Steve's World Blog Information and articles on cities, towns and villages around the world.

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 13^th and 14^th 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.