The Little History of Essex E-Book

Judith Williams

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

There is nothing 'little' about the history of Essex! However, this small volume condenses that fascinating, rich history into a collection of stories and facts that will make you marvel at the events our county has witnessed. Discover the development of ship building at Harwich, the silk and woollen industries in central Essex, the fortunes of Chelmsford and Colchester and the rise of seaside resorts at Southend and Clacton. Take a journey through Essex's historic struggles and celebrations or jump in to the era of your choice to discover the who, what and why of our county's history.

Leseprobe

First published 2017

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

© Judith Williams, 2017

The right of Judith Williams to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the Publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 0 7509 8514 7

Typesetting and origination by The History Press

Printed in Great Britain

eBook converted by Geethik Technologies

CONTENTS

About the Author

1 The Beginning of Essex

2 Norman Essex: William Takes Over

3 Medieval Essex: Sheep, Sheep, Sheep and Cloth

4 Tudor Essex: Where Have all our Monasteries Gone?

5 Stuart Essex: A Civil War

6 Georgian Essex: Rising Fortunes

7 Victorian Essex: Ups and Downs

8 A New Century: Work and Play

9 Two Wars and a Housing Crisis

10 Modern Times

Bibliography

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Judith Williams’ interest in the history of Essex was sparked when she was a community columnist for local newspapers. She went on to write six history books about Essex, and eventually trained as a tutor of English and history. Judith is currently involved with the Shoeburyness Military Archives and a heritage centre project for the historic Shoeburyness area. She is helping to produce a Victoria County History ‘short’ for the Southend area. Judith is a member of the Friends of Essex Churches Trust and enjoys church bell ringing. She lives in Southend.

1

THE BEGINNING OF ESSEX

The Essex of 450,000 years ago would be unrecognisable to modern man. The River Thames flowed eastwards above London via the sites of Chelmsford and Colchester, and what is now the River Medway flowed north across ‘Essex’ towards Clacton.

There is evidence of early man living in the area. For example, 400,000-year-old finds at Clacton – flint chopping tools and a worked wooden staff – have given the name ‘Clactonian man’ to a whole group of Homo erectus people. Chafford Gorge shows evidence of human activity on the banks of the River Thames 200,000 years ago, in a period between ice ages. These were Neanderthals, not modern Homo sapiens, and the Essex Field Club paints a vivid picture of these people living below the chalk cliff and making flint tools to kill and prepare tasty meals of the local rhinoceros, bison, mammoth and elephant. Brown bears provided warm clothing and furry blankets.

Fossil remains tell us that hippopotamuses were still living in the area around East Mersea 120,000 years ago. Then, during the most recent ice age, a vast sheet of ice diverted the Thames and the Medway to their current positions. Reindeer and arctic wolves arrived while the hippopotamus died out. Meltwater gushing from the ice sheet, carrying stones with it, accounts for the large ‘erratic’ boulders, or sarsen stones, found in Essex. Of more long-term significance were the fertile glacial tills laid down in north-west and central Essex, and the London clay in the south of the county.

When this last ice age ended 10,000 years ago, Britain was joined to the main European landmass. Places like Canvey Island and Foulness Island, although still relatively close to rivers that later became the Thames and the Crouch, would have been 30–50km from the open ocean. Neolithic people walked across from Europe to the area that is now Essex, where they lived by hunting, fishing and gathering nuts and berries. They often occupied sites that are now below sea level, such as near Hullbridge, where many flint tools have been found below the water level. Similarly, numerous broken flints of undoubted human workmanship show three separate Palaeolithic communities living at Purfleet. Evidence of older sea levels can still be seen here, where a forest was submerged beneath the Thames.