Southminster is a town and
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
on the
Dengie Peninsula in the
Maldon district of
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
in the
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. This region was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics purposes from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire ...
. It lies about north of
Burnham-on-Crouch
Burnham-on-Crouch is a town and civil parish in the Maldon District of Essex in the East of England. It lies on the north bank of the River Crouch. It is one of Britain's leading places for yachting.
The civil parish extends east of the town t ...
and south-east of
Maldon
Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the River Blackwater, Essex, Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea ...
; it is approximately east-north-east of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. To the north is the
River Blackwater, which is tidal, and, since
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
times, has been the gateway to trading in the area.
History
Southminster is in the centre of the
Dengie
Dengie is a village and civil parish in the Maldon district of Essex, England, with a population of 119 at the 2011 census.
It gives its name to the Dengie peninsula and hundred and to the Dengie Special Protection Area.
The place-name 'Dengi ...
peninsula, which once formed a
hundred of the same name.
A major horse market used to be held annually in the town.
Southminster marshes were a favourite centre for
hare coursing in Victorian times.
Pandole Wood contains ancient earthworks believed to date from the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
. The landscape surrounding the town, and elsewhere on the peninsula, is characterized by a pattern of strictly rectangular field boundaries, with evidence of a unit of measurement having been applied to the scheme as a whole. Middle
Saxon
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
administrations have been suggested as its origin, although the road to the Roman
Saxon Shore
The Saxon Shore ( la, litus Saxonicum) was a military command of the late Roman Empire, consisting of a series of fortifications on both sides of the Channel. It was established in the late 3rd century and was led by the "Count of the Saxon Shor ...
fort of
Othona
Othona or Othonae was the name of an ancient Roman fort of the Saxon Shore at the sea's edge near the modern village of Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex, England. The Old English name ''Ythanceaster'' for the locality derives from the Roman name.
Hist ...
at
Bradwell-on-Sea also conforms to the pattern.
St Leonard's Church
The medieval St Leonard's Church dates mainly from the 15th century, although there are traces of much earlier work, including from the 12th century. It is a relatively large, "townish" church by Essex standards. The church also stands at an important road junction, contrasting with the familiar Essex pattern of a church and
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
complex on the same site. These features are consistent with John Blair's
formulation
Formulation is a term used in various senses in various applications, both the material and the abstract or formal. Its fundamental meaning is the putting together of components in appropriate relationships or structures, according to a formul ...
of an Anglo-Saxon
minster, in contrast to a private
oratory in its origins, and the place-name would perhaps suggest
Cedd
Cedd ( la, Cedda, Ceddus; 620 – 26 October 664) was an Anglo-Saxon monk and bishop from the Kingdom of Northumbria. He was an evangelist of the Middle Angles and East Saxons in England and a significant participant in the Synod of Whitby, a ...
's mission at the
Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall
The Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, Bradwell-on-Sea, is a Christian church dating from the years 660-662 and among the oldest largely intact churches in England. It is in regular use by the nearby Othona Community, in addition to Church of Engl ...
near Bradwell (to the north) as its parent. The church is a
Grade II* listed building.
Several well-known clergymen are associated with the church, including
naturalist Walter Henry Hill, curate from 1832 to 1839, and
Alexander John Scott
The Reverend Doctor Alexander John Scott (1768–1840) was an Anglican chaplain who served in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He served as Horatio Nelson's personal chaplain at the Battle of Trafalgar, an ...
, rector 1805 to 1840 but previously personal chaplain to
Horatio Nelson
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...
. After the
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...
Nelson died in the arms of Scott, and several artefacts that once belonged to Scott are found in the church.
The church also gives its name to the town's local
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team, Southminster St. Leonards F.C.
There is also a brick-built
United Reformed Church building in North Street, Southminster.
Facilities
The town has an infant and a primary school, a small library, a handful of pubs, a swimming pool, a brewery and cidery and one holiday park.
Transport
Railway
Southminster railway station
Southminster railway station is the eastern terminus of the Crouch Valley Line in Essex, England, serving the town of Southminster and other settlements on the Dengie Peninsula. It is down the line from London Liverpool Street. The station is ...
is the northern terminus of the
Crouch Valley line, which provides generally hourly stopping services to
Wickford. Some early morning peak services continue beyond Wickford to
London Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is the t ...
. Trains are operated
Abellio Greater Anglia.
The single-tracked line was electrified in the 1980s.
Buses
Bus services in Southminster are operated by
First Essex,
Hedingham Omnibuses and
Stephensons of Essex
Stephensons of Essex is a privately owned bus company based in Rochford, Essex. It operates local bus services throughout Essex and West Suffolk, from headquarters at Rochford, near Southend-on-Sea, and depots at Maldon, Boreham, Braintree and ...
.
Routes include:
* 331
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...
-
Burnham on Crouch
Burnham-on-Crouch is a town and civil parish in the Maldon District of Essex in the East of England. It lies on the north bank of the River Crouch. It is one of Britain's leading places for yachting.
The civil parish extends east of the town ...
* D2 Maldon - Southminster
In Literature
Southminster is the name given to the fictional cathedral city featured in the short story 'An Episode of Cathedral History' by
M.R. James
Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English author, medievalist scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936). He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambrid ...
, published in ''
A Thin Ghost and Others'', his third collection of Ghost Stories published in 1919.
Location Grid
Parishes adjacent to the Southminster parish:
References
{{authority control
Towns in Essex
Civil parishes in Essex
Maldon District