Little Totham
| Little Totham | |
|---|---|
 The Swan |
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 Little Totham
|
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| Little Totham shown within Essex | |
| Population | 400 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | TL889118 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Maldon |
| Postcode district | CM9 |
| Dialling code | 01621 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Little Totham is a village in Essex, England, with a population of about 300, measured at 400 in the 2011 Census. The parish extends from the extensive common and heath-land of Tiptree down to the River Blackwater. The village lies about 6 miles 10 km) from Maldon and 5 miles (8 km) from Tiptree and lies on the back road between Goldhanger and the Maldon to Colchester road. It is part of Maldon District Council.
Most of the population live on the edge of the parish adjoining Tolleshunt Major and centred on the main road running through the village past The Swan public house and children’s play area. The rest of the parish is agricultural and the roads and field patterns remain much as they were at the Domesday survey of 1085.
The halls of Little Totham and Rook Hall have their origins in the 12th century, and the architecture of this period is seen in the North and South doorways of the parish church of All Saints, which lies adjacent to Little Totham Hall (Farm) in the centre of the parish. The parish church has an active community which provides community support in the form of pastoral visits, caring and community activities. This 12th-century church houses one of the oldest recorded stone doorways in the country (c. AD 1085), and there is a comprehensive history document within the church.
The present main road through the village was originally a track used by smugglers bringing liqueur, silks and other cloths from the River Blackwater to the plains where travellers would exchange them for money. In Little Totham, on the edge of the River Blackwater and in the fields near Osea Island there is evidence of man dwelling there from as far back as the Bronze Age 6,000 years ago. There is evidence of the smelting of ores using the wood from the extensive forests which covered the area.
The main farms developed in the area in the 11th century, and life revolved around these until the development of the dwellings along the smugglers' route in the late 16th century. Notably among these is the White Horse (now the White House), which was a pub and boarding house until the beginning of the 20th century. There are extensive patterns of footpaths across the area which lead to the farms and were developed by farm workers walking to and from work. There has always been a history of itinerant workers both on the farms and in the smuggling trade and these have over the years rested, albeit temporarily, on the Totham plains.
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Wikipedia