Ancestry Tour of Essex

This evening I am reprising a tour of Essex in eastern England from where many early emigrants to what became the United States originated. In fact,this tour was specifically arranged for a couple from the U.S. who wished to connect with their personal ancestry dating back to the 16th century.

We visited churches at Sheering, Writtle and Brocking finishing the day at Colchester, an ancient own with Roman origins and an impressive castle. The Colchester hotel boats two prison cells dating from the 19th century when it was used as a transit stop for prisoners en-route to London.

The tour featured a preponderance of churches because they date back around 1000 years, were community centres as well as places of worship and tend to be the only enduring link with days past. 

It should also be born in mind that Essex is an abbreviation of 'East Saxons' a term which dates from around the 6th century when the countryside was settled by immigrants from northern Germany who brought their language with them and this formed the basic building block of modern English.

Images of the key sites are provided below.

 

 Sheering Church, Essex

 

Writtle Church

 

Tour Guests at Writtle

,  

Writtle England

 

Feline Friend at Bocking

 

Bocking Church

 

Colchester Castle

 

Rose & Crown, 15th c Hotel at Colchester

 
 
Former Prison Cells at Rose & Crown, Essex

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