History of Colchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Colchester is a historic town located in Essex, England. It served as the first capital of Roman Britain and makes a claim to be the oldest town in Britain.
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[edit] Prehistoric and Roman era
Colchester lays claim to being the oldest recorded Roman town in England, existing as a Celtic settlement before the Roman conquest. There is archaeological evidence of settlement 3,000 years ago. Its Celtic name was "Camulodunon", meaning "the Fortress of Camulos". (Camulos was the Celtic god of war.) This name was modified to the Roman spelling of "Camulodunum" (written "CAMVLODVNVM") and the town was developed as a major colonia in the early stages of the conquest of Roman Britain, possibly with a view to its becoming the province's capital. It was sacked in the Boudican revolt, and though it recovered afterwards and lasted throughout the Roman occupation, its position as capital was assumed by Londinium.
[edit] Sub Roman and Saxon Era
Around the time of the final withdrawal of Roman armies from Britannia in c.410 there is evidence of hasty re-organisation of Colchester's defences, including the blocking of the Balkerne Gate. Archaeological excavations have shown that public buildings were abandoned, although the 8th-century chronicler Nennius mentioned the town, which he called Caer Colun, in his list of the 28 most important cities in Britain. The archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler was the first to propose that the lack of early Anglo-Saxon finds in a triangle between London, Colchester and St. Albans could indicate a 'sub-Roman triangle' where British rule continued after the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons. Since then however, excavations have revealed some early Saxon occupation, including a 5th-century wooden hut built on the ruins of a Roman house in present-day Lion Walk.
It has been suggested that the name Camulodunum may have been rendered Camelot and be the source of the legend of that city of Arthurian legend. The basis for this theory is pure conjecture but is supported by Colchester's historical position as the first capital of Britannia and the city could have retained a symbolic status in Romano-British kingship.
Following the founding of the Kingdom of Essex, traditionally in 527 AD, there is little evidence of early Saxon occupation; early Saxon settlers actively avoided living in most former Roman towns, though Colchester later resumed its natural position as the regional focus of trade routes, both along the old Roman road and up and down the River Colne and the Colne valley. In the later Saxon period, Colchester became an important port; the Saxon tower of Holy Trinity Church dates from this period. The town was captured by Vikings in 879 and fell under Viking rule until it was recaptured by English armies under Edward the Elder in 920.
[edit] Medieval era
[edit] Colchester Castle
Colchester Castle is the brough's main medieval landmark. The surviving castle building is an 11th century Norman keep built in the same style as the Tower of London. Few traces of the outer buildings, walls and bailey remain. The castle is built atop an old Roman temple. The castle is surrounded by the landscaped Castle Park.
[edit] Medieval Churches
The Benedictine abbey of St. John the Baptist, generally known as "Colchester Abbey" or "St. John's Abbey," had a beautiful late 11th century church until the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the execution of its abbot in 1539. Now all that remains of it is its gate, which is still a tourist attraction on St. John's Green and the small church with a wooden tower (St. Leonard's) which was built for the layworkers on the site.
The Augustinian priory of St. Botolph, generally known as "St. Botolph's Priory", was also established in the 11th century. This adopted the Augustinian Order in around 1200 and became the mother church of the order in Britain. Today all that remains of the priory are ruins. The present church on the site is Victorian.
In addition, Colchester had eight other medieval (Norman) churches within the walls. These were St. Mary at the Walls, St. Martin's, St. Runwald's, St. Nicholas, All Saints, Holy Trinity, St. James the Great, and St. Peter's.
[edit] Royal charter
In 1189, Colchester was granted its first Royal Charter by King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart.) The charter was granted at Dover with the King about to embark on one of his many journeys away from England. The borough celebrated the 800th anniversary of its charter in 1989 [1].
There were many other charters were granted by successive monarchs. The 1413 Charter granted by Henry V is on display in the Castle Museum [2].
The 1189 charter granted the borough rights to the oyster fishery in the estuary of the River Colne.
[edit] Dutch Quarter
Between 1550 and 1600, a large number of weavers and clothmakers from Flanders emigrated to Colchester and the surrounding areas where they were affectionately referred to as the 'Dutch'. They were famed for the production of Bays and Says cloth. An area in Colchester town centre is still known as the Dutch Quarter and many buildings there date from the Tudor period. During this period Colchester was one of the most prosperous wool towns in England.
[edit] Siege of Colchester
In 1648, Colchester was thrown into the thick of the Second English Civil War when a large Royalist army (led by Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle) entered the largely Parliamentarian (Roundhead) town. They were hotly pursued from Kent by a detachment of the New Model Army led by Sir Thomas Fairfax, Henry Ireton, and Thomas Rainborough. The Roundheads besieged the town for eleven and a half weeks. By that time, many of the town's most ancient monuments like St. Mary's Church and the Gate of St. John's Abbey were partially destroyed and the inhabitants were reduced to eating candles and boots. When the Royalists surrendered in the late summer, Lucas and Lisle were shot in the grounds of Colchester Castle. The spot is marked by an obelisk today and there is a myth that no grass will grow in this area (it has since been covered with tarmac to make sure.)
[edit] Colchester earthquake
At around 9:20 in the morning of April 22, 1884, the Colchester area was at the epicentre of the UK's most destructive earthquake, estimated to have been 5.2 on the Richter Scale, and lasting for about 20 seconds. The quake was felt over much of southern England and into Europe, and over 1,200 buildings were destroyed or damaged.
The Times for Wednesday, April 23 reported damage "in the many villages in the neighbourhood from Colchester to the sea coast", with many poor people made homeless, and estimated the financial cost of the quake at 10,000 pounds sterling. Great damage was also reported in Wivenhoe and Ipswich, and buildings destroyed included Langenhoe church. The death of a child at Rowhedge was also reported.
A copy of the Report on the East Anglian Earthquake of April 22nd 1884 can be found in the Colchester local library.
[edit] Oyster Feast
The Oyster Feast is the centrepiece of the Colchester's annual civic calendar. The feast celebrates the "Colchester Natives" (the native oyster, Ostrea edulis) that are gathered from the Colne oyster fishery. The feast has its origins in the 14th Century and is held in the Moot Hall.
[edit] Colchester Army Garrison
The Colchester Garrison has been an important military base since the Roman era. The first permanent military garrison in Colchester was established by the Legio XX Valeria Victrix in AD 43 following the Claudian invasion of Britain. Colchester was an important barracks during the Napoleonic Wars and throughout the Victorian era. During the First World War several battalions of Kitchener's Army were trained there. Today, there are considerable plans to build a new and modern barracks out of the town to free up building land in the centre and replace the Victorian buildings. There are hopes that some of the original architecture will be conserved for heritage.
[edit] Colchester Town Watch
Colchester Town Watch [3] was founded in 2001 to provide a ceremonial guard for the mayor of Colchester and for the town for civic events.
A self-financed body of volunteers, the Watch is convened under the auspices of the Statutes of Winchester of 1253. This statute was introduced to provide for some sort of law and order, and created the first police force in the UK. Today's Watch, of course, are a purely ceremonial body, leaving law and order to the Essex Constabulary.
The Watch's livery is based on late Elizabethan dress, and is in the town colours of red and green. The Watch wear crested morions, back and breastplates, and carry either partizans or half-pikes when on duty. The Captain has the privilege of wearing Elizabethan "civvies".
A fine and colourful (in every sense) body of persons, the Watch provide a link with Colchester history at many civic events. Their day is, however, the Marching Watches. On the Saturday closest to the Vigil of St. John The Baptist, the watch "walk the walls" completing a circuit of Colchester's town wall (the oldest in Britain, with parts dating back to Roman times), a "beating the bounds" type ceremony, establishing the territory they protect. A distance of some 3 kilometers, it finishes in a local hostelry, The Foresters Arms, so that the Watch may refresh themselves. They are accompanied by Mayors past and present, such civic dignitaries as may wish to attend, and anyone else who cares to join in.
[edit] Colchester Co-op
The Colchester and East Essex Co-operative Society was founded in 1861. Today the society is the largest independent retail chain in the region with a net asset value of £65 million.
[edit] Paxman diesels
The Paxman diesels business has been associated with Colchester since 1865 when James Noah Paxman founded a partnership with the brothers Henry and Charles Davey ('Davey, Paxman, and Davey') and opened the Standard Ironworks at a location in the town centre. In 1876 James Paxman obtained a site on Hythe Hill and the company moved to the "New" Standard Ironworks.
In 1925 Paxman produced its first spring injection oil engine and joined the English Electric Diesel Group in 1966 - later becoming part of the GEC Group. Since the 1930s the Paxman company's main business has been the production of diesel engines. Paxman engines are world famous. They are used in fast naval patrol craft, submarines, and high speed trains. At its peak, the Paxman works covered 23 acres (93,000 m²) and employed over 2,000 people.
Paxman became part of MAN B&W Diesel Ltd in 2000. In 2003 the company announced proposals to transfer manufacturing to Stockport. The last production engine to be built in Colchester was completed on 15th September 2003. This marked the end of 138-years manufacturing by Paxman of Colchester. All that is left on the Standard Works site is the Diesel Service (Spares, Service and Overhaul) activities, employing around 100 people.
