History of Essex facts for kids
Essex is a county located in the East of England. It started out as an old kingdom called the Kingdom of Essex. This was one of the seven main kingdoms, known as the heptarchy, that eventually came together to form the country of England.
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How Essex Got Its Name
The name Essex comes from the Kingdom of the East Seaxe. This kingdom was traditionally started by Aescwine in the year 527 AD. It covered the land north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea.
Around 825 AD, Essex became part of the Kingdom of Wessex. Later, in 878 AD, a deal called the Treaty of Wedmore gave Essex to the Danelaw. This was an area ruled by Vikings, under the Kingdom of East Anglia. In 991 AD, the Battle of Maldon happened. In this battle, the Anglo-Saxons were completely defeated by the Vikings. This important event is remembered in a famous poem called The Battle of Maldon.
Early History: Before the Romans
Before the Romans arrived, the area that is now Essex was controlled by a Celtic tribe called the Trinovantes. There was a disagreement between them and another tribe, the Catuvellauni. The Romans used this as an excuse to invade in 54 BC.
When the Roman Emperor Claudius returned in 43 AD, the Trinovantes became allies with Rome. This led to Camulodunum (which is now Colchester) becoming the first capital of Roman Britain. However, the Trinovantes later joined with the Iceni tribe to fight against Roman rule.
Along the coast and rivers of Iron Age Essex, there were many "Red hill sites". These were places where people evaporated sea water to make salt. Many of these old sites can still be seen in the coastal landscape today.
Norman Rule in Essex
After the Normans took over England in 1066, the old Saxon kingdom became a county in 1139. This happened under the first Earl of Essex, Geoffrey de Mandeville. As a county, Essex then had its own ways of managing government, politics, and laws.
The Victorian Era and Railways
A lot of Essex grew and changed because of the railway system. By 1843, the Eastern Counties Railway connected London's Bishopsgate station to Brentwood and Colchester. In 1856, a new line opened to Loughton, which was later extended to Ongar.
By 1884, the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway connected Fenchurch Street station in London to towns like Grays, Tilbury, Southend-on-Sea, and Shoeburyness. Some railways were built mainly for moving goods. Others, like the Loughton line, were for people traveling to work. These railways also accidentally helped create popular holiday spots like Southend, Clacton, and Frinton-on-Sea.
In 1889, county councils were created across England. The Essex County Council was based in Chelmsford. However, it met in London until 1938. Not all parts of the county were under its control. Areas like West Ham, East Ham, and Southend-on-Sea became "county boroughs." This meant they were independent and managed their own affairs.
Essex After World War II
Much of Essex, especially near Greater London, is protected from too much building. This area is part of the Metropolitan Green Belt, which helps keep green spaces. In 1949, two new towns, Harlow and Basildon, were built. These towns were meant to help with the housing shortage in London. The idea was for them to have their own economies, not just be places where people lived and traveled to London for work. For example, the railway station in Basildon, which connected directly to London, didn't open until 1974. This happened after residents pushed for it.
Because London is so close and has a strong economy, many places in Essex became popular for people who worked in London. As London grew eastward, towns like Barking and Romford were given more control over themselves and became municipal boroughs.
In 1965, some big changes happened under the London Government Act 1963. The areas of West Ham and East Ham became part of Greater London, forming the London Borough of Newham. Other areas like Ilford, Wanstead, Woodford, Romford, Hornchurch, Leyton, Chingford, Walthamstow, Barking, and Dagenham also became part of new London boroughs. This changed the map of Essex quite a bit.
Modern Essex
In 1994, Essex became part of the East of England Government Office Region. From 1999, it was officially counted as part of this region for statistics. Before that, it was part of the South East England region.
In 1998, the boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea were given "unitary authority" status. This means they stopped being controlled by the county council and managed their own services. However, they are still part of the ceremonial county of Essex.
Important Historical Buildings
The importance of Anglo-Saxon culture in Essex was highlighted by a rich burial site found recently at Prittlewell. But many important Anglo-Saxon remains in Essex are churches. St. Peter's church at Bradwell (Othona) is built on the wall of an old Roman sea fort. It is one of the earliest Anglo-Saxon churches, known from writings by Bede.
Later Anglo-Saxon work can be seen in a church tower at Holy Trinity, Colchester, and a complete church at Hadstock. At Greensted, the walls of the main part of the church are made of halved logs. Even though it's the oldest known church timber in England, it is now thought to be from the early Norman period.
Essex doesn't have a lot of natural stone. So, it's interesting that some of the earliest examples of brick-making in the Middle Ages can be found here. Buildings like Layer Marney Tower, Ingatestone Hall, and many local churches show the amazing skills of brickmakers and bricklayers in Essex.
There are also spectacular early-medieval timber buildings in Essex. The two Templars' barns at Cressing Temple are some of the best examples in all of England. Scientists have even used tree-ring dating to figure out the exact age of much of the timber in Essex.
Medieval "gothic" architecture, made from timber, brick, rubble, and stone, can be found all over Essex. These range from large churches in Chelmsford, Saffron Walden, and Thaxted, to the small, beautiful church at Tilty. However, the ruined abbeys, like the two in Colchester and the one at Barking, are not as impressive as those in other counties. Waltham Abbey is an exception.
While the remaining part of Waltham Abbey was considered as a possible cathedral, the large parish church at Chelmsford was chosen instead. This was because it was in the center of the new diocese of Essex around 1908. Waltham Abbey remains the county's most impressive piece of medieval architecture.
Many smaller places in Essex show a continuous history from ancient times. For example, the Anglo-Saxon church at Rivenhall, north of Witham, is quite interesting. A nearby ruined Roman villa likely provided building materials for it. A famous historian, Pevsner, even underestimated the age of this church by about a thousand years!
The villages of Wanstead and Woodford were home to a French family who started a brick-making business. It was next to the road from Chelmsford to London, which is now Chigwell Road. This brick industry closed down in 1952.
Images for kids
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Map showing the county boroughs in 1961: 1. Southend, 2. East Ham, 3. West Ham and the south western area transferred to Greater London in 1965.
