Great Bromley
Encyclopedia
Great Bromley is a village and civil parish
in the Tendring
district of Essex
. It lies 6 kilometres (4 mi) south of Manningtree
and 9 kilometres (6 mi) east of Colchester
and includes the hamlets of Balls Green and Hare Green. The A120 trunk road
(with the A133
as a spur off it) cuts right through the middle of the parish.
The village church dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and is dedicated to Saint George
but is sometimes referred to as the "Cathedral of the Tendring Hundred."
The village and the surrounding area, like much of East Anglia
, had residents who were seething with Puritan
sentiment during the early and middle years of the 17th century. By 1635, brothers Gregory and Simon Stone had departed for the Massachusetts Bay Colony
as part of the wave of emigration that occurred during the Great Migration
. They settled in Cambridge
and Watertown, Massachusetts
respectively.
Great Bromley Hall (now known as the Seven Rivers Cheshire home) was the ancestral seat of the Mannock family and dates to before the 17th century. One of the notable residents of the great home was Sir Thomas Bowles who was the Justice of the Peace for Essex during much of the 17th century. In that capacity, he was involved in the county response to the witchcraft hysteria that was then sweeping the populace and he dealt with those accused of witchcraft harshly. His son Paul Bowes
achieved some degree of fame when he posthumously edited and published the journals associated with his uncle, Sir Simonds d'Ewes, a noted antiquarian. The work was published as "Journals of all the Parliaments during the Reign of Queen Elizabeth."
It is not known whether Great Bromley suffered any damage during World War II
but the village was situated in the militarily precarious position of being more or less on the boundary between two Groups of Fighter Command (the 11th and 12th). More specifically between the sectors known as Debden and Northweald.
In 2005, a motorist was shot in the back with a longbow during an apparent ambush on a country lane near Great Bromley. The man had stopped to help a woman who was crouching near a parked van, who later turned out to be the longbowman's accomplice. As the man approached the woman, he was shot in the back from 20 feet away, but was able to escape. The longbowman and his female assistant were never caught.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Tendring
Tendring
Tendring is a local government district in North East Essex, England. It extends from the River Stour in the north, to the coast and the River Colne in the south, with the coast to the East and the town of Colchester to the west. Its council is based in Clacton-on-Sea. Towns in the district...
district of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. It lies 6 kilometres (4 mi) south of Manningtree
Manningtree
Manningtree is a town and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England, which lies on the River Stour. It adjoins built-up areas of Lawford to the west and Mistley to the east and the three parishes together are sometimes referred to as "Manningtree".Manningtree is a claimant for the...
and 9 kilometres (6 mi) east of Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
and includes the hamlets of Balls Green and Hare Green. The A120 trunk road
A120 road
The A120 is an important trunk road in southern England. It follows the course of Stane Street, a Roman road from Standon, Hertfordshire at its western terminus to Colchester...
(with the A133
A133 road
The A133 road runs from Colchester to Clacton-on-Sea. It starts off at Cymbeline Way in Lexden, runs through the Avenue of Remembrance which acts as a bypass for Colchester town centre. It also runs past Wivenhoe Park, through Elmstead Market, Frating Green, it then meets a spur from the A120 road...
as a spur off it) cuts right through the middle of the parish.
History
Ancient burial mounds have been found in and around Great Bromley.The village church dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and is dedicated to Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
but is sometimes referred to as the "Cathedral of the Tendring Hundred."
The village and the surrounding area, like much of East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, had residents who were seething with Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
sentiment during the early and middle years of the 17th century. By 1635, brothers Gregory and Simon Stone had departed for the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
as part of the wave of emigration that occurred during the Great Migration
Great Migration (Puritan)
The Puritan migration to New England was marked in its effects in the two decades from 1620 to 1640, after which it declined sharply for a while. The term Great Migration usually refers to the migration in this period of English settlers, primarily Puritans to Massachusetts and the warm islands of...
. They settled in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
and Watertown, Massachusetts
Watertown, Massachusetts
The Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...
respectively.
Great Bromley Hall (now known as the Seven Rivers Cheshire home) was the ancestral seat of the Mannock family and dates to before the 17th century. One of the notable residents of the great home was Sir Thomas Bowles who was the Justice of the Peace for Essex during much of the 17th century. In that capacity, he was involved in the county response to the witchcraft hysteria that was then sweeping the populace and he dealt with those accused of witchcraft harshly. His son Paul Bowes
Paul Bowes
Paul Bowes , was the editor of D'Ewes's 'Journals.'Bowes was the second son of Sir Thomas Bowes, knight, of Great Bromley, Essex, the notorious witch-persecutor, by Mary, third daughter of Paul D'Ewes, one of the six clerks in chancery....
achieved some degree of fame when he posthumously edited and published the journals associated with his uncle, Sir Simonds d'Ewes, a noted antiquarian. The work was published as "Journals of all the Parliaments during the Reign of Queen Elizabeth."
It is not known whether Great Bromley suffered any damage during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but the village was situated in the militarily precarious position of being more or less on the boundary between two Groups of Fighter Command (the 11th and 12th). More specifically between the sectors known as Debden and Northweald.
In 2005, a motorist was shot in the back with a longbow during an apparent ambush on a country lane near Great Bromley. The man had stopped to help a woman who was crouching near a parked van, who later turned out to be the longbowman's accomplice. As the man approached the woman, he was shot in the back from 20 feet away, but was able to escape. The longbowman and his female assistant were never caught.