A potted history of Burnham on Crouch and the Dengie Hundred
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.