Mersea Island - The island in a pool (Meresig, Saxon)

 

 

Mainly farming and fishing alongside tons of visible history.  A stunning location just a few miles away from Colchester. You can still see some of the famous Red Hills with the heaps of burn soil being the remains of celtic salt workings that were made in-conjunction with salt panning. Come to Mersea and get a real feel of old England with great beaches superb fish restaurants, absolutely world class Oysters and sensational views of this pretty ancient island.

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The Romans left Mosaics, the best of which is in West Mersea church and West Mersea Hall.  Then there is the first Century A.D. Barrow. This mound enclosed a brick tomb with a burial casket made of lead and within the casket was a green glass bowl containing the cremated remains of an adult. Sadly no more information is available here yet and this is now on exhibition in Mersea Museum. Watch this space.

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When England slipped into the 'Dark Age' 500 AD a monk called Cedd was sent to convert all  to Christianity. Then in the 9th C came the Danes /Vikings.   in 1003 the Vikings pushed the Saxons off the throne and in 1046 Edward the Confessor granted West Mersea to the Abbey of St Ouen in France.   Mersea was Norman before the 1066 William the Conqueror invasion! Who knew?  The Court Rolls of the Manor of East Mersea still exist indicating that the normal everyday local life remained the same despite all.   Poaching, damage to hedges, non-payment of tithes and normal neighbourly disputes.  Nothing much has changed in Essex then! 

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West Mersea records were destroyed in the Great Peasant Revolt. Then sadly in 1381 The black death had a devastating effect on the island and the land fell into decay with a shortage of labour.  However, many farms still exist that were about in Norman times, Reeves Hall, Bower Hall, Barrow and Weir Farms to name a few. 

 

In March 2017 off Cooper beach a Mammoth tusk was discovered and was deemed to be more then 100,000 years old.  The rest is History.