Maldon
“I feel therefore we have begun to strike the fear of woman if not of God into the hearts of the authorities”
Myra Sadd Brown, a campaigner for women’s rights, a suffragette, an activist and a member of the Women’s Social and Political Union. Born in 1872 in Maldon.
The first evidence of a settlement in Maldon is from the Bronze Age. From 500 BC there was a continuous and extensive activity in salt making which still prospers today. Recent changes in the coastline have revealed the remains of extensive Saxon 5-7th century fish traps.
A monastery was founded by St. Cedd in 654AD on the site of the Saxon Shore fort at Othona. In 991 AD there was a major battle between the Danes led by Olaf Trygvassen and Earl Bryhtnoth’s men who were defending Maldon on the instruction of the Saxon King Ethelred the Unready. The battle which ended in defeat for the Anglo-Saxons.
Maldon was granted its first charter in 1171 by Henry II.
In the modern day, Maldon District was formed in 1974 from the municipal borough of Maldon and urban district of Burnham-on-Crouch along with Maldon Rural District.
Heybridge Basin
The need for a canal and port was an urgent requirement to sustain the development of Chelmsford in the late 18th Century. Coal and other commodities were being shipped to Maldon or Heybridge Creek and then transported in horse drawn carts and merchandise was regularly brought from London to Maldon by sea. Silting of the river at Maldon and an increase in the size of ships was becoming a problem.
The Heybrldge Basin came into existence as a small port, primarily to serve Chelmsford and the surrounding district. The “Jolly Sailor” pub offered its hospitality and refreshment and the newly constructed Granary storehouse, on the north side of the basin, waited for goods. Lockside cottages were added three years after the Basin opened.
In modern times, Heybridge Basin has its own parish council, holds an annual regatta, has a busy leisure craft mooring and workshop and is an attraction for local people.
May 2022
Beeleigh Falls
Beeleigh is the place where the Chelmer and Blackwater meet. There are two weirs, two locks and some falls along some very attractive waterways. There is also a section of water called the “Navigation”. The Navigation was built in the 1790’s to enable transport of goods by horse drawn barge to and from Chelmsford.
April 2022
Tollesbury
Tollesbury is a village in England, located on the Essex coast at the mouth of the River Blackwater. It is situated nine miles east of the historic port of Maldon and twelve miles south of Colchester. The main trade and export of Tollesbury, which still thrives to this day, has long been oysters.
July 2022
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