Its predecessor, of red brick, c.1600 was occupied by Revd Sir Edward Petre of Cranham Hall (the 3rd Baronet, and confessor to James II), and later by James Oglethorpe (unpublished sketch by Joseph Pridden, c 1789, Essex Record Office); much of its garden wall survives, and appears to be in the same red brick.
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There was a revision of boundaries with North Ockendon, which had been part of Orsett Rural District, absorbed into Cranham and a small area to the north, near Great Warley, transferred to Brentwood Urban District.
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James Oglethorpe, the first governor of Georgia, (now part of the United States of America) is buried with his wife at the centre of its chancel.
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Until the 15th century, the parish was always known as Bishop's Ockendon (or its Latinized form Wokydon episcopi in various spellings), and this would have avoided confusion with North Ockendon and South Ockendon nearby.
A Fairport Convention album, Gladys' Leap, is named after local postwoman Gladys Hillier, who would jump over a local stream to avoid a long journey.
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In 2010, pop star Lily Allen bought Old Overton House, just outside Cranham, for a reported £3 million.
Lindsay has appeared in five plays at the Almeida Theatre, including as Lenny in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming with Ken Cranham and Danny Dyer in 2009 and as Moe Axelrod alongside Stockard Channing and Jodie Whittaker in Awake and Sing by Clifford Odets, for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the 2008 Whatsonstage Awards.