Canewdon

A number of sites in and around Canewdon reflect occupation of the land from at least the Neolithic period (4,000–2,000 BC). For instance, gravel extraction from early 20th century found prehistoric remains, such as a hoard of Neolithic axes and Iron Age. On display at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich is a Bronze Age Canewdon paddle.^[4]

Canewdon's location was favourable for its vantage point and proximity to the sea for trading and salt production. From Prehistoric and Roman times farmsteads and cemeteries were located on higher ground. Roman urns were found in the village in 1712.^[4] Along the coast were Roman Red Hill salterns structures constructed of clay floors heated by flues, dating based upon Romano-British pottery. Salt was used in the ancient diet, for grazing animals, as a refining agent in metallurgy, for soldering and in dyes.^[5]

The name Canewdon is thought to predate the Danish King Canute by about 400 years, but the area is claimed to be the site of an ancient camp used by Canute during the Battle of Assandun nearby at Ashingdon, in the course of his successful invasion of Essex in 1016. Remains of Canute's camp are thought to be marked in the entrenchments between the village and the river.^[2]

The name Canewdon is derived from the Old English 'hill of Cana's people,'^[2][3] first documented in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Carenduna,^[6] at a time when there were 28 households. Swein of Essex, son of Robert FitzWimarc, Sheriff of Essex between 1066 and 1086,^[7] was the principal landholder of the Rochford area. Canewdon Hall, a fortified mansion and the focus for the medieval settlement, was demolished in 1966. Canewdon Hall Close was built on the site.^[4]

The local economy, based on coastal industries, agriculture and the brick industry, declined during the latter 19th century. The 19th-century population fluctuated accordingly: in 1801 the population was 569, rose to 723 in 1841, and declined to 495 in 1901.^[4]

Agnes Frances Whitwell (née Morley), originally from Canewdon, was killed in 1915 by a bomb dropped by a Zeppelin, which landed on her home at 120 North Road, Southend-on-Sea.

Fearing war with Germany, in 1937 Royal Air Force (RAF) Canewdon was one of four radar sites established to test the use of Chain Home Transmission and Receiver radar sites around the coast to detect enemy aircraft and estimate their range. The final twenty sites were critical in the defence against German aircraft during the Second World War. Information from the Chain Home sites and observation posts were transmitted via underground telephone lines to a central plotting room for probable raid analysis and warning notification.^[2][8]

The Canewdon Chain Home radar tower was relocated to nearby Great Baddow in 1956, where it can still be seen. Bunkers that protected it remain in Canewdon.

The later part of the 20th century brought residential development, including the building of a model village in the 1960s in the southwest. The 2001 census reported 588 households and a population of 1,477 people in Canewdon.^[4]

The 14th-century Parish Church of St Nicholas at the end of the village High Street stands on a ridge overlooking the River Crouch. Its impressive 15th-century tower, a landmark for many miles, is said to have been erected by Henry V following his victory at the Battle of Agincourt in France. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I the tower was used as a navigation point along the River Crouch. During the First World War the tower was used for observation and as a signalling post. The old village lock-up and stocks are located to the east of the church.^[4][2][3]

The church is a Grade II* listed building.^[9]