Local and Family History
Due to the large number of family history enquiries arriving at this web site and our sister site www.dengie.org.uk the history,
Genealogy and old
photograph content has been moved from this site to
www.essex-family-history.co.uk and
www.essex-country-life.co.uk
Essex Family History contains extensive pages on the history of Burnham
and the adjoining Dengie 100 area plus many online records of interest
to a genealogist or person tracing their family history.
Essex
Country Life provides details of life in this area during Victorian and
Edwardian times .
To
find out what life was like then visit
Essex Country Life and
for hard facts visit
Essex Family History.
Potted History of Burnham and the villages of the Dengie 100
Burnham-on-Crouch lies on the River Crouch in
the Dengie 100 peninsula which was an area of marsh and rich farmland.
There is evidence of considerable prehistoric
activity with neolithic remains and bronze age burial sites found in the
area. The Creeksea Cliffs area is especially rich in prehistoric
history. With the coming of the Iron Age the 'hill fort' at Asheldham
was established the remains of which can be seen today.
The Romans defeated the Trinovantes tribe who
resided in the Dengie 100 and established their capital at nearby
Colchester .Romans then colonised the area with the fort at nearby
Bradwell-on-Sea and enclosures within Burnham itself.
The Romans were followed by the Saxons who
farmed the land and built a wooden fish trap in the estuary at Bradwell
which amazingly is still visible at low tides today.
St Cedd, an Irish Missionary, landed at Bradwell
in AD 654 and established the Church of St Peters on the inner wall of
the roman fortress. St Peters Chapel is still standing although only the
earthworks of the roman fort remain.
On 11 August 991 AD
a Danish fleet landed at Northey Island to begin the famous
battle at Northey Island (to the north of Dengie) Brithnoth who was Earl
of East Anglia raised an army which was defeated by the Danish invaders
. Brithnoth was killed in the battle and laid to rest in Latchingdon
Church
In 1016 battle again threatened Burnham with
Edmund Ironside's army fighting with
the Danish leader Canute at the battle of Ashingdon on the
opposite bank of the Crouch. Once again the Danes were victorious
pursuing the vanquished King Edmund across the Crouch until he escaped
but to no avail as Canute was crowned King of England.
Following these battles the Daenningaes tribe
occupied the area.
In
1086 the Domesday Book listed Burnham as Burnheham .
The High Street was widened to allow for a
market granted by Royal Charter in 1253 to the Fitzwilliam family who
owned the manor. A four day fair was traditionally held in the High
Street in Mid September.
In medieval times the town continued to expand
to take advantage of sea borne trade with the Quay allowing direct
access to warehouses.
By the 14th century the town had split into two
parts with St Marys Church and the adjoining manor house sited about ¾
mile inland. St Marys Church was initially constructed from roman brick
and flint with additions over the next 200 years to bring the church to
the form which we see today.
In the 1500's the Harris Family were the
dominant force with Edward Harris building Creeksea Place which remained
in the family until the 19th century. This historic building is now the
centrepiece to a Caravan Park. the sword od Sir William Harris is still
to be seen displayed in the Church of Creeksea.
The Civil war saw the area supporting the
Parliamentarians and in 1665 the Great Plague caused many villages to be
abandoned. Sailors from Burnham and Bradwell were the only boats who
still carried grain to London during the plague. For their courage they
were honoured and allowed to land grain in London without duty for ever.
The River continued to dominate the town and
fishing became a major force with the Mildmay family being granted the
exclusive rights to the River Crouch by Charles 1 . In 1661 the rights
to oyster beds in the River were leased to local companies and over the
years Crouch Oysters came to national fame. By the late 1700's the
Oyster beds were commanding large rents and employed many men some to
cultivate and some to protect the oysters from thieves. The Oyster beds
continued in production until comparatively recent time when pollution
reduced the oysters to unprofitable levels.
The Industrial revolution saw reclamation of the
marshes and much of the marsh was reclaimed for farming rather than
summer grazing of sheep. Southminster became the dominant market in the
area drawing people from as far afield as Rochford.
Smuggling continued to be a major cottage
industry with battles between smugglers and coast guards a regular
feature. The hulk of a boat called Kangaroo was moored on the site of
the Royal Corinthian yacht Club to house the families of local Coast
guards and on the opposite bank of the river Darwin's 'Beagle' served a
similar purpose.
During the Napoleonic wars Burnham built sea
defences with a battery of 24 pounder guns manned by the Sea Fencibles.
Contact with the outside world improved in 1800
when a coach route from Burnham to Southminster and Maldon was
established which by 1848 had been expanded to Chelmsford.
The next major change was the coming of the
railway in 1889 with a branch line from Wickford to Southminster passing
through Burnham. Materials for the new railway were brought in on the
River on Thames barges ironically utilising waterpower for the new
railroad.
With a rise in national prosperity Yachting
began to be fashionable in the late 1800's and the Royal Corinthian
Yacht Club and London Sailing Clubs opened in 1892 . These clubs led to
the development of boat building, sail makers and other allied
industries which were to dominate the River front and with the
commencement of 'Burnham Week' brought Burnham to national importance as
a yachting centre.