Braintree, Essex

The origin of the name is obscure. Braintree was called "Branchetreu" in the Domesday Book of 1086.[4] Another variation can be seen in various Medieval Latin legal records, where it appears as "Branktre".[5] In many early American Colonial documents, it is referred to as Branktry.

One theory is that Braintree was originally Branoc's tree, Branoc apparently being an ancient name. Another theory is that the name is derived from that of Rayne, which was actually the more important settlement in Norman times. A third theory is that the name means "settlement by the river Bran or Braint". The name "Braint" is well attested as a river name in Britain; there is a river of that name in Anglesey, and it may be conjectured that it was the name of the Blackwater in pre-Saxon times, although the Celtic name "Bran" is also used widely for rivers (derived from the British word for a crow and thought to refer to the dark or crow-black appearance of such a river, making it a good fit for a river now called "Blackwater"). The suffix to either Braint or Bran is the Common Brittonic word tre widely found in Wales and Cornwall, but also noted in other town names such as Daventry, with the meaning, initially, of a farm or settlement and later a town.

General view of Braintree in 1851.

Braintree dates back over 4,000 years when it was just a small village. People in the area during the Bronze and Iron Ages built houses on the lower part of the town, near the River Brain, known as the Brain Valley. This area was later inhabited by the Saxons, who occupied the town after the Romans left and named the Roman road Stane Street (i.e. stone road), a name it still bears. Most notable road names in Braintree now coincide with names of people who fought for the town, and locals living there, such as Aetheric Road (a notable Saxon nobleman who died in the Battle of Maldon in 991, and subsequently left most of the land of Braintree to the Bishop of London, as well as the land of Bocking going to the Prior and monks of Canterbury), Trinovantian Way (at one point, the townsfolk were called Trinovantes, who were around during the Iron Age, and could till the light sandy soil and hunted animals in the surrounding woodland). Other road names reflect places that have since been built on, such as Coldnailhurst Avenue (a farm at the top of the current road on Panfield Lane), Becker's Green Road (opposite a field called Becker's Green), Mark's Farm residential estate (based at the site of an old farm where a Tesco store is now situated), and Fairfield Road (directly in the centre of the present town, named after Fair Field at the same site.)

Braintree lies in north Essex, about 46 miles (74 kilometres) from London, with factories and housing to the south and rural areas to the north, where arable crops are grown. It lies about 150 feet (45 metres) above sea level.[10] Essex is rather flat on the whole, and the Braintree area is no exception; however, there is a general downward trend in the height of the ground from the northwest towards the coast to the southeast. Two rivers flow through Braintree in this direction. Pod's Brook approaches the western side of the town, forming a natural boundary between Braintree and the neighbouring village of Rayne about two miles (three kilometres) west. Pod's Brook becomes the River Brain as it passes under the Roman road, before running through the southern part of Braintree. The River Pant (or Blackwater) runs roughly parallel to it, through the north of Bocking and away to the east of the town. The Brain eventually flows into the Blackwater several miles away, near Witham.

Causeway House, headquarters of Braintree District Council

There are two tiers of local government covering Braintree, at district and county level: Braintree District Council and Essex County Council. There is no parish council covering the town, which has been an unparished area since 1974. Braintree District Council has its headquarters at Causeway House on Bocking End in the town.

Braintree's first elected council was a Local Board of Health which was established in 1850 and covered the parish of Braintree. Prior to that the area had been governed by its parish vestry.[11] Such local boards were converted into urban district councils in 1894. In 1928 Braintree Urban District Council built Braintree Town Hall in Market Place to serve as its headquarters.[12]

By the early 1930s the urban area of Braintree was growing beyond its historic parish boundaries, particularly into the parish of Bocking to the north. In 1931 the parish of Braintree had a population of 8,912.[13] On 1 April 1934 Braintree Urban District was substantially enlarged to take in Bocking and parts of the neighbouring parishes of Black Notley, Gosfield, Rayne, and Stisted. The enlarged urban district and its associated parish were both renamed Braintree and Bocking at the same time, reflecting the expansion.[14] Braintree and Bocking Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, merging with four other districts to become Braintree District. No successor parish was created for the former Braintree and Bocking Urban District, and so it became an unparished area, directly administered by Braintree District Council.[15][16]

Braintree has four secondary schools: Gosfield School Independent Co-Educational, Alec Hunter Academy, Notley High School Technology College (which is also the location of the Braintree Sixth Form) and Tabor Academy.

Post 16 education is provided by Gosfield School, Notley High School, The College at Braintree, Braintree Sixth Form and Tabor Academy. Braintree has a special needs school called The Edith Borthwick School.

Braintree has two main market areas that link throughout the town, which are run twice weekly, on a Wednesday and a Saturday. They are based outside the Town Hall in Market Square, and also run along Bank Street and the High Street. The High street is mainly a pedestrianised area, which allows only buses to commute through the town.

Braintree Village, formerly known as Freeport, is a shopping area on the outskirts of Braintree, described as a "designer outlet village". It has approximately 90 departments where designer brands sell surplus stock for lower than the recommended retail price. It also has its own railway station, namely Braintree Freeport railway station, which is the first stop on the journey from Braintree to London Liverpool Street via Witham.

There are also various industrial centres located around the main Braintree town area, including the Springwood Industrial Estate, Park Drive Industrial Estate and Broomhills Industrial Estate off Pod's Brook Lane. The latter is owned by Sainsbury's and has been dilapidated for renewal for a new superstore that has failed to be given the go ahead.

Bocking Windmill, technically a part of Bocking, the windmill stands proud over the countryside at the North end of Braintree & Bocking, having been restored to a degree by the Friends of Bocking Windmill. Although the mill does not work, the majority of the mechanics and infrastructure are still in place. The group running the project hold open days for people to visit, and it can be reached via the Number 38 bus service from Braintree town centre.

The Braintree District Museum is located opposite the Town Hall, along Manor Street, and was originally the Manor Street School. It was built in 1863, to replace the former British School located in the same place. Nowadays, it houses a selection of items showing the history of Braintree and Bocking.

The Braintree & Bocking Public Gardens are situated on the northern side of Braintree, and are close to the District Council offices on Bocking End. They house a garden that was built in 1888, and given to the town of Braintree by Sydney and Sarah Courtauld. There are a set of guidelines for the gardens to keep it in good condition that have been set in place since it opened, and are still governed to this day.

There are several churches around Braintree that may be of interest to people who visit, including St. Michael's along South Street/High Street, St. Mary's Church along Bocking Church Street, St. Peter's church along St. Peter's Road, just off of Bocking End, and Our Lady Queen of Peace Church.

The character Lance Corporal Simon Lansley from the military comedy Bluestone 42 lives in Braintree.[37]

In the anonymous book The String of Pearls (the original version of the story of Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), the magistrate Richard Blunt plays a cattle breeder from Braintree to catch the murderer, in the next-to-last chapter.

Villages in the Braintree area include Bocking, Black Notley, White Notley, Great Notley (a recent construction), Cressing, Felsted, Rayne and Panfield.

• Henry Adams (1583–1646) – ancestor of US Presidents John Adams (also a Founding Father) and John Quincy Adams; emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony from Braintree around 1638.[38]
• Mike Baker (1957–2012) – BBC education correspondent. Grew up in Braintree and wrote a history of the town.[39]
• Beans on Toast (b. 1980) – folk singer.[40] Attended Notley High School and Braintree College.
• James Challis (1803–1882) – astronomer, born in Braintree 12 December 1803.
• The Courtauld family – one of the most prominent families of Braintree and Bocking during the 19th century. Their highly successful silk business made them very rich, and provided much employment in the area. They were very major benefactors to Braintree & Bocking, e.g. Town Hall, Corner House, Leahurst Hostel, William Julien Courtauld Hospital, land and buildings for the High School, Public Gardens, Institute.
• Rupert Everett (b. 1959) – actor born in Norfolk in 1959, spent a short time as a child in Braintree and frequented the former Embassy Cinema (now closed and occupied by Wetherspoons).
• Steve Harley (b.1951) – singer/composer and founder of Cockney Rebel, lived in Bradford Street, Braintree, from 1969 to 1971. He worked as a reporter for the Braintree and Witham Times under his real name Stephen Nice. The novelist Jay Merrick, author of Horse Latitudes, worked on the newspaper at the same time under his real name John Thompson.
• Lawrence D. Hills (1911–1990) – founded the Henry Doubleday Research Association headquarters and test site at Bocking, and also developed the Bocking 14 strain of comfrey, which has properties of particular interest to organic gardeners.[41]
• Barry Douglas Lamb (b. 1963) – avant-garde/experimental composer and musician, lived in Braintree from 1989 to 1993 following the demise of The Insane Picnic . Although this appears to have been a period of very little musical output on his part, there is an unofficial recording from the period called "Braintree – the Concubine Harvester".
• Giles Long MBE (b.1976) – triple Paralympic Gold medallist and former World Record holder in the 100m Butterfly, trained with the Braintree and Bocking Swimming Club.[42]
• Olly Murs (b. 1984)– singer and TV personality, was educated at Notley High School.[43]
• Next of Kin – pop group who had two top 40 hits in 1999.[44]
• Louisa Nottidge (1802–1858) – woman wrongfully detained in a lunatic asylum, whose case was fictionalized by Wilkie Collins in The Woman in White, was born at Fulling Mill House, Bradford Street in 1802.
• Andy Overall (b. 1959) – vocalist, songsmith, performer with '80s band Blue Zoo.[45]
• Katherine Parnell (1846–1921) – younger sister of Sir Evelyn Wood (below), and wife of Irish Nationalist leader, Charles Parnell.
• Andrew Phillips, Baron Phillips of Sudbury (b. 1939) – noted politician and lawyer in the field of civil liberties who lived in Bradford Street, Braintree for much of the 1980s.
• The Prodigy – dance music group. The band's leader Liam Howlett was educated at Alec Hunter High School. Howlett caused indignation among some residents when he criticised the town in an interview for the music magazine Q. He reportedly used "an abusive term". He and fellow band member Keith Flint moved out of the town around 1998, to live in seclusion in a small village 5 or 6 miles (8 or 10 kilometres) west.[46]
• John Ray (1627–1705) – naturalist, born in nearby Black Notley.[47]
• Louie Spence (b. 1969) – dance expert, choreographer and television personality.
• Sir Evelyn Wood (1838–1919) – field marshal, Victoria Cross recipient.

Published histories of Braintree & Bocking include:

• May Cunnington & Stephen Warner:'Braintree & Bocking'(1906);
• W. F. Quinn: A History of Braintree & Bocking (Lavenham Press, 1981);
• Michael Baker: The Book of Braintree & Bocking (Barracuda Books, 1981, Baron Books 1992);
• John Marriage: Braintree & Bocking A Pictorial History (Phillimore, 1994).
• Joan M Richmond: Nine Letters from an Artist The Families of William Gillard (Porphyrogenitus, 2015). ISBN 978-1-871328-19-6.

East of England (United Kingdom): Settlements in Counties and Unitary Districts - Population Statistics, Charts and Map

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Braintree.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Braintree.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Braintree (Essex)".

• Braintree District Council