I have returned to my roots in Billericay and loving the huge garden, and the people. As my early days often ended driving through Billericay, and having very little idea of where I was going, I also forgot to mention, I am honing in on any good or bad accessibility in the Billericay area, particularly the High street. This is not politics, just plain manners allowing everybody to feel inclusive. Please remove barriers.
I have been researching the road layouts, the history of the town and the local area. I have updated the pub history pages, and there are a major number of Inns listed in the High street for what was a small hamlet in its early days.
I have been reading a major number of early articles by a Wynford Grant in around 1962. He really knew the area, and much more of his thoughts to come, but you can read all his works at the Billericay History site.
What is intriguing is the origins of the name Billericay, and no one has confirmed or denied where the name originates. Billericay is not of any importance in the Normans time, as it is not mentioned in the Domesday book, but Great Burstead is, and is in fact the name that all early records for Billericay are linked under.
We do think that it was a Roman town at some stage, and a major crossing point for the roads leading between Tilbury and Chelmsford / Colchester; and also a main staging post for traffic from London towards Southend.
There are many Roman remains that have been found in the vicinity of Billericay town at Blunts, or Blunds, Wall and also in Norsey Wood. These have been the focus of all early archeological digs, and never in the actual township itself. But, Wynford Grant thinks that maybe Billericay was originally the site of a Roman fort, which being at a high eminence would have incredible views over the entirety of the area all the way to the Thames. And then when they left, the Anglo Saxons left the town to decay and moved in Burstead Magna (Great Burstead), and in many cases the Roman towns were completely destroyed.
I have later been reading a rather excellent document about Little Baddow, and its History. Again, a small reference to Saxons suggests they prefer low level strata close to a stream.
Then along come the monks and nuns from Stratford Langthorne, or West Ham Abbey for the lay reader, who were Cistercian monks and this was where the early inn traveller would reside along the way towards Canterbury on their pilgrimage. They left after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry the Eight, but Inns can then replace this service.
These are my thoughts anyway. I have loads more to say on this subject, of which i still know very little.
Mre recently, I have been researching archeological data and Liddar.
I found this brilliant site about using and understanding Liddar.
Actually, I always forget to mention all of the transcriptions of Essex in 1848 and 1863 I have been adding. As part of this process, I actually read them whilst updating, and some of the detail is incredibly uninteresting at times, but there are lots of references to possible Roman and Saxon forts or finds mentioned. You forget how interesting Essex actually is, if you move away from the busy highways and try some of the country roads, and lanes.
And here are links to the various Billericay directories:
Barstable Hundred 1848 Whites directory
Barstable Hundred in the 1863 Whites directory
Billericay 1848 directory
Billericay 1863 Whites directory
Billericay 1871 directory
Billericay 1911 census summary – district 5.
Billericay 1911 census summary – district 6
Billericay 1912 directory
Billericay 1917 directory
Billericay 1922 directory
Billericay 1937 directory
Billericay High street in 1937 plus Billericay High street in 2025 accessibility information.
Buttsbury 1871 directory
Buttsbury 1911 census
Buttsbury 1912 directory
Buttsbury 1922 directory
Great Burghstead 1848 directory
Great Burstead 1863 Whites directory
Great Burstead 1871 directory
Great Burstead 1912 directory
Great Burstead 1937 directory
Hello Billericay again!
Little Burstead 1848 directory
Little Burstead 1863 Whites directory
Little Burstead 1911 census summary
Little Burstead 1912 directory
Enjoy.
Kevan Wilding