Rayleigh is a thriving hilltop town in the county of Essex some thirty-five miles east of London. It is nine miles from the county capital of Chelmsford and five miles from Southend-on-Sea, an Essex coastal resort popularized by day-tripper from London. For much of its history Rayleigh was a small village but in common with many such places its population expanded greatly in the postwar years, particularly during the 1960s. Today it is a town of about 34,000 people, many of whom work in Southend, Chelmsford or commute to London. Rayleigh has become a centre of employment in its own right, however, and many small manufacturing and service companies are based in the town's industrial area.
Iron-Age pottery and implements from Roman times have been unearthed in the district, but the earliest reference to Rayleigh is in the Domesday Book of 1087, where it is recorded as being under the lordship of 'Suain' or 'Sweyne'. He was a Saxon noblemen who had supported William the Conqueror's claim to England and was allowed to keep his lordship of the district by William as a reward. Sweyne built a castle adjoining Rayleigh village, and the earthwork remains of this are fortunately today in the possession of the National Trust, providing a pleasant site for picnics just off the busy High Street. In the 1780s a windmill was built in the area of the castle once occupied by the bailey and was used by local farmers until the early 1900s. The windmill remains one of Rayleigh's landmarks and the small museum it houses (open on Saturday mornings) has a good collection of agricultural implements.
Rayleigh also possesses some fine old houses, including Barrington's Hall, which now serves as the Council offices. There is also the 'Dutch Cottage', dating from the Seventeenth Century and believed to have been built by Dutch refugees from the Netherlands who settled in small numbers in South Essex. It is situated two minutes walk from the High Street and is usually open to visitors on Wednesday afternoons. But pride of place goes to its beautiful Anglican church, Holy Trinity. Please refer to the next page for more on Holy Trinity.
