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Maldon (district)
Encyclopedia
Maldon is a local government district
in Essex
, England
. Its council is based in the town of Maldon
, and the next largest centre of population is Burnham-on-Crouch
. The district covers the Dengie peninsula
as well as an area to the north of the Blackwater Estuary
, a total area of 358.78 km².
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
. It covered the municipal borough
of Maldon and urban district
of Burnham-on-Crouch
along with Maldon Rural District.
The District has a population of 59,418 in 2001. The majority of people live in the small rural villages, many of which have their origins in connections with the coast or agricultural economy. Many people know the district from its association with sailing.
, the Non-metropolitan district
is served by Maldon District Council.
The area is part of the parliamentary constituency of Maldon and East Chelmsford.
dominated. There are 31 district councillors of which there are, 21 Conservative, four independent, four Maldon & District Independent Democratic Alliance (MDIDA) and two Labour councillors. Elections for all seats are held every four years; the last were held in 2007.
There are 29 town and parish councils.
Former leader of Maldon district council John Smith was killed along with two members of his family while he commanded a light aircraft flight from Oban to Andrewsfield, Essex on 9 April 2007. An Air Accident Investigation report concluded that Smith was 5 times over the blood alcohol prescribed limit, this along with unreliable instrument readings and lack of IMC or instrument rating lead to disorientation and the crash. Smiths health was also questioned at a coroners inquest and it was reported he was not medically cleared to fly.
A medieval parish church was converted to a grammar school in the 17th century and also contains the historic Plume library.
and Blackwater
show us that there was a continuous and extensive activity in salt making which still prospers today.
Later, during the Iron Age
, about 100 BC, there was a port, set among the marshlands at the junction of the Blackwater and Chelmer
rivers. This settlement may have been of regional religious significance, and there is evidence that it traded in luxury goods with Europe.
Elms Farm continued as a port and market place but was clearly superseded in importance by Colchester in the 1st century AD, when Colchester
became the first capital of the Roman
administration.
The Romans founded Othona
in the 3rd century. It was a fortress at the mouth of the Blackwater built to protect the estuary from Saxon pirates. It was here in 654 AD that St Cedd founded the church of St Peter-on-the-Wall
, the oldest church in England to retain much of its original fabric.
In 664 AD St Cedd attended the Synod of Whitby
which merged the Anglo-Celtic Church with the Church of Rome. Recent changes in the coastline have revealed the remains of extensive Saxon 5-7th century fish traps. The Church stands today overlooking the North Sea from whence came further invaders in the 10th century - the Danes.
In 912 AD and 914 AD Edward the Edler camped at Maldon to organise defences in the desperate fight against the Danes. In 917 AD the Saxons were defeated at Colchester and besieged at Maldon, but eventually the Danes were defeated.
In 991 AD there was a major battle between the pillaging Danes led by Olaf Trygvassen who had already attacked Ipswich, and Earl Bryhtnoth's men who were defending Maldon on the instruction of the Saxon King Ethelred the Unready
. Earl Bryhtnoth was in his sixties. The battled was recorded in a poem which is regarded as one of the finest examples of early English literature.
The famous Battle of Maldon
took place beside the River Blackwater on 10 August 991, during the reign of Ethelred the Unready. The Anglo-Saxons, led by Byrhtnoth and his thegns, fought against a Viking invasion, a battle which ended in defeat for the Anglo-Saxons.
but a significant area is also the area above the Blackwater Estuary
, bounded by the River Blackwater
to the west until near Kelvedon
, the boundary then continues south of Tiptree
to the Salcott inlet on the Blackwater Estuary. There are very few settlements on the boundary of the district with the North Sea
, in contrast with other costal districts of Essex, due to the Dengie Marshes.
The district has a rural character ranging from the tidal salt marshes to farmland and rolling wooded ridges. A network of country lanes provides access to the countryside from the towns and villages. A remote area of tidal mud-flats and saltmarshes at the eastern end of the Dengie peninsula form the Dengie Special Protection Area
. The River Blackwater and River Crouch
are of international importance for nature conservation particularly for their extensive population of wildfowl and waders.
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
in 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...
, 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...
. Its council is based in the town of Maldon
Maldon, Essex
Maldon is a town on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon district and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.Maldon is twinned with the Dutch town of Cuijk...
, and the next largest centre of population is Burnham-on-Crouch
Burnham-on-Crouch
Burnham-on-Crouch is a town in the Maldon district of Essex in the East of England. It lies on the north bank of the River Crouch.-History:Historically, it has benefited from its location on the coast - first as a ferry port, later as a fishing port known for its oyster beds, and most recently as a...
. The district covers the Dengie peninsula
Dengie peninsula
Dengie is a peninsula in Essex, England, that once formed a hundred of the same name .The peninsula is formed by the River Crouch to the south, the Blackwater to the north, both of which are tidal, and the North Sea to the east...
as well as an area to the north of the Blackwater Estuary
Blackwater Estuary
The Blackwater Estuary is the estuary of the Essex River Blackwater in south-east England.Oysters have been harvested from the estuary for more than a thousand years and there are remains of Anglo-Saxon era fish traps. At the head of the estuary is the town of Maldon, which is a centre of salt...
, a total area of 358.78 km².
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
. It covered the municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Maldon and urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
of Burnham-on-Crouch
Burnham-on-Crouch
Burnham-on-Crouch is a town in the Maldon district of Essex in the East of England. It lies on the north bank of the River Crouch.-History:Historically, it has benefited from its location on the coast - first as a ferry port, later as a fishing port known for its oyster beds, and most recently as a...
along with Maldon Rural District.
The District has a population of 59,418 in 2001. The majority of people live in the small rural villages, many of which have their origins in connections with the coast or agricultural economy. Many people know the district from its association with sailing.
Politics
A subdivision of the county of EssexEssex
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...
, the Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
is served by Maldon District Council.
The area is part of the parliamentary constituency of Maldon and East Chelmsford.
Maldon district council
The District Council is ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
dominated. There are 31 district councillors of which there are, 21 Conservative, four independent, four Maldon & District Independent Democratic Alliance (MDIDA) and two Labour councillors. Elections for all seats are held every four years; the last were held in 2007.
There are 29 town and parish councils.
Former leader of Maldon district council John Smith was killed along with two members of his family while he commanded a light aircraft flight from Oban to Andrewsfield, Essex on 9 April 2007. An Air Accident Investigation report concluded that Smith was 5 times over the blood alcohol prescribed limit, this along with unreliable instrument readings and lack of IMC or instrument rating lead to disorientation and the crash. Smiths health was also questioned at a coroners inquest and it was reported he was not medically cleared to fly.
Historic Buildings
The medieval parish church is reputed to have the only triangular church tower in England.A medieval parish church was converted to a grammar school in the 17th century and also contains the historic Plume library.
History
The first evidence of a settlement to the north of Maldon at Elms Farm is the Middle Bronze Age 3500 years ago. From 500 BC onwards the red hills of the CrouchRiver Crouch
The River Crouch is a river that flows entirely through the English county of Essex.The distance of the Navigation between Holliwell Point which is north of Foulness Island and Battlesbridge is 17.5 Miles, i.e. 15.21 Nautical Miles.-Route:...
and Blackwater
River Blackwater, Essex
The River Blackwater is a river in England. It rises in the northwest of Essex as the River Pant and flows to Bocking, near Braintree, from where its name changes to the Blackwater. Its course takes it near Stisted, and then via Bradwell Juxta Coggeshall and Coggeshall and near Witham where it is...
show us that there was a continuous and extensive activity in salt making which still prospers today.
Later, during the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, about 100 BC, there was a port, set among the marshlands at the junction of the Blackwater and Chelmer
River Chelmer
The River Chelmer is a river that flows entirely through the county of Essex, England.The source of the river is near Debden Green, a village near Thaxted. The source of the River Can is also nearby. The River Chelmer flows past Thaxted, south through the district of Uttlesford around the...
rivers. This settlement may have been of regional religious significance, and there is evidence that it traded in luxury goods with Europe.
Elms Farm continued as a port and market place but was clearly superseded in importance by Colchester in the 1st century AD, when 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...
became the first capital of the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
administration.
The Romans founded Othona
Othona
Othona or Othonae was the name of an ancient Roman fort of the Saxon Shore at the location of the modern village Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex, England...
in the 3rd century. It was a fortress at the mouth of the Blackwater built to protect the estuary from Saxon pirates. It was here in 654 AD that St Cedd founded the church of St Peter-on-the-Wall
St Peter-on-the-Wall
The Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex is a Grade I listed building and among the oldest largely intact Christian church buildings in England still in regular use, dating from the 7th century...
, the oldest church in England to retain much of its original fabric.
In 664 AD St Cedd attended the Synod of Whitby
Synod of Whitby
The Synod of Whitby was a seventh century Northumbriansynod where King Oswiu of Northumbria ruled that his kingdom would calculate Easter and observe the monastic tonsure according to the customs of Rome, rather than the customs practised by Iona and its satellite institutions...
which merged the Anglo-Celtic Church with the Church of Rome. Recent changes in the coastline have revealed the remains of extensive Saxon 5-7th century fish traps. The Church stands today overlooking the North Sea from whence came further invaders in the 10th century - the Danes.
In 912 AD and 914 AD Edward the Edler camped at Maldon to organise defences in the desperate fight against the Danes. In 917 AD the Saxons were defeated at Colchester and besieged at Maldon, but eventually the Danes were defeated.
In 991 AD there was a major battle between the pillaging Danes led by Olaf Trygvassen who had already attacked Ipswich, and Earl Bryhtnoth's men who were defending Maldon on the instruction of the Saxon King Ethelred the Unready
Ethelred the Unready
Æthelred the Unready, or Æthelred II , was king of England . He was son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth. Æthelred was only about 10 when his half-brother Edward was murdered...
. Earl Bryhtnoth was in his sixties. The battled was recorded in a poem which is regarded as one of the finest examples of early English literature.
The famous Battle of Maldon
Battle of Maldon
The Battle of Maldon took place on 10 August 991 near Maldon beside the River Blackwater in Essex, England, during the reign of Aethelred the Unready. Earl Byrhtnoth and his thegns led the English against a Viking invasion. The battle ended in an Anglo-Saxon defeat...
took place beside the River Blackwater on 10 August 991, during the reign of Ethelred the Unready. The Anglo-Saxons, led by Byrhtnoth and his thegns, fought against a Viking invasion, a battle which ended in defeat for the Anglo-Saxons.
Geology, landscape and ecology
The district is in the east of Essex (51°41′N 0°45′E). Most of the district is the Dengie peninsulaDengie peninsula
Dengie is a peninsula in Essex, England, that once formed a hundred of the same name .The peninsula is formed by the River Crouch to the south, the Blackwater to the north, both of which are tidal, and the North Sea to the east...
but a significant area is also the area above the Blackwater Estuary
Blackwater Estuary
The Blackwater Estuary is the estuary of the Essex River Blackwater in south-east England.Oysters have been harvested from the estuary for more than a thousand years and there are remains of Anglo-Saxon era fish traps. At the head of the estuary is the town of Maldon, which is a centre of salt...
, bounded by the River Blackwater
River Blackwater, Essex
The River Blackwater is a river in England. It rises in the northwest of Essex as the River Pant and flows to Bocking, near Braintree, from where its name changes to the Blackwater. Its course takes it near Stisted, and then via Bradwell Juxta Coggeshall and Coggeshall and near Witham where it is...
to the west until near Kelvedon
Kelvedon
Kelvedon is a village and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex in England, near to the town of Witham. It has a population of 3,485.-Origins:...
, the boundary then continues south of Tiptree
Tiptree
Tiptree is a village in the English county of Essex, situated south-east of Colchester and around north-east of London. Surrounding villages include Messing, Tolleshunt Knights, Layer Marney, Inworth, Birch, Great Braxted, Great Totham and Little Totham....
to the Salcott inlet on the Blackwater Estuary. There are very few settlements on the boundary of the district with the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, in contrast with other costal districts of Essex, due to the Dengie Marshes.
The district has a rural character ranging from the tidal salt marshes to farmland and rolling wooded ridges. A network of country lanes provides access to the countryside from the towns and villages. A remote area of tidal mud-flats and saltmarshes at the eastern end of the Dengie peninsula form the Dengie Special Protection Area
Dengie SPA
Dengie SPA is a Special Protection Area on the North Sea coast of the English county of Essex.It consists of large, remote area of tidal mud-flats and salt marshes at the eastern end of the Dengie peninsula between the estuaries of the Blackwater and Crouch. St...
. The River Blackwater and River Crouch
River Crouch
The River Crouch is a river that flows entirely through the English county of Essex.The distance of the Navigation between Holliwell Point which is north of Foulness Island and Battlesbridge is 17.5 Miles, i.e. 15.21 Nautical Miles.-Route:...
are of international importance for nature conservation particularly for their extensive population of wildfowl and waders.