By tradition, the origins of the church, St Mary Magdalene, at Great Burstead are linked to Saint Cedd (d.664). Cedd, a missionary monk and later Bishop of the East Saxons, was trained by the Celtic Saint Aidan at Lindisfarne. Cedd's original chapel at Bradwell-juxta-Mare in Essex can still be visited. It is understood that at first he set up his wayside preaching cross on the present-day church site, and a well which he blessed, then after he converted Ebba, the Thane of Great Burstead. However, it is also reputed that the East Saxon King Sæberht (d 616) was buried nearby, a convert under the earlier Christian mission of Mellitus, the first Bishop of London. The area first having been settled by the East Saxons around 527 AD. Later, around 680 AD, the cross was replaced with a wooden building by the Thane, Edwy, perhaps dedicated by Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury. An ancient English Yew, found to the south of the church and over a millennium old, is thought to be one of Essex's oldest trees.
In 1086 the Norman Domesday Book[2] stated that Great Burstead village contained 150 sheep, two horses, 3 teams of oxen, and 118 householders (villagers), and was owned by Odo of Bayeux, William the Conqueror's half brother.
In 1381 the Peasants' Revolt took place, and after the death of Wat Tyler in London, the Essex men retreated back to Billericay. The Battle of Billericay took place on 28 June 1381 probably in Norsey Wood; 500 Essex man were killed, and over 700 horses were captured. The men are believed to be buried along with their leaders in the church of St Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead.
Thomas Watts, a local Great Burstead draper, was burned at the stake in Chelmsford for refusing to pray in church under Queen Mary I. On 9 June 1555, Thomas was buried in Great Burstead Church.
South Green, today a residential area of Great Burstead, also consisting of shops and a public green space, in medieval times was likely to have been used for archery practice, the local sign today depicts this.[3]
Born in Great Burstead in 1582 was Christopher Martin, a Merchant and local property owner, who married Mary Prowe in Burstead church in 1607. Martin became churchwarden at St Mary Magdalene Church in 1611. In 1620 he became the Governor of the Mayflower ship, and purchasing agent for supplies, and a signer of the Mayflower Compact in 1621. He died on 8 January 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Great Burstead was part of the Barstablehundred,[4] and in 1841 had a population of 884 spread over 3,620 acres (14.6km2) of land. The complete census can be viewed, as can a listing of many of the historical public houses.[5]
On 24 September 1916, German Zeppelin L32 was shot down by 2nd Lt Frederick Sowrey of the Royal Flying Corps. The airship narrowly missed Billericay High Street and crashed in fields just off from Greens Farm lane Great Burstead, killing all 22 crew.[6]
In 1931 the parish had a population of 3690.[7] The Great Burstead parish, which also covered Billericay was abolished on 1 January 1937 to form Billericay.[8] The parish formed part of the Billericay Rural District from 1894 and Billericay Urban District from 1934. The district was renamed Basildon Urban District in 1955 and became part of the present-day Basildon district in 1974.
The village has South Green as its main shopping district. As of 2020, the district was in reality only a small parade of related businesses. It consisted of about ten units each for a different customer-facing business, with the following businesses included: pharmacy, take-away shop, post office, doctor's surgery (GP), convenience store, and florists. More or less next to the parade of shops is a scenic green bounded by the parade, houses, a memorial hall, a petrol station, and roads.
The Great Burstead cricket team was formed in 1956. It has recently merged with East Hanningfield CC but will continue to play in the T Rippon Mid-Essex League.
Governance
Great Burstead is part of electoral ward called Burstead. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 10,620.[9]
Upminster is a suburban town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. Located 16.5 miles (26.6 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the district centres identified for development in the London Plan.
Billericay is a town and civil parish in the Basildon district, Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin and constitutes a commuter town 25 miles east of Central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces. It is thought to have been occupied since the Bronze Age.
The Borough of Basildon is a local government district with borough status in Essex, England. The borough is named after its largest town, Basildon, where the council is based. The borough also includes the towns of Billericay and Wickford and surrounding rural areas.
North Ockendon is the easternmost settlement of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is 18 miles (29 km) east-northeast of Central London and consists of a dispersed settlement within the Metropolitan Green Belt. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Essex, which was abolished for civil purposes in 1936. North Ockendon is the only inhabited area in Greater London outside the M25 London Orbital Motorway. North Ockendon is north of South Ockendon, in Thurrock, Essex.
Christopher Martin and his family embarked on the historic 1620 voyage of the Pilgrim ship Mayflower on its journey to the New World. He was initially the governor of passengers on the ship Speedwell until that ship was found to be unseaworthy, and later on the Mayflower, until replaced by John Carver. He was a signatory to the Mayflower Compact. He and his family all perished in the first winter at Plymouth Colony.
Billericay was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Shenfield is a commuter suburb of Brentwood, in the borough of Brentwood, Essex, England. In 2020, the suburb was estimated to have a population of 5,396.
Master Christopher Jones Jr. was the captain of the 1620 voyage of the Pilgrim ship Mayflower.
Basildon and Billericay is a constituency in Essex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Since its 2010 creation it has been represented by John Baron, a Conservative.
Thurrock was a local government district and civil parish in south Essex, England from 1936 to 1974.
East Tilbury is a village and former civil parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock borough, Essex, England, and one of the traditional Church of England parishes in Thurrock. In 2011 the ward had a population of 6,363.
Basildon Urban District was a local government district in south Essex, England from 1934 to 1974.
Billericay Rural District was a local government district in Essex, England from 1894 to 1934.
Laindon is a town in the Borough of Basildon in Essex, England. It is between Basildon and West Horndon. It was an ancient parish in Essex that was abolished for civil purposes in 1937. It was based on the manor of the same name. As of 2020, Laindon's population was 37,175.
Bowers Gifford is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet, in the Basildon district, in Essex, England. It is east of Pitsea and west of South Benfleet. It adjoins the small village of North Benfleet.
Little Burstead is a village in Essex, England. It lies 2¼ miles SSW of Billericay, and 4½ E by S of Brentwood railway station.
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 Greater London to the south and south-west. There are three cities in Essex: Southend, Colchester and Chelmsford, in order of population. For the purposes of government statistics, Essex is placed in the East of England region.
St Mary Magdalene is a Grade I-listed parish church in the village of Great Burstead, about 1.5 mi (2.4 km) south of Billericay, Essex, England. The present building dates to the 12th century, but a wooden church may have been built on the site during the seventh century. The church is part of the Great Burstead Conservation Area, which was designated as such in 1983.
Great Burstead and South Green is a civil parish in the Basildon district, in the county of Essex, England. The parish includes the settlements of Great Burstead, Noak Hill and South Green. In 2011 the parish had a population of 5968. The parish touches Billericay, Little Burstead, Noak Bridge and Ramsden Crays. There are 14 listed buildings in Great Burstead and South Green.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
