Messing
| Messing | |
| Essex | |
|---|---|
 All Saints Church | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 51°49’55"N, 0°44’24"E |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Colchester |
| Postcode: | CO5 |
| Dialling code: | 01621 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Colchester |
Messing is a village and ancient parish in north-east Essex, just under nine miles west of Colchester, and 15 miles east of Chelmsford. It shares the civil parish of Messing-cum-Inworth with its smaller neighbour Inworth. At the 2011 the population of the civil parish was 363, of which Messing accounts for about 70%.[1]
The village of Messing lies amongst picturesque countryside just 15 miles from Chelmsford and a mile from Tiptree. It is a small and charming village steeped in history, and a few local amenities such as a pub, post office and church. It was named as Essex's Best Kept Village in 2007 and 2008, and was the birthplace of Reynold Bush, ancestor to former presidents of the United States, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
The village church, dedicated to All Saints, boasts character and tradition and, apart from its brick clock tower, was built entirely of rubble that was taken from a nearby Roman villa. Dating back to the 14th century, the whole church was refurbished in 1840 and, in the process, was fitted with new features that still remain today, such as a paved chancel of black and white marble and a beautiful stained-glass window that represents the Acts of Mercy (St Matthew 25:35, 36), and in the top part – Faith, Hope and Charity. It is believed that this window may have originally been at New Hall School in Chelmsford, until it was carefully removed in 1648 during the siege of Colchester in the English Civil War. It was then hidden in the church's great chest, together with other treasures, in order it preserve it from destruction.
Even though Messing is nestled deep within the Essex countryside, the small village has excellent links to London from the neighbouring town of Kelvedon, which is home to the nearest railway station. From here, the journey by train to London Liverpool Street takes 45 minutes. Stansted Airport is a 40-minute drive away.
History
The place-name 'Messing' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Metcinges. The name means 'Mæcca's people'.[2]
The history of Messing has been published twice, in Roger Carter’s Simply Messing and William Goldsborough Whittam’s The Story of Messing. The village is close to a site called The Rampart, which according to legend is where Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni, was defeated by the Romans.
Notable residents
- John Haynes – First Governor of Connecticut
- Reynald Bush – Ancestor of George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.[3]
References
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Messing) |
- ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11126507&c=CO5+0US&d=16&e=62&g=6424197&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1443450576081&enc=1. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ↑ Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, pp.323 and 318.
- ↑ George W Bush, Essex boy BBC News