Stow Maries is a 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 authorit ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county 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 Grea ...

. It is located on the western (inland) end of the

Dengie peninsula __NOTOC__ Dengie is a peninsula in Essex, England, that once formed a hundred of the same name (sometimes spelled Dengy). The peninsula is formed by the River Crouch to the south, the Blackwater to the north, both of which are tidal, and the N ...

and forms part of the

Purleigh Purleigh is a village on the Dengie peninsula about south of Maldon, Essex, Maldon in the English county of Essex. The village is part of the Purleigh ward of the Maldon (district), Maldon district. The place-name 'Purleigh' is first attested ...

ward in the

Maldon district Maldon is a local government district in Essex, England. The council is based in Maldon, and the district includes other notable settlements such as Burnham-on-Crouch, Heybridge, Wickham Bishops, Southminster, Tolleshunt D'Arcy and Tollesbu ...

. The place-name 'Stow Maries' is first attested in the Feet of Fines for 1230, where it appears as ''Stowe''. In a

Feudal aid Feudal aid is the legal term for one of the financial duties required of a feudal tenant or vassal to his lord. Variations on the feudal aid were collected in England, France, Germany and Italy during the Middle Ages, although the exact circumstance ...

of 1420 it appears as ''Stowe Mareys''. The name means 'place belonging to the Marisc family'. (Robert de Marisc held the manor in 1250. The name comes from ''Marais'' in France, meaning 'marsh' – the words are cognate.)

Stow Maries Aerodrome

Aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

was established at Stow Maries in September 1916 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

for the Royal Flying Corps. By 1919 the need for airfields lessened and Stow Maries was closed. The site was considered for development as an airfield during the Second World War but considered unsuitable due to the clay soil. Even though not opened it played a role nonetheless, being bombed by the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

and used as an emergency landing site by a damaged

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

fighter plane. The airfield buildings are still mostly intact, with the original windows still in place. The buildings were used to store grain and farm vehicles until 2008. The airfield has subsequently been purchased by Steve Wilson and Russell Savory and is being restored to a state that it would have been found in 1919. Starting in 2014, to commemorate the Centenary of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and in partnership with the 14-18 Aviation Heritage Trust and the Vintage Aviator Lt
The Vintage Aviator
(both New Zealand), th
WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust Ltd
("WAHT", United Kingdom) will bring 5–8 different World War I aircraft to the UK to tell the story of the technical and tactical aerial combat that occurred between allied and German aviators throughout the Great War. Subject to funding, WAHT will acquire a WW1 aircraft each year on behalf of the nation to tell the story of each year of the War at airshows and commemorative events in the form of

air display Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...

s, flypasts and static diorama. It is planned that ultimately these aircraft will be based at the Stow Maries

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Aerodrome in Essex supported by an apprenticeship scheme to foster the preservation and restoration of World War I aircraft and creating a centre of excellence dedicated to keeping the aviation legacy of the war alive.

Stow Maries Halt

Stow St Mary Halt railway station on the Woodham Ferrers to

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the 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 Salt which is produced ...

branch line served the village until closure in 1939. The track has been removed and the area and an adjoining meadow are now managed as Stow Maries Halt nature reserve by the

Essex Wildlife Trust The Essex Wildlife Trust (EWT) is one of 46 wildlife trusts which cover the United Kingdom. The EWT was founded in 1959, and it describes itself as Essex's leading conservation charity, which aims to protect wildlife for the future and the people ...

. It can be reached from Church Lane.

Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...

grid reference ().

Local amenities

Stow Maries has one

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

, ''The Prince of Wales''. There is a table tennis team, which trains in the Smythe Hall, many footpaths and the old railway line, part of which is used as a cycle route.

Religious sites

The local parish church is the Church of St Mary and St Margaret in the

and

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 ...

Deanery, part of the

Diocese of Chelmsford The Diocese of Chelmsford is a Church of England diocese, part of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers Essex and the five East London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest (most of which wer ...

. The church has a 14th-century chancel and a 15th-century nave that was extended in the 16th century. Some refurbishment took place in 1870. The north vestry was added in 1912 and rebuilt in 1950. The Rectory House (now The Old Rectory) was built in 1799 and is thought to have been designed by

Humphry Repton Humphry Repton (21 April 1752 – 24 March 1818) was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of ...

assisted by his son John Adey Repton.

References

Essex Journal, Spring 2009 - The Rectory House, Stow Maries a Repton Design? by Beryl Board

External links

Information and photographs of Stow Maries villageThe history of Stow Maries
{{authority control Villages in Essex