Wethersfield, Essex Explained

Country:England
Official Name:Wethersfield
Coordinates:51.9536°N 0.4889°W
Population:1,269
Population Ref:(2011 Census)[1]
Shire District:Braintree
Shire County:Essex
Region:East of England
Static Image:St Mary Magdalene & St Mary the Virgin, Wethersfield (geograph 2756597).jpg
Static Image Caption:Church of St Mary Magdalene
and St Mary the Virgin, Wethersfield
Constituency Westminster:Braintree
Post Town:BRAINTREE
Postcode District:CM7
Postcode Area:CM
Dial Code:01371
Os Grid Reference:TL7131

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. 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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Civil Parish population 2011. 7 September 2016. Office for National Statistics . Neighbourhood Statistics.
  2. Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 167 Chelmsford (Harlow & Bishop’s Stortford). 9780319232101 . Ordnance Survey. 2012.
  3. Web site: Ordnance Survey: 1:50,000 Scale Gazetteer. csv (download). 1 January 2016. Ordnance Survey. www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. 18 February 2016.
  4. http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/west_john_7E.html John West
  5. Book: The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly . 1903 . Connecticut Magazine Company . 335 .