Foxearth
| Foxearth | |
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 Foxearth village sign |
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 Foxearth
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| Foxearth shown within Essex | |
| Population | 26,567 (Including Liston 2011 Census) |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SUDBURY |
| Postcode district | CO10 |
| Dialling code | 01787 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Foxearth is a village on the borders of north Essex and Suffolk in England, between Long Melford and Cavendish.
Foxearth is an ancient settlement in north Essex. The parish is about 7 miles (11 km) in circumference; 3 miles (4.8 km) from Sudbury seven from Halstead, and 56 miles (90 km) from London. The lands are very good loamy clay soil. Foxearth has always been predominantly agricultural, and had its own watermill that originally fell within a separate parish, Weston, until the year 1286, when the two manors became united.
In the reign of Edward the Confessor, the parish was in the possession of nineteen sochmen and four freemen; The Domesday survey shows that the small manor of Foxearth Hall, had become the property of Richard Fitz-Gilbert, ancestor of the lords of Clare.
Literally "fox’s den", the village is recorded as Focsearde in the Domesday Book (1086) and mediaeval spellings varied somewhat — Foxherde (1202), and Foxherthe (1232), Foxhierd (1221 & 1428), Foxhole (1212 and 1314), Foxhierd (1246), also Foxhirde (1246), Foxerht (1261), Foxeyerde (1294), Foxherne (1362), Foxhorn (1363), Foxzerd (1428) and finally Foxearth (1594).
Until the mid-nineteenth century, Foxearth was a typical agricultural village. The village was transformed by wealthy vicar, Rev. John Foster. In order to loosen the grip of the farmers on the community, Foster funded a brewery in the village in 1878 to provide alternative employment. The brewery was run by three generations of the Ward family. Under the Wards' influence, the village was rebuilt in red brick, with flint walls, with the brewery providing employment. It was one of the pioneers in the production of bottled beers and also produced several non-alcoholic bottled drinks. The brewery was sold to Taylor Walker & Co in 1957, and the last brew of 62 barrels (9.9 m3) of Small Best Bitter Ale was made on 19 February the following year. Although the brewery was bought back in a reverse takeover bid in 1960, it was sold again by the Ward family in 1963 to Charrington United Breweries. The brewery site was sold in 1988 with the final demolition of the building begun in the 1990s. It is now a housing estate.
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Wikipedia