Peldon
| Peldon | |
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.jpg) Peldon village sign |
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 Peldon
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| Peldon shown within Essex | |
| Population | 559 (2011 Census) |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Peldon is a village in the Colchester borough of Essex, England and forms part of the Winstred Hundred civil parish. Other nearby villages include: Little Wigborough and Langenhoe. The parish church is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin and is a grade I listed building. The population of the parish as of the 2011 census is 559.
In 1870-72 John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Peldon as:
"Peldon, a parish and a sub-district in Lexden district, Essex. The parish lies near Mersea Island, 4½ miles S W of Wivenhoe r. station, and 5½ S by W of Colchester; and has a post-office under Colchester. Acres, 2, 186. Real property, £3, 591. Pop., 501. Houses, 106 The property is much subdivided."
During the Iron Age and Roman periods the marshes around Peldon were home to a thriving salt-production industry, and Red hills created by this process can be found around the village. Peldon was originally around 2,200 acres of land, equating to approximately 8.9 square kilometres. This land was established by William the Conqueror in 1086 and was later passed on to Sir Thomas Darcy by King Henry VIII, later being owned by various local families.
The strongest earthquake to ever strike the UK occurred on the 22nd April 1884. It measured to a 5.1 magnitude on the Richter scale and rendered much of the area around and including Peldon badly damaged. In total, it damaged around 1250 buildings including churches, houses and cottages. It was reported at the time that every single building in Peldon was damaged in some way, including the local church, causing heavy financial ramifications for the local area.
Peldon was also affected by World War One. On September the 24th 1916, German Zeppelin L33 was damaged during a bombing attack on London, and later crashed near the church in Peldon. The crew of the aircraft thought that landing at see would be far too risky, so travelled further inland. The ship turned around and began to descend into the Essex area. The aircraft landed in a field next to the Peldon church, where the crew managed to escape before the wreckage burst into flames.
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Wikipedia