Maldon is a Town in the county of Essex.
The town of Maldon, Essex, is located on the Blackwater River’s estuary and serves as the administrative centre of the Maldon District. It is also a starting point for navigation on both the Chelmer and the Blackwater Rivers. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area has been inhabited since at least Roman times.
The name Malldun was in use at the time of the Domesday Book and is thought to derive from ‘Maeldona’ (Old English) or mael and dun in Old Saxon, meaning a part in which metal has been mined. Coins found during excavations indicate that there were several Roman settlements within Maldon’s current boundaries
In 1699 John Ray wrote: ‘The towne extended only one street along Colne Rode (high Street) where I live. There are two good churches, and many good houses with their gardens’. The Parish church of St Peter and St Pauls Church dates back to c.1180, while the oldest Baptist Church in Britain, founded under Oliver Cromwell, is also located in Maldon.
There are great places to visit near Maldon including some great towns, castles, woodlands, airports, historic buildings, cities, villages, country parks, shopping centres, parks and nature reserves.
Don't miss Colchester, Epping, Maldon, Southend-on-Sea, Saffron Walden, Braintree, and Basildon's towns if visiting the area around Maldon.
Places near Maldon feature a number of interesting castles including Colchester Castle.
The area around Maldon features a number of interesting woodlands including Epping Forest, and Bedfords Park.
The area around Maldon boasts some of the best airports including London Southend Airport, and London Stansted Airport.
Audley End House and Gardens, and Chelmsford Cathedral are some of Maldon best historic buildings to visit near Maldon.
The area around Maldon's best cities can be found at Chelmsford.
Don't miss Hatfield Peverel's villages if visiting the area around Maldon.
Maldon is near some unmissable country parks like Thorndon Country Park,
The area around Maldon's best shopping centres can be found at Lakeside Shopping Centre.
The area around Maldon's best parks can be found at Bedfords Park.
The area around Maldon's best nature reserves can be found at Bedfords Park.
Maldon History
There are some historic monuments around Maldon:
Places to see near Maldon
History of Maldon
According to the Domesday Book there were 54 households and an estimated 180 townsmen in 1086. The town still had the mint and supplied a warhorse and warship for the king’s service in return for its privileges of self-government. The town was awarded a charter by Henry II in 1171, stating the rights of the town as well as defining its borders and detailing its duty to provide a ship for the monarch “when necessary”. The town’s All Saints’ Church, unique in England in having a triangular tower, dates from around this period. While the precise building date is unknown, the church existed by 1180, the date of the foundation of nearby Beeleigh Abbey. A Charter of Richard I of December 1189 confirms “certain grants to Beeleigh Abbey, including the Church of Blessed Peter in Maldon and the Church of All Saints’ in the same town”. St Mary’s Church, on the Hythe Quay has a grade 1 listed Norman nave from 1130, though evidence exists of an earlier church on the site from at least a hundred years before. There were strong urban traditions, with two members elected to the Commons and three guilds which hosted lavish religious plays until they were suppressed by Puritans in 1576. Then, until 1630, professional actors were invited to perform plays, which were also stopped by Puritans. From 1570 to about 1800 a rival tradition of inviting prominent clergy to visit the town also existed. In 1629 a series of grain riots took place, led by the wife of a local butcher. In the 17th century Thomas Plume started the Plume Library to house over 8,000 books and pamphlets printed between 1487 and his death in 1704; the collection has been added to at various times since 1704. The Plume Library is to be found at St Peter’s Church. Only the original tower survives, the rest of the building having been rebuilt by Thomas Plume to house his library (on the first floor) and what was Maldon Grammar School (on the ground floor).
