St Osyth
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St Osyth is an English 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 the
Tendring District Tendring District is a local government district in north-east Essex, England. It extends from the River Stour in the north, to the coast and the River Colne in the south, with the coast to the east and the city of Colchester to the west. Its ...
of north-east
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 ...
, about west of
Clacton-on-Sea Clacton-on-Sea is a seaside town in the Tendring District in the county of Essex, England. It is located on the Tendring Peninsula and is the largest settlement in the Tendring District with a population of 56,874 (2016). The town is situated a ...
and south-east of
Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...
. It lies on the B1027, Colchester–Clacton road. The village is named after
Osgyth Osgyth (or Osyth; died 700 AD) was an English saint. She is primarily commemorated in the village of Saint Osyth, Essex, near Colchester. Alternative spellings of her name include Sythe, Othith and Ositha. Born of a noble family, she founded a ...
, a 7th-century saint and princess. Locally, the name is sometimes pronounced "Toosey". It is claimed to be the driest recorded place in the United Kingdom.


History

Before being renamed after the Abbey of St Osgyth built there in the 12th century, the village was called ''Chich'' (also spelt ''Chiche'' or ''Chick''), from an Old English word ''cic'' meaning "bend", a reference to St Osyth Creek. Under
King Canute Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norw ...
/Cnut (reigned 1018–1035), Chich was assumed as part of the royal
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...
and granted to
Earl Godwin Godwin of Wessex ( ang, Godwine; – 15 April 1053) was an English nobleman who became one of the most powerful earls in Kingdom of England, England under the Denmark, Danish king Cnut the Great (King of England from 1016 to 1035) and his succ ...
. By him it was given to Christ Church,
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...
. After the
Conquest Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...
it was transferred to the
See of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames. For centuries the diocese covered a vast tract and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north ...
. The village is the location of an important mediaeval abbey, St Osyth's Priory, named after
Osgyth Osgyth (or Osyth; died 700 AD) was an English saint. She is primarily commemorated in the village of Saint Osyth, Essex, near Colchester. Alternative spellings of her name include Sythe, Othith and Ositha. Born of a noble family, she founded a ...
, a semi-legendary Saxon princess and martyr. The village was an important mediaeval pilgrimage centre, based on the cult of the saint, and was for a time very wealthy. It has an impressive parish church, St Peter and St Paul, which is a landmark building of the rediscovery of brick as a material in English architecture - its interior is almost entirely built of this material, but to a design resembling earlier stone-built churches.
Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Chiche Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Chiche KG (4 December 1506 – 28 June 1558) was an English courtier during the reign of Edward VI. He served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household and Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard between 1550 and 1551 b ...
is buried in the parish church. For other historic buildings in St Osyth, see
Historic England Archive The Historic England Archive is the public archive of Historic England, located in The Engine House on Fire Fly Avenue in Swindon, formerly part of the Swindon Works of the Great Western Railway. It is a public archive of architectural and arch ...
. St Osyth village was the subject of an episode of
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
's ''
Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned online in 2022 for two episodes released on YouTube. Created by television producer Tim ...
'' programme, "Lost Centuries of St Osyth", (series 12 episode 9, first broadcast in February 2005). The programme sought to uncover the early origins of the village, which is now concentrated around
the Priory The Priory Hospital, Roehampton, often referred to as The Priory, is a private mental health hospital in South West London. It was founded in 1872 and is now part of the Priory Group, which was acquired in 2011 by an American private equity firm ...
, the surviving parts of which date from its establishment as an Augustinian ('Austin') monastery in the 12th century. But digging in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul close to The Bury - the old marketplace - in the current village centre found no evidence of much settlement there before the 14th century, whereas fieldwalking and digging revealed a mass of earlier material along the north bank of St Osyth Creek, about half a mile to the south. The earlier name of the village (Chich - see above) always suggested this might be the case - information the programme failed to give. The programme found evidence that a massive high tide in the 1600s might have ended industrial activity in the original village site along the creek. The village was a focus for the St Osyth witch persecutions in the 16th and 17th centuries. Fourteen women were tried and ten local women were hanged. In 1921 the skeletons of two women, one in chains, were discovered in the garden of a house in the village. One was claimed to be the witch Ursley Kempe, who was the first to be prosecuted. The skeletons became a local tourist attraction. In the Napoleonic Wars two Martello Towers were built on the peninsula between the Colne Estuary and Brightlingsea Creek. One survives at Stone Point and is now the East Essex Aviation Museum. The peninsula was cordoned off and used by the Navy and Army in both world wars. Between 1942 and 1944 it was a landing-craft training base called HMS Helder. No 1 Martello Tower was a signal station and minefield control point, linked to the Navy at Brightlingsea.


Geography

St Osyth is claimed to be the driest recorded place in the United Kingdom, with an average annual rainfall of just . The modern village lies on the coastward edge of the clay plateau which forms much of the topography of North East Essex, at an altitude of about 20 metres above mean sea level, but extends down towards the tidal St Osyth Creek. It overlooks extensive areas of rough pasture to the south and east - former marshes drained and reclaimed from the 17th century onward, which typically lie only one or two metres above mean sea level (some patches are below, especially near
Jaywick Jaywick is a coastal village in the Tendring district of Essex, England, west of Clacton-on-Sea. It lies on the North Sea coast of England, from London and from Colchester. It was constructed in the 1930s as a holiday resort for Londoners, ...
). To the north-east the land was formerly heathland, and in common with much or the area around Colchester has been extensively quarried for sand and gravel. St Osyth parish extends south from the village to the coast and includes the smaller villages of
Point Clear Point Clear is a village in the civil parish of St Osyth, south-west of the village of St Osyth and on the other side of St Osyth Creek, a branch of the Colne Estuary in the Tendring district, in the county of Essex, England. In 2018 it had an ...
and Lee-over-Sands. Although much of the parish boundary is coastline, which does not need to be "beaten," St Osyth is one parish that keeps up the tradition of
beating the bounds Beating the bounds or perambulating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in parts of England, Wales, and the New England region of the United States, which traditionally involved swatting local landmarks with branches to maintain a shared ...
on
Rogation days Rogation days are days of prayer and fasting in Western Christianity. They are observed with processions and the Litany of the Saints. The so-called ''major'' rogation is held on 25 April; the ''minor'' rogations are held on Monday to Wednesday ...
. The Parish is one of the largest (in area) in Essex and extends inland almost to the village of
Weeley Weeley is a village and civil parish in Tendring, east Essex, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,768. It is served by Weeley railway station on the Sunshine Coast Line. It has bus links to Clacton-on-Sea and Colchester. ...
4 miles (6 km) to the NE. Between the Park of the Priory and Flag Creek (of which St Osyth Creek is a tributary) lies The Howlands, an extensive area of rough pasture managed as a Nature Reserve by the Essex Wildlife Trust. This is accessible to the public via a footpath along the creek from Mill Dam, and via another from the B1027. Two birdwatching hides are accessible to the public, one overlooking the rough grassland and the other on the sea-wall with views of Flag Creek. The seawall has been deliberately breached in order to create a shallow lagoon. Avocet, Golden Plover, Shelduck, Short-eared Owl, Marsh Harrier and Brent Geese are all found there, along with the invasive Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi). Adders ''(vipera berus)'' are also common.


Landmarks

The most famous feature of the village is St Osyth's Priory, a group of Grade I and II
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
s. The prime ones are the late 14th-century gatehouse (see photo) decorated in flint flushwork, and the Abbot's Tower of about 1527. The Abbey became home to the Earls of Rochford, after King
William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...
created the title for William Nassau de Zuylestein in 1695. St Osyth's Priory held a herd of polled White Park cattle until an outbreak of
foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, followe ...
in 1951, which led to their slaughter. A contemporary account states: The land within the Priory boundaries is shown as a Deer Park on the
Ordnance Survey , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg , logo_width = 240px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , di ...
map. The Priory is currently a private residence, not open to the public. Attempts by the owner to develop the park have resulted in controversy and a sustained campaign by a local group, Save Our St Osyth (S.O.S.). The owner, a property developer, has argued that the Priory buildings are in dire need of repair and development is required to finance this. The Priory grounds contain the site of a Roman villa, marked on the Ordnance Survey map TM1216. The site of the contemporary wharf serving the villa has been identified on Howlands Marsh. A Roman road led from near Elmstead Market to the vicinity of the current St Osyth burial ground on Clay Lane. A wooden tide mill stood at the north end of the dam which now crosses St Osyth Creek and the 'Mill Pond' or Mill Dam Lake; it was demolished in 1962 but the sluice which powered the mill still operates as Mill Dam Lake is filled and emptied tidally from St Osyth Creek. The lake is used for water-skiing. A commercial boatyard operates on St Osyth Creek. It is the home port of the
Thames sailing barge A Thames sailing barge is a type of commercial sailing boat once common on the River Thames in London. The flat-bottomed barges with a shallow draught and leeboards, were perfectly adapted to the Thames Estuary, with its shallow waters and narr ...
Edme, formerly of the Edme Maltings at
Mistley Mistley is a large village and civil parish in the Tendring district of northeast Essex, England. It is around 11 miles northeast of Colchester and is east of, and almost contiguous with, Manningtree. The parish consists of Mistley and New Mist ...
, a frequent competitor, and often victor, in the annual Thames Barge racing series. A plaque on The Bury (as the green in front of the Priory is called) commemorates the achievement of Trevor Osben, who circumnavigated the globe in a self-built sloop. The village church is dedicated to Saints
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...
and
Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
. The
Martello tower Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand up ...
at Point Clear has been converted into a war museum. Just south of the village lies St Clere's Hall, a fine example of a 13th-century aisled hall (not open to the public).


St Osyth Beach

The neighbouring settlement of St Osyth Beach contains Essex's largest concentration of static
caravan park Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...
ing, including Seawick, St Osyth Beach (owned by
Park Holidays UK Park Holidays UK operates 54 holiday parks in the UK and is one of the largest holiday park operators in the UK, offering caravan and lodge holidays, glamping breaks, touring and camping, and holiday home ownership. It has parks in both country ...
) and Hutleys. These boost the local population in the summer by an estimated 7,000. Some of the beach is used for nude bathing. St Osyth Beach and adjoining
Jaywick Jaywick is a coastal village in the Tendring district of Essex, England, west of Clacton-on-Sea. It lies on the North Sea coast of England, from London and from Colchester. It was constructed in the 1930s as a holiday resort for Londoners, ...
were the scene of fatalities during "The Great Flood" of 1953. The tiny settlement of Lee-over-Sands, adjacent to Colne Point Nature Reserve with access from Lee Wick Lane, is a remnant of a failed 1920s attempt to build a golfing resort. Lying mostly along the seaward side of the coastal defences, it consists mainly of small chalet dwellings built on stilts to protect them against high tides. It has recently become celebrated for some unusual beach-house architecture.


Entertainment

The Venue is an entertainment venue that opened in St Osyth in early 2009. In its opening year it played host to the
Sugababes Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes releas ...
,
N-Dubz N-Dubz are an English hip hop trio from Camden Town, London, consisting of cousins Dappy and Tulisa, and Fazer. After winning a MOBO Award for Best Newcomer in 2007, N-Dubz briefly signed to Polydor Records before joining All Around the Wor ...
,
The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/Soul music, soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, f ...
,
Ricky Tomlinson Eric "Ricky" Tomlinson (born 26 September 1939) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Bobby Grant in '' Brookside'', DCI Charlie Wise in ''Cracker'' and Jim Royle in '' The Royle Family'', and playing the titular cha ...
,
Kevin Bloody Wilson Kevin Bloody Wilson (born Dennis Bryant; 13 February 1947) is an Australian musical comedian who performs comical songs with his heavy Australian English accent and often including sexual themes. He has won one ARIA Music Award. Early career ...
and
The Stylistics The Stylistics are an American, Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith and James Dunn. All of ...
. The St Osyth Social Club in Church Square is home to three league
darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, missiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dar ...
teams: St Osyth Social, The Priorymen and SOSC Ladies.


Notable people

In order of birth: *
William de Corbeil William de Corbeil or William of Corbeil (21 November 1136) was a medieval Archbishop of Canterbury. Very little is known of William's early life or his family, except that he was born at Corbeil, south of Paris, and that he had two brothers. E ...
(c. 1070–1136), appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1123, had previously been Prior at Chich (St Osyth Abbey). *
Ursula Kemp Ursula Kemp or Ursley Kempe alias Grey (ca. 1525 – 1582) was an English cunning woman and midwife who in 1582 was tried for witchcraft and hanged. Kemp was accused of (and apparently confessed to) using familiars to kill and bring sickness ...
(c. 1525–1582), midwife, was tried and hanged for
witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
along with several others *
William Nassau de Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford William Hendrik of Nassau, Lord of Zuylestein, 1st Earl of Rochford (1649 – 12 July 1708) was a Dutch soldier and diplomat in the service of his cousin William III of England. During the reign of James II of England he travelled to England to l ...
(1649–1708), Anglo-Dutch soldier and diplomat *
William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford William Henry Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford, KG, PC (17 September 1717 O.S. – 29 September 1781) was a British courtier, diplomat and statesman of Anglo-Dutch descent. He occupied senior ambassadorial posts at Madrid and Paris, ...
(1717–1781), diplomat and statesman * Benjamin Golding (1793–1863), founder of
Charing Cross Hospital Charing Cross Hospital is an acute general teaching hospital located in Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom. The present hospital was opened in 1973, although it was originally established in 1818, approximately five miles east, in central Lond ...
*
Somerset de Chair Somerset Struben de Chair (22 August 1911 – 5 January 1995) was an English author, politician, and poet. He edited several volumes of the memoirs of Napoleon. Early and personal life De Chair was the younger son of Admiral Sir Dudley Rawson ...
(1911–1995), soldier, author, art collector and politician, owned St Osyth's Priory from 1954 until his death.


Notes and references


External links

*
St Osyth Parish Council websiteSt Osyth Museum website
{{authority control Saint Osyth Civil parishes in Essex Tendring Nude beaches