Three of the larger towns in Essex, Braintree, Billericay and Clacton on Sea all have interesting histories, in different ways from each other. Braintree, located some 10 miles from Chelmsford, has a population of around 42,000, somewhat more than 4,000 years ago when it was a tiny village, as it still was when the Romans invaded Britain and built two roads, at the junction of which the settlement grew (though later abandoned). Recorded as Branchetreu in the Domesday Book, the present name is thought not to have come from the River Brain, but rather, the other way round. A famous son of Braintree, naturalist John Ray, was actually born in the village of Black Notley, two miles south of the town. Billericay was possibly settled even longer ago than Braintree, with evidence of burial mounds found in Norsey Wood, dating from the Iron and Bronze Ages. The Romans also knew about Billericay and built a fort close to the town at Blunts Well. Due to later settlement being centred around Great Burstead, Billericay doesn’t get a mention in the Domesday Book, though by the 13th and 14th centuries it was attracting pilgrims heading south for Canterbury. Clacton on Sea is a relative ‘baby’ compared to these ancient towns, only founded in 1871 as a seaside resort. Clacton reached its height of popularity during the 1960’s and 1970’s, the town’s famous pier being a major draw. Clacton and Great Clacton were however still settled in ancient times, with Celts being in the area in around 100BC, the original village was also named in the Domesday Book as Clachintuna. Essex Map.
August 27, 2009
Dunstable Houghton Regis and Toddington Bedfordshire
To the south-west of Bedford in the county of Bedfordshire, England, you will find the 2 historic towns of Dunstable and Houghton Regis and the ancient village of Toddington. Dunstable was originally established by the Romans as a posting station on Watling Street, an important road at this time, though it was probably settled much earlier than this as evidence of Palaeolithic flint implements and an Iron Age Fort have been found in its environs. Dunstable was one of the twelve sites chosen in 1290 for the erection of Eleanor Crosses after the death of the wife of Edward I. Close to Dunstable and possibly even older is the town of Houghton Regis, until recent years just a small village. Getting its name from the Saxon “hoe” (spur on a hill) and “tun” meaning village, Houghton became Houghton Regis during the time of Edward the Confessor, it remained a village until the 1950’s and 1960’s, when London overspill caused it to grow into the town it is today. Near to Dunstable and Houghton Regis, the pretty village of Toddington is gathered around its spacious village green, where you will find its parish church and 4 of its public houses.
August 26, 2009
The Story of Luton Bedfordshire
A large town located in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, Luton dates from a Saxon settlement established on the River Lea during the 6th century. Listed as Loitone in the Domesday Book, Luton developed as a mostly agricultural town. In 1240 the town was called Leueton, though most of the town was later destroyed by a great fire (1336). The arrival of a brick-making industry in the 16th century, led to most of its houses being rebuilt in brick rather than the traditional wood. Luton has for a long time been associated with hat-making and this industry in fact started during the 17th century, but had declined by the early 20th century, being largely replaced by an emerging car manufacturing industry, as Vauxhall Motors opened a new plant in 1905, at the time the largest car manufacturing factory in the UK. Bedfordshire Map.
Devon Towns Crediton Tiverton and Bideford
Three historic towns in the county of Devon, UK, Crediton, Tiverton and Bideford are all worth a visit for varying reasons. The inland town of Crediton is located in the Mid Devon region and is well known as the birthplace of the Christian Missionary St Boniface in 672 AD. Worth seeing in Crediton is the Church of the Holy Cross, dating from the 11th century. Also in the Mid Devon region, the town of Tiverton stands at the confluence of two rivers (the River Lowman and River Exe), and is an ancient place with evidence found of both Stone Age and Iron Age settlements, the town however grew mostly during the 16th and 17th centuries and prospered due to the wool trade. Heading on to the north coast of Devon, you will find the town and port of Bideford, sitting on the estuary of the Torridge river, the first thing you notice about the town is the striking 24 arched bridge crossing the river, the bridge dates from the 13th century and gives evidence of the importance of the town which later became one of the busiest ports in England, rumoured to have seen the first imports of tobacco by Sir Walter Raleigh.
A Brief History of Clearwater Florida USA
A city in the Tampa Bay Area of Pinellas County, Florida, Clearwater has a history going back to the 1830’s when the construction of Fort Harrison was started on a bluff overlooking Clearwater Harbour. Previous to this, the area was inhabited by the Tocobaga people, at least since the 16th century. Fort Harrison was built as an outpost during the Seminole Wars, later in the 1840’s, land in the area was offered to anyone who would bear arms and a number of families took up the challenge and obtained sizeable tracts of land in the region. Originally called Clear Water Harbour (referring to a nearby fresh water spring), the city continued to grow, although at the turn of the 20th century it only had around 400 inhabitants. During WW2 Clearwater was used as a training base for troops heading for Europe from the USA, it has since become a popular tourist destination, especially the Clearwater Beach area which boasts some fantastic beaches and excellent facilities. Clearwater is also the HQ of the Church of Scientology. Clearwater Map.
August 24, 2009
Bahamas – The Early History
The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is located to the north of Cuba in the Atlantic Ocean, it is an independent country, speaking the English language and is made up of a large number of islands, cays and rocks spread over an area of over 5,000 square miles. Thought to have been first settled by the Taino people in the seventh century, the Bahamas has a large population by the time Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World. As Spaniards arrived in the Bahamas they took most of the native population into slavery, and those remaining died of disease, this caused the islands to become depopulated and they were not permanently resettled until the 17th century when a group of travellers arrived from Bermuda, they were known as the Eleutherian Travellers and settled on an island which they called Eleuthera (meaning freedom). After the islands became home to some notorious pirates, they were made a Britsh Crown colony in the early 18th century. Bahamas Map.