Langham, Essex
Encyclopedia
Langham is a small village in the north east of Essex
, England
.
into Suffolk
also ran to the east of the village and so there was probably Roman activity in the area of the village.
The Anglo-Saxons
later established a settlement which was possibly called Laingaham, the spelling in the Domesday Book
. The Domesday Book shows a small agricultural community with the manor held by Walter Tirel
, the man who was accused of shooting William Rufus while hunting for deer in the New Forest
.
Langham, like most of the villages along the Stour Valley, was primarily agricultural until the 20th century, with a few large farms and many small holdings. Like the other villages it enjoyed a period of prosperity due to the cloth trade, which started at the end of the 14th century and lasted until the 17th century. The church of St Mary the Virgin dates from the 12th century.
Up to the start of the 20th century Langham would have been a reasonably self contained community and everyday items could have been bought at the village stores or from the variety of shops in Dedham
. However, the Essex Great Road from London to Norwich via Colchester, later known as the A12, ran up its east side and after the growth of the coaching routes in the 18th century it would have been possible to go to Colchester, Ipswich or even London.
During WW2 a large airbase (called RAF Boxted
) was built on land to the south of the main village area. Although much of the airfield has since reverted to agriculture some features and memorials remain.http://www.langham.org.uk/HistoryIndex/Airfield/Airfield.htm
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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
There is little evidence of pre Roman occupation of what is now Langham but the Romans built a villa at the north end of the village close to the River Stour and the Roman Road from ColchesterColchester
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...
into Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
also ran to the east of the village and so there was probably Roman activity in the area of the village.
The Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
later established a settlement which was possibly called Laingaham, the spelling in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. The Domesday Book shows a small agricultural community with the manor held by Walter Tirel
Walter Tirel
Walter Tirel III - also spelt Tyrell, Thurold, Turold; French Gaultier or Gautier Tirel , was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He is infamous for his involvement in the death of King William II of England, also known as William Rufus....
, the man who was accused of shooting William Rufus while hunting for deer in the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
.
Langham, like most of the villages along the Stour Valley, was primarily agricultural until the 20th century, with a few large farms and many small holdings. Like the other villages it enjoyed a period of prosperity due to the cloth trade, which started at the end of the 14th century and lasted until the 17th century. The church of St Mary the Virgin dates from the 12th century.
Up to the start of the 20th century Langham would have been a reasonably self contained community and everyday items could have been bought at the village stores or from the variety of shops in Dedham
Dedham, Essex
Dedham is a village within the borough of Colchester in northeast Essex, England, situated on the River Stour and on the border of Essex and Suffolk...
. However, the Essex Great Road from London to Norwich via Colchester, later known as the A12, ran up its east side and after the growth of the coaching routes in the 18th century it would have been possible to go to Colchester, Ipswich or even London.
During WW2 a large airbase (called RAF Boxted
RAF Boxted
RAF Boxted is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately north-northeast of Colchester; about northeast of London...
) was built on land to the south of the main village area. Although much of the airfield has since reverted to agriculture some features and memorials remain.http://www.langham.org.uk/HistoryIndex/Airfield/Airfield.htm