Earls Colne Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Earls Colne

Earls Colne
Population	4,848 3,693 (2011)
OS grid reference	TL857289
District	Braintree
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Colchester
Postcode district	CO6
Dialling code	01787

Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England

EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Braintree
Website	www.earlscolne.org
List of places UK England Essex 51°55′41″N 0°42′07″E / 51.928°N 0.702°E / 51.928; 0.702

Earls Colne is a lovely village in Essex, England. It gets its name from the River Colne, which flows nearby. The village is also named after the Earls of Oxford. These powerful nobles owned the land of Earls Colne for a very long time, from before 1086 until 1703.

History of Earls Colne
Landmarks to Explore
Education in the Village
Religion and Old Buildings
Transport Around Earls Colne
Famous People and Fun Events
Images for kids
See also

History of Earls Colne

Early Owners of the Manor

Long ago, around the time of Edward the Confessor, a Saxon noble named Wulfwine owned Earls Colne. After William the Conqueror took over England, he gave Wulfwine's land to Aubrey de Vere I. Aubrey's grandson, Aubrey de Vere III, became the very first Earl of Oxford in the mid-1100s.

The Earls had a grand old house called Hall Place. It was located near where Ashwells in Park Lane is today. Later, in 1583, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford had money problems. He sold the estate, which included the manor and a large park, to his steward, Richard Harlakenden.

Village Records: A Special Study

Earls Colne is one of the most well-documented villages in the UK. This means there are many old records about it. Professor Alan Macfarlane and his team from the University of Cambridge studied these records. They worked on this project from 1972 to 2002.

Their study created a huge database. It contains most of the surviving records from the village between 1380 and 1854. Old Latin records about the manor were translated. Parish registers, tithe maps, and even the diary of Ralph Josselin were indexed. This makes it easy to find information by place, person, or date.

Atlas Works: A Big Local Business

The Atlas Works buildings have been refurbished into residential homes.

In 1824, Robert Hunt came to Earls Colne. He was a millwright, someone who builds and repairs mills. He started a workshop and smithy at a place that became known as the Atlas Works.

His business quickly became known for making farm equipment. After showing their products at the Royal Agricultural Show in 1851, the company became famous across the country.

After Robert Hunt died, his son Reuben Hunt took over. The company grew and became the biggest employer in the village. By 1900, about half of the working men in Earls Colne worked there.

When Sir R. H. Hunt, Robert's grandson, died in 1970, the company still employed about 300 people. Its workshops covered about 10 acres. However, the business later struggled, and the Atlas Works closed in 1988.

The Co-op: A Community Hub

The Co-op building.

Detail of the Co-op building.

The Earls Colne Industrial and Co-operative Society was very important to village life. It was central to the community in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Earls Colne Co-op was one of the last small, independent co-ops in Essex and Suffolk. It joined a larger society in 1970.

The Earls Colne Co-op started in 1884. It began in the front room of a small house on High Street. The shop you see today is in a very old building. It was built between 1480 and 1510. You can still see the original roof timbers inside the store. This helps people appreciate how it was built long ago.

Landmarks to Explore

The Earls Colne Heritage Museum is a great place to visit. It is located in The Old Water Tower on Reuben Hunt Walk. This tower used to be part of the Atlas Works.

The museum has many interesting exhibits. You can learn about Earls Colne in ancient times and the Domesday Book. There are sections on Colne Priory and the Earls of Oxford. You can also see a map from 1598 and learn about the diary of Reverend Ralph Josselin. The museum also covers the Victorian Era, the Atlas Works, and the village's role in the Second World War.

Education in the Village

In 1520, Reverend Christopher Swallow gave land to the Earl of Oxford. This was to help start a school for thirty children. Earls Colne Grammar School was first located on Lower Holt Street.

Later, it moved to a new building on York Road. This new school opened on September 12, 1893. The school closed in 1975. It became part of The Ramsey School (now The Ramsey Academy) in Halstead. This happened when schools were reorganized to be more open to all students.

Religion and Old Buildings

The Village sign of Earls Colne.

A monastery called Colne Priory was founded in the parish around 1103-1104. Aubrey de Vere I started it. It was dedicated to St Mary and St John the Evangelist. Monks from Abingdon Abbey lived there. The monastery was given to Henry VIII in 1534.

The local church is dedicated to Saint Andrew. We don't know the exact date the first church was built, but it was probably before 1100. The church you see today was built between 1313 and 1360. The church tower was started in 1460 and finished in 1534.

A famous vicar of the church was Ralph Josselin. He was the vicar from 1641 until he died in 1683. Josselin kept a detailed diary. His published diary is said to be as interesting as Samuel Pepys's diary, but it shows life in the countryside.

Transport Around Earls Colne

Earls Colne Airfield is about 1 kilometer southwest of the village. It was a bomber station used by the RAF and USAAF from 1942 to 1955. Today, it is a golf course and a business park. It is also used as a civilian airfield for small planes.

There is a regular bus service, route 88. This bus connects Earls Colne with the towns of Colchester and Halstead.

Famous People and Fun Events

Thomas Audley (1488–1544): He was a very important lawyer and politician. He served as Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII of England.
Reverend Thomas Shepard (1605–1649): He was an assistant teacher at Earls Colne Grammar School. He later moved to America and helped start Harvard University.
Reverend Ralph Josselin (1616–1683): He was the local vicar and kept a famous diary.
Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton (1786–1845): He was a Member of Parliament (MP) and worked hard to end slavery in British colonies.
Sir Edwin Manton (1909–2005): He collected art by John Constable. He gave a lot of money to the Tate Gallery in London.
Alex Stewart: A writer who also uses the name Sandy Mitchell.
Events: The Earl Zombie Walk is a fun event held on Saturday, November 4. Participants walk from The Castle inn to The Priory, passing by famous village spots.