Maldon (, locally ) is a town on the
Blackwater estuary in
Essex,
England. It is the seat of the
Maldon district and starting point of the
Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.
Maldon is twinned with the
Dutch town of
Cuijk. The charter between the two towns was signed in 1970 to cement the relationship.
History
Maldon's name comes from
Mael meaning 'meeting place' and
dun meaning 'hill', so translated as "meeting place on the hill". East Saxons settled the area in the fifth century and the area to the south is still known as the Dengie peninsula after the Dæningas. It became a significant
Saxon port with a hythe or Quayside and
artisan quarters. Evidence of imported pottery from this period has been found in
archaeological digs. From 958 there was a
royal mint issuing coins for the late
Anglo-Saxon and early
Norman kings.
The tower of St. Peter's Church
It was one of the only two towns in
Essex (
Colchester was the other), and King
Edward the Elder lived here while combating the
Danish settlers who had overrun North Essex and parts of
East Anglia. A
Viking raid was beaten off in 924, but in another raid in 991 the defenders were defeated in the
Battle of Maldon and the Vikings received tribute but apparently did not attempt to sack the town. It became the subject of the poem
The Battle of Maldon.
According to the
Domesday Book there were 180 townsmen in 1086. The town still had the mint and supplied a warhorse and warship for the king's service in return for its privileges of self-government. There were strong urban traditions here with two members elected to the Commons and three guilds which hosted lavish religious plays until they were suppressed by
Puritans in 1576. Then, until 1630, professional actors were invited to perform plays, which were also stopped by
Puritans. From 1570 to about 1800 a rival tradition of inviting prominent clergy to visit the town also existed. In 1629 a series of
grain riots took place, led by the wife of a local butcher
In the seventeenth century
Thomas Plume started the to house over 8,000 books and pamphlets printed between 1487 and his death in 1704; the collection has been added to at various times since 1704. The Plume Library is to be found at St. Peter's Church. Only the original tower survives, the rest of the building having been rebuilt by Thomas Plume to house his library (on the first floor) and
Maldon Grammar School (on the ground floor).
Maldon was chosen as one of the landing sites of a
planned French invasion of Britain in 1744 However the French invasion fleet was wrecked in storms, and their forces never landed.
Geography
Nearby places
Transport
Maldon's first
railway link was a
branch line to Witham opened in 1846. Later a second line linked Maldon with
Woodham Ferrers on the
Southminster–
Shenfield line.
Edward Arthur Fitch, writing in about 1895, states that from London's Liverpool Street station to Maldon East station via
Witham there were eight trains on weekdays and three on Sundays and that via
Wickford there were five trains on weekdays and none on Sundays. The fastest train took 85 minutes via Witham and 82 minutes via Shenfield
[Fitch, Edward Arthur: Maldon and the River Blackwater. Gowers 1895.].
Both lines were closed in the 20th century. The nearest railway stations to Maldon are
Hatfield Peverel,
Witham and
North Fambridge. Hatfield Peverel is the closest railway station to the north of the town, whilst North Fambridge is closest to southern parts of the town.
Culture
Maldon is known throughout the country and in many parts of the world as the foremost modern-day centre for Thames sailing barges. The badge of Maldon District itself is a Thames sailing barge. These are among the last cargo vessels in the world still operating under sail, albeit now used in the spheres of education and leisure. Some ten to fifteen of the surviving fleet count Maldon as their home port, and many others are regular visitors alongside at the Hythe quay. An annual sailing barge race ends with a parade of sail and prize-giving at the quay. The yard where barges were once built is still working at the end of Maldon quay.
The town holds an annual "Taxi Day" which sees mentally and physically disabled children from London driven to Maldon in London Black Cabs for a fun day of activities and a meal. The event dates back to 1952 when a London cab driver visited the Elizabeth Fry Special School in Plaistow. He wanted to do something special for the young patients he saw there. He wrote to every one of Essex's sea side towns to arrange an outing and the only town that was willing to help was Maldon, thus Taxi Day has remained a tradition ever since.
Every year around New Year's Day, the town holds the charitable
Maldon mud race where competitors race across the Blackwater estuary at low tide, along the bank and back through the water.
Each year, on the first two Thursdays in December the town holds a special evening known as Victorian Evening which celebrates the Victorian times. Local people dress up in typical Victorian attire and run stalls selling traditional food to handmade items. On these evening's the local shops and restaurants stay open late to allow the public to shop for longer.
Cultural references
Maldon and the surrounding area are the setting for a series of books by the prolific author, S L Bensusan. Bensusan's stories recall a lost way of life among the towns and villages in the area, and along the local coastline and marshland. In Bensusan's books, Maldon is called Market Waldron.
Maldon has been the setting for numerous television productions, including "The Lawless Heart (2001) starring Bill Nighy, and
BBC1's "
Murder Game" (2003) where numerous Blackwater Estuary locations were used including Green's Flour Mill at the bottom of Market hill and Steeple Marshes. Maldon features in
H. G. Wells' '
War of the Worlds'; it is the town from which the narrator's brother and two female companions manage to escape across the channel.
In the
Marvel Comics Universe, the twin superheroes
Psylocke and
Captain Britain were born and raised in Maldon.
Sport
There are many developed youth football teams in Maldon, among them being Maldon Saints.The Town has a vibrant Cricket Club, with several adult and colts sides, who play at two grounds. The Promenade Park, Maldon and the main ground at Drapers Farm, Heybridge. Recent improvements to the ground include a dual lane enclosed all weather net facility. Overseas players from Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka have coached cricket in local primary schools as part of the "ECB Chance To Shine" programme. Drapers Farm is also the home of Maldon Rugby Union Football Club which was founded in 1947 by Tommy Harries who was the landlord of the Kings Head Public House in Maldon High Street. The inaugural meeting was on 28 August 1947 at the Blue Boar Hotel. Maldon RFC run several senior male sides and one female side as well as all youth age groups from under 7s to under 18s.
Notable people
Private
David Embleton won a Victoria Cross, in his army name of
Frederick Corbett, in the Arabi Pasha Rebellion in Egypt on the 5 August 1882. He was buried in an unmarked grave in London Road Cemetery, Maldon but in 2004 the regimental association provided a memorial and in 2005 the Essex Society for Family History provided another. He served in the
King's Royal Rifle Corps. Unfortunately he forfeited his VC after committing theft in 1884.
Edward Bright (1721-1750) was the "fat man of Maldon", a grocer who, at 47.5
stone (276 kg) was reputed to be the fattest man in England. His coat could encompass seven men. Etchings of a painting of him were much sought after just after his death. His chair resides in the Moot Hall.
John Cook (1918-1984) was a prolific 20th-century Anglo-American composer, organist and church musician.
John Kemp (1926-1987). John Kemp's work on the preservation of Thames sailing barges in the 1960s was critical to re-establishing Maldon as the foremost sailing barge port in the country. John Kemp was responsible for the creation of the East Coast Sail Trust, a schoolship scheme for young people utilising the sailing barges
Thalatta and Sir Alan Herbert, operated from Maldon. He was author of three books and chronicler of the Maldon and Essex coastal scenes and the unique character of the marshland folk, especially in the Maldon and Burnham Standard, Essex Chronicle and Essex County Standard newspapers.
David C Massey was a very talented singer and actor who lived in Maldon for 5 years.
Neil Gowlett was one of the originators of the
Maldon mud race. He also invented the
Blackwater cocktail (Southern Comfort, vodka, creme de menthe, orange juice and Pepsi cola - it looks like the river water, but tastes much better!) Neil drowned in the
River Blackwater in the mid 1970s.
Interesting facts
- In 1171, a Royal Charter was issued by Henry II, to enable him use of the town's port for his own personal trading. A copy of this charter is found at Moot Hall in Maldon High Street.
- Nationally, it has been voted the 3rd best market town in the country.
- Maldon Crystal Sea Salt is made using crystals harvested along the beds of the River Blackwater.
- Maldon was the first town in the country to have a Tesco supermarket.
- Maldon's Victorian Vicar of All Saints' Church, the Rev. Edward Russell Horwood, M.A., J.P., was vicar for a total of 51 years. He was also a Trustee of the Plume Library.
- Maldon possesses the driest climate for any town in the country.
- The street lights turn off at 00:00 GMT, as a trial to cut down light pollution around the country.
- The phrase "to go like Billio" has been said by some to come from Maldon. According to legend, the first minister, Joseph Billio, of Maldon congregational chapel preached with such gusto that anyone doing anything well or being advised to do something well were told "to go like Billio". In fact this is a piece of folk etymology, the phrase dating from much later than the minister.
- Maldon parish church is reputed to be the only parish church in England with a triangular tower.
Gallery
See also
- Cooks Yard - barge building and repair yard on the River Chelmer at Maldon
