St Osyth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Osyth |
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 Village Sign |
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 St Osyth
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| Population | 4,277 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | TM123156 |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CLACTON-ON-SEA |
| Postcode district | CO16 |
| Dialling code | 01255 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament |
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St Osyth is an English village and civil parish in the Tendring District of north-east Essex, about 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Clacton-on-Sea and about 12 miles (19.3 km) south-east of Colchester. It is located on the B1027 road. The village is named after Osgyth, a 7th-century saint and princess. Locally, the name is sometimes pronounced "Toosey". St Osyth is claimed to be the driest recorded place in the United Kingdom.
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History
Before being renamed to commemorate St Osyth, the village was called Chich (also spelt Chiche or Chick), from an Old English word meaning "bend", in reference to St Osyth Creek. Later, the manor of Chich (now St Osyth) in Essex was assumed as part of his royal demesne by the Danish King Canute, who granted it to Earl Godwin, and by him it was given to Christ Church, Canterbury. At the Conquest it was transferred to the Bishopric of London.
Thomas Darcy, the first Baron Darcy of Chiche was buried in St Osyth.
St Osyth was the subject of an episode of Channel 4's Time Team programme, "Lost Centuries of St Osyth", (series 12 episode 9, first broadcast in February 2005). The programme sought to uncover the early origins of the village, which was presumed to have grown up about the same time as the Priory, in the 12th century. Many of the investigations around the current village centre found little evidence of settlement earlier than the 14th century; it appeared that the early village centre lay some way off, between the Priory and the river.
The village was a focus for the St Osyth witch persecutions in the 16th and 17th centuries. A total of ten local women were hanged as a result. In 1921 the skeletons of two women were discovered in the garden of a house in the village. One was claimed to be the witch Ursley Kempe, who was the first to be prosecuted. The skeletons became a local tourist attraction.
Geography
St Osyth is claimed to be the driest recorded place in the United Kingdom, with an average rainfall of just 507 mm (20 inches) per year.
St Osyth parish extends south from the village to the coast, and includes the smaller villages Point Clear and Lee-over-Sands. Although a significant part of the parish boundary is coastline, which does not need to be "beaten", St Osyth is one parish which maintains the tradition of beating the bounds on Rogation days.
Landmarks
The most notable building in the village is undoubtedly St Osyth's Priory, a group of Grade I listed buildings.
The Abbey was the home to the Earls of Rochford, following King William III's creation of the title for William Nassau de Zuylestein in 1695.
St Osyth's Priory was once the home of a herd of polled White Park cattle, until an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 1951, which led to their slaughter. A contemporary account states:
At St Osyth Priory, where an outbreak occurred last week, there was one of the few remaining herds of White Park cattle, one of the oldest breeds in this country. That has now been slaughtered, together with the small dairy herd and the stock of pigs. The farm is attached to the convalescent home maintained at the Priory by the Shepherds Friendly Society.
The land within the Priory boundaries is shown as a Deer Park on the Ordnance Survey map.
The village church is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. The Martello tower at Point Clear has been converted into a war museum.
Another landmark is Mill Dam Lake, which is filled and emptied from St Osyth Creek. It is used for water skiing.
St Osyth Beach
The neighbouring settlement of St Osyth Beach contains Essex's largest concentration of static caravan parks, including Seawick, St Osyth Beach (owned by Park Holidays UK) and Hutleys. The holiday parks boost the local population in the summer months by an estimated 7,000 people.
St Osyth Beach and adjoining Jaywick were the scene of fatalities during "The Great Flood" of 1953.
See also
In Spanish: St Osyth para niños
