Ramsden Crays
| Ramsden Crays | |
|---|---|
 Ramsden Crays village sign |
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 Ramsden Crays
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| Ramsden Crays shown within Essex | |
| Population | 1,838 2011 Census |
| Civil parish |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Chelmsford |
| Postcode district | [[CM11 postcode area|CM11]] |
| Dialling code | 01268 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Ramsden Crays is a civil parish in the Basildon District of Essex, England. It lies north of Basildon and west of Wickford. It is located in between the A127 and A129
The parish includes the village of Crays Hill.
According to the 2011 census there were 862 males and 976 females living in the parish
The place-name 'Ramsden' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Ramesdana. The name means 'wild garlic dene or valley' (cf. the plant ramsons), or possibly 'ram's valley'. Close Rolls show that Ramsden Crays was held by Simon de Craye in 1252, Craye referring to Cray or Craye in France.
The isolated 15th-century church of St Mary's has been converted to a private house. It is a grade II* listed building.
In the early 1870s, John Marius Wilson describes:
"RAMSDEN-CRAYS, a parish in Billericay district, Essex; on the river Crouch, 2 miles E S E of Billericay, and 4½ N N W of Pitsea r. station. Post-town, Billericay. Acres, 1, 453. Real property, £2, 307. Pop., 262. Houses, 44. The property is divided among a few. The manor, with the Ashes, belongs to F. M. B. Batard, Esq. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Rochester. Value, £370. Patron, F. Francis, Esq"
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Wikipedia