r 



B88BX. 



B88LIKOBK. 



exception of those part* which were occupied by the Dane* or retained 

 by the Briton*, WM consolidated under one soeptre. 



When Alfred, after the recovery of hii throne, asaignod to the 

 piratical Northmen, or Dane*, a MtUement in and about Eait Anglia 

 (676). Ka*ex was include.! in the ceded territory. Thirteen or *ixtoen 

 aail of Danish piratical vessels were destroyed in the mouth of the 

 Stour, near Harwich (884) by the abipi of Alfred ; but the victorious 

 fleet wa destroyed near the Thames mouth by some ships fitted out 

 by the colonist* of East Anglia, in violation of their engagement* 

 with the king. For a space of about three yean (894-896) Alfred 

 had much trouble in restating the attacks of Hauling, the Danish 

 piratical chief; ultimately however, Hasting was compelled to 

 abandon England, and Eosez returned peaceably under the West 

 Saxon sway. 



After the death of Alfred (901), and the choice of Edward the 

 Elder a* his successor, .jEthelwald, son of Ethelbert, Alfred's elder 

 brother, claimed the throne, and having obtained foreign aid, returned 

 and sulxlued Eaaex. The subsequent death of the invader in battle 

 (906) put an end to the strife, and restored Essex to the sway of 

 Edward, who subsequently rebuilt or fortified Witham in order to 

 bridle the rebellious temper of the Danish colonists ; and some yean 

 after (920) fortified Maldon. For about a century after this the 

 Danea continued their attacks, and were on two occasions bought off 

 by the payment of a large sum of money. In 1016 Essex waa the 

 scene of a fierce battle between Canute and Edmund Ironside, who 

 had succeeded to the thrones and the hostility of their respective 

 fathen Svein and Ethelred. Canute, by the treachery of Edric 

 (brother-in-law and foster-father to Edmund), obtained the victory, 

 in a battle fought at Assandun, which some suppose to be Ashdon, 

 near Saffron Walden ; others, with more probability, fix the scene of 

 conflict at Asaingdou, or Afhingdon, about 3 miles north from Koch- 

 ford. At Canewdon, a short distance eastward from Ashingdon, are 

 the remains of a camp, supposed to hare been that of the Danes ; 

 the foase is yet visible. 



In the civil war between King John and his barons, the Earl of 

 Winchester, one of the confederated lords, with an army of foreignen 

 whom he had brought into the country in the year 1215, besieged 

 Colchester castle, and he or some of his party took the castle and 

 plundered the town: but it was retaken by the king, after a few 

 day*' siege. During the minority of Henry III. Colchester fell into 

 the hand* of the Dauphin Louis (1218). 



Ei*x contains many historical memorials in the form of encamp- 

 ments, castles, and other ruins. Camps may be traced at the village 

 of Danbury (Danes-byrig), on a high hill between Chelmsford and 

 Maldon, at Maldon (probably the work of Edward the Elder), at 

 Witharn, at Ainbresbury Banks, near Epping, at Buckholt, near 

 Barking, at South Weald, near Breutwood, at Canewdon, and at 

 Blunt' Walls, near Billericay. Of the castles of the Norman period 

 there are several remains. Those at Colchester, Hedingham, Walden, 

 Ongar, and Ralvigh have been noticed in this article or under their 

 respective head*. Pleahy castle was probably built by William de 

 Magnaville, to whose father, Geoffrey de Magnaville, the place had 

 been granted by Stephen. The keen, with the moat which surrounded 

 it, was within an intrenchmeut which had previously formed part 

 of a Roman camp or station ; the mound on which the donjon was 

 l.nilt, and the bridge which led to it over the surrounding moat, are 

 nil that remain of the once proud structure. Of Hadleigh Castle, 

 near Baleigh, dilapidated portions of two towers yet remain, forming 

 a picturesque ruin. 



Of the halls and manor-houses which succeeded the Norman 

 castles may be mentioned Heron Hall, near East Horndon, Nether 

 HMI, near the confluence of the Lea and the Stort, Tolleshuiit Beck- 

 itighnm, or Tolleshunt Magus, between Maldon and Colchester, Layer 

 Marney Hall, in the same neighbourhood, Belkus or Bellas House, 

 near Purfleet, Covet or Covell Hall, near White Koding, Eastbury, 

 near Barking, Danbury Place, between Chclmsford and Maldon, New 

 Hall, near Chelmsford, and Toppinghoe Hall, between Chelmsford 

 and Witham, some of which are still nearly entire, and of others 

 considerable portions remain. Beside* ancient house* which have 

 bean already noticed in the course of this article, we may mention 

 Ooafield Hall, near Habtead, which is probably of the time of 

 Henry VII. This mansion i* of brick, and incloses a quadrangular 

 court, into which all the lower tier of windows formerly opened. 

 There were no ouUide window* on the ground floor, and those of the 

 WjWiJrongly barricaded, so an to give to the place 



At the Reformation E**ex pouened aevcral religious houses, of 

 which there an some remain*. There wete at the time of the *ui 

 prcMion seven of the greater monasteries, that is, of thoae whiot., 

 according to the valuation of their lands and endowment*, poaeesaed a 

 de ' r *" , reren ? f bo ^ : they were the Benedictine 

 abbeys of Borking (Barking), Chush (or Si. Osyth), Colchester, Walden, 

 and Waltham, and the Cistercian abbey* of Coggeehall and Stratford 

 Lngthonie. Their aggregate yearly revenue was 42011 3.. 4rf. gross, 

 or40W. 11*. 2d. clear. 



Of the imaller religion* boom there are remains of Bil-igh or 

 B-l"igh Abbey, near Maldon ; of TilU-y 1'riory, between Dunmow and 

 Tbt"l: of BvoknMM Pr.orv. h twp.-i, Cl,..||n-f H >n I M,.l.|,,,. 



Latton Priory, near Harlow ; of Lee* Priory, between Chelmsford and 

 Jraintree ; and of Thoby Priory, between Brentwood and Ingatestone. 

 The churches of Ulakemore or Ulackmore Priory, between Ingatestone 

 .M.I ( ingar, an<l of Hatfield Peverel Priory, between Chelmsford and 

 Withaiu, have been made parochial : the Utter ha* been much altered ; 

 t retain* a good Norman door, with cigag moulding*. 



Of the early churches, beside* those which we have already had 

 occasion to mention, the following deserve notice : Greeustead 

 church, near Ongar, i* a very curious edifice, and one of the most 

 ancient in the kingdom : it seems probable that it was built as a sort 

 of shrine tor lodging the body of Su Edmund, king of Kast Anglia, 

 on its being taken back from London to Bury St. Edmund's, in the 

 early part of the llth century ; and that it was afterward* enlarged 

 to serve a* a parish church. The nave is entirely composed of wood, 

 the sides being formed of the trunks of large oaks, split or sawn 

 asunder, and set upright close to one another. They are let into a 

 wooden sill at the bottom, and into a plate at the top, and secured with 

 wooden pins. The remainder of the church is modern. The entire 

 size of the original or wooden part of the church ia 29 feet long by 

 14 feet broad, and 54 feet high to the spring of the roof. The whole 

 was carefully restored in 1849 ; every portion of the ancient woodwork 

 having been scrupulously replaced in it* original position. Little 

 Maplestead church, near Ualstead, is a building of great interest, being 

 the latest of the few round churches in the kingdom ; it is of pure 

 Decorated character, and its details are plain, but very good. The 

 chancel end of this church is also semicircular, and is probably the 

 latest erection of that form in England. South Ockeudou church, 

 near the Thurrocks, has a round tower, such as may be commonly 

 BCI-U in Norfolk, but not much elsewhere : it baa an elaborately and 

 variously enriched Norman door. Corringham and some other 

 churches have Norman portions. 



When the liomau Catholic faith regained a temporary predominance 

 under Queen Mary, the persecution was very severe in Essex. Seven- 

 teen Protestants (five of them women) were burnt at Colchester, and 

 one died in prison ; and two persons (one a woman), were burnt at 

 Stratford. 



The year 1571 was remarkable for the settlement of the Flemish 

 refugees at Colchester; they introduced the woollen manufacture 

 into that and several other towns in Essex. Reference has already 

 been made to the preparations at Tilbury to resist the invasion of the 

 Spaniards, who fitted out the ' Invincible Armada ' in 1588. On that 

 occasion Colchester furnished two ships and a pinnace to the English 

 fleet. In 1595 the same town furnished three ships for the expedition 

 to Cadiz. 



lu the war with Spain at the beginning of the reign of Charles I., 

 a Spanish fleet caused alarm by appearing off Harwich ; but they 

 made no attempt to land (1625). lu the civil war at the close <>r tliu 

 same reign, Essex was almost entirely in the interest of the Parlia- 

 ment, and joined in an association for mutual aid and succour with 

 the other eastern counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge, and Herts : 

 this was called the Eastern Association. In the year 1648 Essex was 

 the scene of an abortive attempt of tho Royalists. A part of the 

 royalist forces which had been raised in Kent under Goring, earl of 

 Norwich, and Sir William Waller, and were pressed by Fairfax and 

 the parliamentary army, created the Thames into Middlesex, 

 retreating thence into Essex, were joined by the Royalists of that 

 county (who had previously seized tho parliamentary committee at 

 Chelmsford), and by some royalist gentlemen from Hertfordshire. 

 They retired first to Chalmsford, thence to Brointree, taking in 

 their way Lees House, and thence to Colchester. The liege and 

 capture of the town by the Parliamentarians is mentioned in the 

 article COLCHESTER. The history of the county present* no later 

 event* of any interest. 



In 1851 the couuty possessed 15 savings banks at Barking, Chclms- 

 ford,Colchc8ter,Urent Diiumow, Epping, HaUtead, West Ham, Harwich, 

 Castle Hedingham, Leytou, Maiiningtrec, Kochford, Romford, Saffron 

 Walden, and Witham : the amount owing to depositors on the 20th 

 November, IVil, waa 478,955*. 8. 6d. 



KX. [COMXECTICUT.1 



JUK iTON, PORT. [NOBTU ACSTBALU.] 



ESSLINQEN, a town in Wurtemberg, in the circle of tho Neckar, 

 is situated in a pretty and fertile country on the river Neckar, sur- 

 rounded by height* crowned with forests and vineyards, 8 miles by 

 railway K. from Stuttgardt, and has about 7000 inhabitants. It is an 

 old town, and was a free city of the Merman empire and the favourite 

 residence of some of the emperors. The inner town ha* massive wall* 

 and towers round it ; and the five suburbs, one of which stands on an 

 island in the river, while another i* attached to the old burg or castle 

 which crown* a hill, are also protected by stout walls. Essliugen ha* 

 five churches, one of which, the Frauen-kirche (.Church of Our Lady) is 

 distinguished by it* fine gothic spire, 230 feet high, and was built in 

 1440; a handsome town-ball; a richly-endowed hospital; a high 

 school ; a training-school for teacher* ; and an orphan asylum. On 

 the Kothenberg, a hill near the town, is a Greek chapel, erected on 

 the site of the old castle of Wilrtemberg, over the remains of a 

 Russian princess, queen of Wurtemberg; it co; .cs of 



the four KranRcliste by Danncker and Tlinrwnldgri. 

 iiimiiii 11 and 



