Burnham-On-Crouch

“BURNHAM, a parish in the hundred of DENGIE, county of ESSEX, 19½ miles (E. S. E.) from Chelmsford, containing 1371 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, in the archdeaconry of Essex, and diocese of London, rated in the king's books at £22. 13. 4., and in the patronage of Lady Jane St. John Mildmay. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, stands about a mile south of the village; on an elevated site, the tower serving as a landmark for mariners. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. The village is situated on the northern bank of the river Crouch, near its estuary: there is a commodious quay; and the oyster-beds, both in the river and on the coast, are extremely productive, a considerable quantity of oysters being annually exported to Holland. There are extensive salt marshes in the vicinity. A school for the instruction of boys and girls has an endowment of about £80 per annum.” [From Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of England (1831) - copyright Mel Lockie 2016]