I have traced back to my GGGrandfather, John NICE, in Gt Wigborough in the early 19th century. While following what turned out to be a false trail I ended up in Stanstead, Suffolk. I bought a set of fiches for the parish and quickly found the name, as NYS, back in 1601. In the Essex parishes I've searched courtesy of SEAX I've found almost no NICEs before about 1770. I'm drawn to the conclusion that the families came to Essex from Suffolk, maybe as a result of the Inclosure Acts displacing the poorest level of subsistence farmer. There's a standard work on the enclosures, listing dates and showing maps, but it's waiting for me to get to Winchester reference library. In the meantime I should be very grateful for any comments from NICE researchers. John Nice