History

The importance of the river access was recognised by the Romans who built a fort (Othona) at Bradwell-on-Sea and a port close to the present town of Maldon; 'Maeldun' was a Saxon settlement (Saxon 'dun' meaning a hill marked by a cross, 'mael' meaning speech or a place of meeting).

In 653 AD, a missionary named Cedd, sent by the Venerable Bede, landed at Bradwell-on-Sea; he travelled through East Anglia to convert the population to Christianity. The church he built in 654 AD at Bradwell stands today, one of the oldest and most complete Saxon churches in England. Although very small, this chapel, built on and from the ruins of the Roman fort, is a truly holy place.

The Battle of Maldon 991 AD

The region started to prosper marauding raiders from Scandinavia. In August 991 AD, an event occurred to ensure Maldon's place in history.

A raiding party of Danes, having sacked Ipswich, sailed up the Blackwater with their sights set on Maldon. They set up camp on Northey Island to prepare for their final assault. Waiting on the mainland was Byrhtnoth, Earldorman of Essex, leading a well armed English force, ready and willing to fight. Byrhtnoth allowed the Danes to cross the causeway from Northey to the mainland where a 3 day battle ensued. Byrthnoth was killed and his forces defeated but the Danes, although victorious, had suffered huge losses and were forced to retreat.

The site of the battle, recorded by English Heritage as the earliest recorded battlefield in England, is largely the same as it was in 991 AD and an epic poem about the battle is considered to rank among the very finest examples of early English literature. The Maldon Embroidery, in the Maeldune Centre, celebrates the Battle and depicts the history of the town since 991 AD.

The Development of the District

During the Middle Ages both Burnham-on-Crouch and Maldon became important fishing and trading ports, trading with east coast towns, London and across the North Sea to Europe. Smuggling was commonplace along the rivers and creeks.

After the Norman Conquest, Maldon became an important borough, its mint producing mayoral coins. The town was granted a Royal Charter by Henry II in 1171.

Many churches and other buildings (such as The Moot Hall, All Saints' Church and Vicarage and the Blue Boar Hotel) date from this period; behind modern shop fronts in Maldon are buildings from much earlier periods. Wool, leather goods, timber Products and agriculture were the major industries of the District, with goods being transported by water. Shipbuilding was important, and ships from the Maldon area took part in the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

Plume Library

Dr Plume chose the site of the neglected, medieval, parish church of St Peters' to erect a new school and library. This was to incorporate the mostly intact tower with the damaged parts rebuilt in the gothic style. Although the nave had collapsed this was replaced with a red brick building in keeping with the style of the period.

What was notable about the collection of Dr Plume was that many of his books were purchased second hand, as a result although the collection was started in the later 17th Century many of his books date back to the 16th Century.

Dr Plume had arranged that on his death his private collection should be moved to the newly completed school and library. He also made provision for the payment of salaries to future keepers of the library as well as allocating 20 shillings a year to be spent on new books.

The library continues to be managed as a private trust with help and support from the Friends of Thomas Plume Library.

The Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation

During the middle 18th century, the nearby town of Chelmsford was developing and demanding better supplies of fuel and food. Road transport between Maldon's port and Chelmsford was slow, with wagons taking a whole day to travel just 12 miles! In 1797, despite strong opposition from the merchants and traders of Maldon who feared a dramatic loss of business, the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation was built to link Chelmsford to Heybridge Basin, bypassing Maldon completely. The canal continued to play an important role until the coming of the railway in the middle of the 19th century. The canal played a key part in its own downfall by transporting equipment for the construction of the Eastern Counties Railway.

The canal slowly faded away as a commercial waterway and finally ceased to trade in 1973. Since then, however, the canal has enjoyed a new lease of life as a leisure facility. Hythe Quay is renowned as the home of the Thames Sailing Barge, providing moorings for the largest fleet on the east coast. The coming of the railway to Burnham-on-Crouch encouraged prestigious sailing clubs from London to move to the town.