MERSEA
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales...., by John Marius Wilson. circa 1866
MERSEA, an island in Lexden district, Essex; on the right side of the mouth of the river Colne, averagely 3½ miles WSW of Brightlingsea r. station, and 7¼ S by E of Colchester. It has an oval form, 5 miles long and 2¼ broad; is bounded, along the S side, by the sea between the mouth of the Colne and the mouth of the Blackwater; and is separated from the mainland, along the N side, by Pyefleet creek, famous for oysters, crossed by a causeway, and dry at low water. The island is prevailingly flat, but fertile and wooded; and is divided into the two parishes of East Mersea and West Mersea. It was known to the Saxons as Meresige; it seems to have been occupied by the Romans, probably as a good station for defending the neighbouring rivers and coasts; and it was, for a brief period, in 994, held by the Danes. Traces of several barrows are on it; a large mosaic pavement, ascertained to extend under West Mersea church, was discovered in 1730; and some other antiquities have been found. A strong dyke or sea-wall defends the entire island.
MERSEA (EAST), a parish in Lexden district, Essex; 2½ miles WSW of Brightlingsea r. station, and 8 S by E of Colchester. It comprises the eastern part of Mersea island, and has a post-office under Colchester. Acres, 3,857; of which 1,900 are water. Real property, £2,836. Pop., 305. Houses, 67. The property is divided among a few. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Rochester. Value, £400. Patron, the Crown. The church stands on a declivity, near the E end of the island; has a commanding view of the sea; and consists of nave, N aisle, chancel, and N chapel, with an embattled tower. The tower serves as a landmark, and was formerly surmounted by a beacon. There are a national school, and charities £17.
MERSEA (WEST), a parish in Lexden district, Essex; 5½ miles WSW of Brightlingsea r. station, and 8 S by W of Colchester. It comprises the western part of Mersea island, and has a post-office under Colchester, and a coast-guard station. Acres, 4,415, of which 1,050 are water. Real property, £5,402. Pop., 944. Houses, 197. The property is subdivided. A Benedictine priory was here, a cell to St. Audouin's in Rouen; and passed to the D'Arcies of St. Osyth. Two islets, one of them called Cobmarsh, lie adjacent in Salcott creek. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Rochester. Value, £230. Patrons, the Trustees of the late F. May Esq. The church consists of nave, S aisle, and chancel, with a tower, and is good. There are chapels for Independents and Wesleyans, a national school, an income of £90 a-year for church and causeway repairs, and charities £12.
Transcribed by Noel Clark