Wix, Essex
Encyclopedia
Wix is a village and civil parish
in the Tendring
district of Essex
. It lies in a small valley about three km south of the Stour Estuary
. The valley drains east towards Harwich
. Formerly an important crossroads on the route to Harwich, it has now been bypassed by the A120 road
.
The church, dedicated to Saint Mary, has a detached belfry which stands in the churchyard and contains one bell. In 1961 the then owner of Wix Abbey Farm, was ploughing in the church which was overgrown when he struck a large piece of dressed limestone with further investigation revealed a large stone coffin with a skeleton inside. Archaeologists were called in and dated the coffin to circa 1140, due to the decorative cross on the lid having Saxon influences.The skeleton is very likely that of Alexander de Wix, a founder of Wix Priory, which occupied the church grounds until the 12th century. This coffin is now on show, or was until recently on display in Colchester Castle
. A almost identical but slightly smaller coffin from the same site can be found in the bellhouse, in the churchyard.
There is one pub left open, The Waggon at Wix, it is located at the crossroads.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Tendring
Tendring
Tendring is a local government district in North East Essex, England. It extends from the River Stour in the north, to the coast and the River Colne in the south, with the coast to the East and the town of Colchester to the west. Its council is based in Clacton-on-Sea. Towns in the district...
district of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. It lies in a small valley about three km south of the Stour Estuary
River Stour, Suffolk
The River Stour is a river in East Anglia, England. It is 76 km long and forms most of the county boundary between Suffolk to the north, and Essex to the south. It rises in eastern Cambridgeshire, passes to the east of Haverhill, through Cavendish, Sudbury and the Dedham Vale, and joins the...
. The valley drains east towards Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
. Formerly an important crossroads on the route to Harwich, it has now been bypassed by the A120 road
A120 road
The A120 is an important trunk road in southern England. It follows the course of Stane Street, a Roman road from Standon, Hertfordshire at its western terminus to Colchester...
.
The church, dedicated to Saint Mary, has a detached belfry which stands in the churchyard and contains one bell. In 1961 the then owner of Wix Abbey Farm, was ploughing in the church which was overgrown when he struck a large piece of dressed limestone with further investigation revealed a large stone coffin with a skeleton inside. Archaeologists were called in and dated the coffin to circa 1140, due to the decorative cross on the lid having Saxon influences.The skeleton is very likely that of Alexander de Wix, a founder of Wix Priory, which occupied the church grounds until the 12th century. This coffin is now on show, or was until recently on display in Colchester Castle
Colchester Castle
Colchester Castle in Colchester, Essex is an example of a largely complete Norman castle. It is a Grade I listed building.-Construction:At one and a half times the size of the Tower of London's White Tower, Colchester's keep is the largest ever built in Britain and the largest surviving example in...
. A almost identical but slightly smaller coffin from the same site can be found in the bellhouse, in the churchyard.
There is one pub left open, The Waggon at Wix, it is located at the crossroads.
Nearby places
| Manningtree Manningtree Manningtree is a town and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England, which lies on the River Stour. It adjoins built-up areas of Lawford to the west and Mistley to the east and the three parishes together are sometimes referred to as "Manningtree".Manningtree is a claimant for the... |
Wrabness Wrabness Wrabness is a small village, near Manningtree, Essex. The village is located six miles west of Harwich. It is served by the Wrabness railway station. Wrabness had a population of approximately 400. Clive Owen owns a house in Wrabness.... |
Parkeston |
| Bradfield Bradfield -Australia:* Division of Bradfield, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in New South Wales-England:* Bradfield, Berkshire, England** Bradfield College, a public school in Bradfield, Berkshire, England* Bradfield, Devon, England... |
Wix | Great Oakley Great Oakley, Essex Great Oakley is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex. It is a long, narrow parish lying on the top of a low ridge south of Ramsey Creek which drains northeast towards Harwich. The parish extends south to Oakley Creek, a branch of Hamford Water, where stood Great Oakley... |
| Tendring | Thorpe-le-Soken Thorpe-le-Soken Thorpe-le-Soken is a village in Essex, located west of Walton-on-the-Naze, Frinton-on-Sea and north of Clacton-on-Sea.-History:Thorpe-le-Soken's history can be traced back to Saxon times.... |
Clacton-on-Sea Clacton-on-Sea Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday... |
External links
- Entry in Kelly's Directory of Essex, 1894
- Page on the World Wykes Web about Wix Priory and earlier spellings of the name