Rochford is a town in

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, north of

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

, from

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 ...

and from

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 ...

, the county town. At the 2011 census, the

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 ...

, which includes the town and

London Southend Airport London Southend Airport is an international airport situated on the outskirts of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England, approximately from the centre of London. The airport straddles the boundaries between the city of Southend-on-Sea and the Ro ...

, had a population of 8,471.

History

The town is the main settlement in the Rochford district, and takes its name from Rochefort,

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

for ‘Ford of the Hunting Dogs’. The

River Roach A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wa ...

was originally called the Walfleet (‘Creek of the foreigners’). It was renamed the Roach in what is known as a back formation. This is where it is assumed that Rochford means ford over the River Roach so they renamed the river to fit the theory. The town runs into suburban developments in the parishes of

Ashingdon Ashingdon is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It is located about north of Rochford and is southeast from the county town of Chelmsford. The village lies within Rochford District and the parliamentary constituency of Rayleigh. A ...

and

Hawkwell Hawkwell is a village and civil parish in the district of Rochford in Essex, England. It is the second largest village after Rayleigh. The 2001 census gave a population for the parish of 11,231, increasing to 11,730 at the 2011 Census. Hawkwel ...

. Kings Hill, in Rochford, was notable for containing the Lawless Court up until the 19th century.

Peculiar People

In 1837

James Banyard James Banyard (14 November 1800 – 1863) was a Wesleyan Local Preacher, founder of The Peculiar People, farmer and shoemaker. Early life James Banyard was born in the market town of Rochford, Essex. His father, Robert Banyard (1776 - 1815), worke ...

(14 November 1800 – 1863) (a reformed drunk and

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...

preacher) and

William Bridges William or Bill Bridges may refer to: * William Bridges (author) (1933–2013), American writer and organizational consultant * William Bridges (general) (1861–1915), commander of the Australian Army's First Australian Imperial Force in 1 ...

(1802–1874) took a lease on the old

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...

at Rochford, which became the first chapel of the

Peculiar People The Peculiar People were a Christian movement that was originally an offshoot of the Wesleyan denomination, founded in 1838 in Rochford, Essex, by James Banyard, a farm-worker's son born in 1800. They derive their name from a term of praise found ...

, a name taken from Deuteronomy 14:2 and 1 Peter 2:9. The Peculiar People practised a lively form of worship bound by the literal interpretation of the

King James Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

, banning both frivolity and medicine. During the two World Wars some were conscientious objectors, believing that war is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ. The Peculiar People are nowadays known as the Union of Evangelical Churches, and have two churches in London and thirteen in Essex. James Banyard was buried in the graveyard of St Andrew's, Rochford.

First World War

Nearby Southend Airport started life as a grass fighter station in World War I. The site was founded in the autumn of 1914 when farmland between Westbarrow Hall and the Great Eastern railway line at Warners Bridge north of Southend Pier was acquired for RFC training purposes. Training continued until May 1915 when the site, known also as Eastwood, was taken over by the RNAS to become a Station (night) in the fight against intruding Zeppelins.

Second World War

Southend Airport was opened on the site on 18 September 1935. As World War II approached it was requisitioned by the Air Ministry in August 1939 for use as a fighter airfield by No.11 Group RAF. London Southend Airport, RAF Rochford was a satellite station for RAF Hornchurch and was primarily a fighter base, home mainly to Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane aircraft. Rochford airfield was accompanied by a radar base in Canewdon (around away). Due to the presence of the airfield Rochford was bombed a number of times during the war. It was returned to civilian service on 31 December 1946.

Geography

image:Rochford 220608.jpg, Aerial photo over Rochford. The old hospital boilerhouse can be seen. The town is just to the north of

, but is sufficiently separated from both Southend and Rayleigh, Essex, Rayleigh and continues to preserve its own identity.

Governance

The Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East (UK Parliament constituency), Rochford and Southend East is James Duddridge (Conservative Party (UK), Conservative). An Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in the same name exists. At the 2011 Census this ward had a population of 7,695.

Landmarks

Rochford Hall is partly privately owned by a family which live within the building, along with the golf course who also own a part of it as their clubhouse. In 1525, Henry VIII of England, Henry VIII awarded Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, Thomas Boleyn the title of ''Viscount Rochford''. Rochford Hall subsequently became the home of Mary Boleyn, sometime mistress of Henry VIII and (probably elder) sister of Queen Anne Boleyn, during Mary's second marriage to Sir William Stafford.

Leisure

Rochford Council are in partnership with Virgin Active in running Clements Hall Leisure Centre and Rayleigh Leisure Centre.

Sport

Rochford Hundred Rugby Club was formed in 1962 and as of 2019 play in London & South East Premier—level 5 of the English rugby union system. Rochford Town Football Club are a non-league side who play in the second division of the Essex Olympian Football League. Rankin’s Cricket Club was established in 1881 and play in the T Rippon Mid Essex League.

Transport

Trains run from Rochford railway station eastbound to Southend Victoria railway station, Southend Victoria and westbound to Liverpool Street station in the business district of central

. As a consequence, Rochford has long been popular as a dormitory town for commuters. Southend Airport railway station, which is sited on the eastern boundary of the airport, opened on 18 July 2011. Rochford has bus links to the surrounding towns; routes 7, 8 and 9 travel to Rayleigh, Essex, Rayleigh and

. There are over twenty scheduled flight destinations within Europe available from

Rochford Hospital

Rochford Hospital used to be primarily the district maternity hospital. It was here, in 1956, that Sister J Ward made observations that led to the development of phototherapy for newborns suffering from jaundice. Rochford Hospital was officially opened on Thursday 7 May 2009 by Professor Louis Appleby.

Churches

St Andrew's Church, Rochford, is close to Rochford Hall, and is part of Rochford Deanery, within the Bradwell Area of the Church of England Diocese of Chelmsford. Rochford Congregational Church has been part of the local community since 1750. The Congregational Church also established the first Dissenting School in the area; When others were afraid of educating the children of the lower classes because they might prove a danger to the state, the church ensured that ordinary people had "a plain and useful education." Rochford Methodist Church, near the White Horse Public House. The Methodists have been in Rochford since 1822, originally meeting in a building where Market Alley turns into the Square. In 1841 they moved to a new building in North Street near Weir Pond Road, and in 1880 they moved to their current premises. Rochford Community Church was founded in 1987 and meets at The Freight House near the railway station. There is also a small Roman Catholic church in Rochford, St Teresa of the child Jesus.

Notable people

*Jamie Cullum, jazz-pop musician *Terry Alderton, comedian and former footballer *Peter Allen (UK broadcaster), Peter Allen, journalist and radio presenter *Barrie Delf, professional footballer *Digby Fairweather, jazz musician *Brenda Forbes, Anglo-American actress of stage and screen *Philip Guard, actor *Dean Macey, athlete *Mike Penning, Conservative MP *Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich, Lord Chancellor under Edward VI of England, Edward VI, died in Rochford 12 June 1567 *Rachel Riley, TV presenter and mathematician, born in Rochford but raised in Thorpe Bay,

*Will Stevens, racing driver *Amanda Tapping, actress, producer and director best known for playing Samantha "Sam" Carter on the Canadian/American sci-fi shows, "Stargate SG-1" franchise was born in Rochford before moving to Canada with her family. *Andrew Tyrie, Conservative MP *Omar Abdullah, former List of Prime and Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister, Jammu and Kashmir, India *James Bourne, Singer and guitarist for band McBusted *Paul Stephenson (civil rights campaigner), Leader of the Bristol Bus Boycott *Matthew Yates, athlete

References

External links

* Rochford Historic Town Project Assessment Repor

{{authority control Towns in Essex Civil parishes in Essex Rochford District