Braintree, Essex
Braintree is a town and former civil parish in Essex, England. The principal settlement of Braintree District, it is located northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester. According to the 2011 Census, the town had a population of 41,634, ...
, England, which was a former village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
. In 1934 it became part of the civil parish of
Braintree and Bocking
Braintree and Bocking is an unparished area in the Braintree district, in the county of Essex, England. It is around 10 miles from Chelmsford. It includes Braintree, Bocking, Bocking Churchstreet, High Garrett and Thistley Green. In 2021 it h ...
, which is now within
Braintree District
Braintree is a local government district in the English county of Essex, with a population (2011 census) of 147,084. Its main town is Braintree. The three towns of the district are Braintree, Halstead and Witham. The district was formed on 1 Ap ...
.
It forms an electoral division for
Essex County Council
Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and is currently controlled by the Conservative Party. The council meets at County Hall ...
elections, and gives its name to Bocking Blackwater, Bocking North and Bocking South wards of Braintree District Council.
History
In 1290 on 16 September, Bocking was visited by the Archbishop of Canterbury, John of Peckham, who there ordained to the priesthood
William of Louth
William of Louth, also known as William de Luda (died 1298) was a medieval Bishop of Ely.
Life
William probably was born in Louth, Lincolnshire but his parentage is unknown.Martin "Louth, William of" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' ...
, bishop-elect of Ely.
In 1381, on 4 June, Bocking was the site of the first sit-down discussions between rebels leading to the full
Peasants' Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...
, and the subsequent march towards London.
The Deanery Church of St Mary, Bocking, is mainly 15th- and 16th-century flint and limestone, with 19th-century restoration, built on a more ancient church site. It is Grade I
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
. St Peter's Parish Church was built in 1896-97 of yellow brick, in a design intended to be extended at a later date, and is still unfinished; its website describes it as "unusual in appearance from the outside".
Bocking Windmill
Bocking Windmill or Bocking Churchstreet Windmill is a grade I listed post mill at Bocking, Essex, England which has been restored.
History
Although a build date of 1680 is often quoted, ''Bocking Windmill'' was actually built in 1721 at a posi ...
is a preserved 18th-century
post mill
The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. All p ...
and is Grade I
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
. It is owned by
Braintree District Council Braintree may refer to:
Places
* Braintree, Essex, a town in England
** Braintree District
** Braintree (UK Parliament constituency)
** Braintree Town F.C., a football club in the town
* Braintree, Massachusetts, a city in Norfolk County, Massachu ...
and run by the Friends of Bocking Windmill.
In 1862 ''Kelly's Directory of Essex'' already stated that "Braintree and Bocking, although distinct parishes, form one continuous town, extending for a mile on the road between Chelmsford and Halstead, and the rivers Blackwater and Podsbrook, and having a united population in 1861 of 8,186."
Education
Bocking has one school called ''Bocking Church Street School''. It used to have another school called ''Edith Borthwick School'' but that moved to Springwood Drive in Braintree in September 2015 because its old school in Bocking was too small.
Bocking in 1870-72
The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' gave the following description of Bocking in 1870-1872: