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Rayleigh, Essex

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Rayleigh


Rayleigh shown within Essex
Population	34,000
OS grid reference	TQ805907
District	Rochford
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	RAYLEIGH
Postcode district	SS6
Dialling code	01268
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Rayleigh
European Parliament	East of England
List of places: UK • England • Essex

Coordinates: 51°35′11″N 0°36′18″E / 51.5864, 0.6049

Arms of the former Rayleigh Urban District Council. Note the roebuck, and that the first three syllables of the Latin motto are a bilingual pun.

Rayleigh (IPA: /ˈreɪliː/) is a market town in Essex, England located between Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea. It has a population of around 34,000 people, having expanded rapidly in the 1960s.

1 Origin of name .
2 History
3 Sports and Recreation
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Origin of name .

The name "Rayleigh" is Saxon in origin. According to the English Place Names Society, it derives from "raege", and "leah", meaning "Female roe-deer stream" or "she-goat stream'"^[1] According to the Rayleigh Civic Society, "Roa" is a Saxon word for Roebuck and "Lea" a pasture probably for goats. ^[2] In any case the connection with deer continued through the centuries. Lands around Rayleigh were used as Royal hunting forests for many hundreds of years. A deer was included in the coat of arms of Rayleigh Urban District Council and in the early 2000s a new pub was named the "Roebuck".

History

Prehistoric and Roman Times

There have been a scattering of stray finds around the town from Prehistoric and Roman times, including some Roman roof and hypocaust tiles found withing the fabric of Rayleigh Church. This suggests there was a Roman habitation site within the area. However there is little evidence of any density of population here during this period.^[3]

Saxon Era

One significant archaeological find was in the early 2000s at the western edge of Rayleigh, at the site of the former Park School in Rawreth Lane. An early Saxon cemetery site was discovered here, with 144 cremation burials and evidence of just one high-status female burial. ^[4] By the end of the Saxon period there was definitely a village here, as it is recorded in the Domesday Book.

Norman Period (1066-1154)

The Domesday Book mentions Rayleigh as having a number of villagers and smallholders, plus two slaves. Pigs, cattle, horses and goats were kept here. In addition 6 arpents of vines were grown , producing '20 measures of wine' ^[5] Between the Norman Conquest in 1066 and the compiling of the Domesday Book 20 years, Rayleigh Castle was built, making it one of the few Norman castles mentioned in the book and therefore one of the earliest Norman castles in England. The castle was built by Swein (other spellings are Sweyn, Sweyne, Suen), son of Robert FitzWimarc. (these names are commemorated today in Rayleigh in that the two secondary schools are Sweyne Park and Fitzwimarc.

Later Medieval Period (1154-1485)

A courthouse was erected in Rayleigh in 1338. This was apparently resented by the townspeople, who turned out in force to destroy it, with 20 ringleaders later arrested and tried. ^[6] The forests around Rayleigh were royal hunting grounds. It is recorded that King Henry III hunted here in 1222 and the three King Edwards also visited. ^[7] Rayleigh Castle gradually fell into disuse and in 1394 King Richard II gave permission for the townspeople of Rayleigh to use the foundations as a source of stone (by this time site was in royal ownership and used for pasture: "know all men of special grace who have the will to repair certain Chapel in the said town and tobuild anew a certain belfry we have granted them the foundations and to take away and use any stones found theren".^[8] Following the granting of this permission, the Rayleigh parish church, Holy Trinity, was built in the Perpendicular Period style during the 15th century.

Tudors and Stuarts

Records indicate that the Church was rich in plate, vestments and stained glass, but these were disposed pf : "No church within the hundred was more splendidly adorned; noe were so richly furnished with plate, vestsments and other accessories for the celebration of the divine service; none were so rich in painted glass;none have been more mercilessly despoiled"^[9] King Henry VIII was a frequent visitor to Rayleigh for hunting, and before his marriage to his second wife Anne Boleyn lived nearby at Rochford Hall. During his reign deer were constantly taken from here to replenish the herds in Greenwich Park^[10]

Sports and Recreation

Rayleigh has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V, and a newly built leisure centre including a bowling green, 4 badminton courts, squash courts, dance room, gymnasium, tennis courts, football pitches and a fully licensed bar. Rayleigh Bowls Club play at St Georges playing Fields.

Looking up the High St towards the Church.

Rayleigh used to have its own stadium, The Weir Stadium, where speedway racing took place. The Rayleigh Rockets speedway team competed against other clubs from around the country in the late forties, early 1950s, early 1960s and in the late 1960s. The stadium was situated adjacent to the Weir roundabout along the A127. Stock car and banger car racing also took place there. The stadium was sold for redevelopment in the early 70's, and the site is now occupied by Sainsbury's and other retail stores. These stores are accessed via Stadium Way. Rayleigh also used to feature a cinema, the Regal, located close to Mill Hall; a car park next to Rosebys retail shop is now in its place.

Public Facilities

Former Post Office in Rayleigh.

The town has grown considerably in the last 25 years, but many consider that this growth has not been matched in the construction of leisure amenities. A 49-roomed Hotel operated by Holiday Inns is situated on the Southern boundary of the town, adjacent to the Weir roundabout and the A127. This is a welcome addition to the town's amenities, which include several decent public houses, restaurants, shops, and an in-door market (Rayleigh Lanes). The town's road layout leads to periods of inevitable traffic congestion at peak times, but the town retains some of its old-world charms and Rayleigh ranks well in South-East Essex amongst the more desirable and congenial places to live. Many citizens of Rayleigh believe that green areas must be preserved and more recreational areas and opportunities are badly needed.

Transport

Rayleigh is served by two prominent modes of public transport; bus and train. The bus services are run by Arriva, First and Regal Busways and usually terminate at Rayleigh railway station. 'one' Railway run the Victoria Line which leads from Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street, stopping at Rayleigh, running as often as every 10 minutes during rush hour. First Buses also operate an hourly coach service to Stansted Airport, named the X30, which makes a stop at Rayleigh Station.

Rayleigh High Street as seen from top of Rayleigh Church, 2003

Education

Rayleigh has two secondary schools: Sweyne Park, formed by the amalgamation of the Sweyne and Park schools, and FitzWimarc. It also has seven primary schools - Rayleigh Primary, Glebe, Down Hall, Our Lady of Ransom, Edward Francis, Grove and Wyburns. In addition, St Nicholas Primary School, a long-established school for the adjoining village of Rawreth, moved in 2006 to a new building just on the Rayleigh side of the parish boundary.

Growth

During the 1990's many new housing estates have appeared on formerly green areas of the town, with the East of England region pushing for even more homes to be built in the area. This has caused some local controversy, with residents of Rayleigh feeling that the areas surrounding the town should be preserved with more care.^[11]