piers Plowman and Chaucer. The manorial documents relating to it are kept in the church. The custom was revived in 1855 by Harrison Ainsworth, author of the novel The Flitch of Bacon, but the scene of the ceremony was transferred to the old town hall of Great Dunmow. (For details see Chambers' Book of Days, ii. 748-751; and W. Andrews, History of the Dunmow Flitch of Bacon Cus toms, 1877.) Close to Little Dunmow is Felsted (q.v.) or Fel stead. Population of rural district (1931)