Wethersfield, Essex

Last updated

Wethersfield
St Mary Magdalene & St Mary the Virgin, Wethersfield (geograph 2756597).jpg
Church of St Mary Magdalene
and St Mary the Virgin, Wethersfield
Essex UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Wethersfield
Location within Essex
Population1,269 (2011 Census) [1]
OS grid reference TL7131
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BRAINTREE
Postcode district CM7
Dialling code 01371
Police Essex
Fire Essex
Ambulance East of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Essex
51°57′13″N0°29′20″E / 51.9536°N 0.4889°E / 51.9536; 0.4889

Wethersfield is a village and civil parish on the B1053 road in the Braintree district of Essex, England. [2] [3] It is near the River Pant. Wethersfield has a school, a social club, a fire station and one place of worship. Nearby settlements include the town of Braintree and the village of Finchingfield. The village probably gets its name from a Viking invader named Wuthha or Wotha, who controlled that particular "field" or clearing.[ citation needed ] Reverend Patrick Brontë, father of the Brontë sisters, was a young curate here in 1807, as was the Rev. John West, missionary to Canada, who married Harriet Atkinson here in 1807. [4]

MDP Wethersfield was the headquarters and training centre for the Ministry of Defence Police until 2022, located at the former RAF Station Wethersfield, and was used by the RAF, United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF). It is now used to house asylum seekers.

The village is also one of The Hundred Parishes.

The civil parish includes the hamlets of Beazley End, Blackmore End, and Brickkiln Green.

Wethersfield, Essex is the namesake of Wethersfield, Connecticut. [5]

References

  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  2. Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 167 Chelmsford (Harlow & Bishop's Stortford) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2012. ISBN   9780319232101.
  3. "Ordnance Survey: 1:50,000 Scale Gazetteer" (csv (download)). www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Ordnance Survey. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  4. John West in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography
  5. The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Connecticut Magazine Company. 1903. p. 335.