ig4 A HISTORY OF SALT-MAKING IN ESSEX. 



Wakering, " Home Salt-coats " in Stow Maries, " Salcote-stone 

 Field " in Tollesbury, " Salcots " in Brightlingsea, " Salt-acre 

 Marsh" in East Mersea, "Salt-coat Marsh" in Burnham, 

 " Salt-bridge Field " in Eastwood, " Salt-bridge Field " 

 in Rochford, " Salt-pan Marsh " in Paglesham, " Salt- 

 reach Field " in Eastwood, and " Salts " in Barking. 

 Less easy of explanation are Ki Salt Acre" in Roydon, 

 *' Salt Field " in High Easter, and " Salt Pasture " in Booking. 

 These are all inland, and were named, perhaps, after some saline 

 excrescence noticed in them. "Salt-box Field" in Waltham 

 Holy Cross was probably so-called from its shape. " Salter's 

 Field " and " Salter's Ten-acres " in Great Oakley commemorate, 

 beyond doubt, the making of salt at that place. " Salter's Piece,'' 

 in Sible Hedingham, lying far inland, takes its name probably 

 from some former owner named Salter, who, however, must have 

 derived that name from the fact that one of his ancestors 

 followed the occupation of a " salter " or salt-maker. It is 

 worth noting, too, that the inn-sign of the " Three Cups " 

 (generally spoken of as the " Cups"), representing the armorial 

 bearings of the Salters' Company 3 , still occurs five times in 

 Essex — at Harwich, Great Oakley, Colchester, Maldon, and 

 Springfield. Two of the houses bearing the sign are still large 

 and well-known hotels, and all, except the last-named, are 

 situated either actually on or close to that portion of our coast 

 on which salt was made largely. Moreover, in 1777, according 

 to Chapman and Andre's map, there was a sixth house bearing 

 this sign at Manningtree — another Essex town at which salt was 

 made at the time. Clearly, therefore, the sign is with us a relic 

 of the industry. 



The kind of salt made in Essex in early times was that 

 known formerly as " bay salt " — that is, salt made by 

 evaporating sea-water in shallow pans by means of sun-heat. 4 

 The process, though successful in hot countries further south, 

 must have been very tedious in our climate. Yet there can be 

 no doubt that, during summer, salt could be made, and was 

 made, by this means in Essex. The sea-water was let into large 

 shallow ponds, where it remained until more or less reduced and 



3 Per chevron, azure and gules ; three-covered sprinkling-salts argent, sprinkling salt 

 proper. 



4 It was so "called because it come originally from " La Baye " (of Biscay), round the 

 shores of which there were many salt-evaporating pans. 



