In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Mersea like this:
MERSEA, an island in Lexden district, Essex; on the right side of the mouth of the river Colne, averagely 3½ miles WSW of Brightlingsea r. station, and 7¼ S by E of Colchester. It has an oval form, 5 miles long and 2¼ broad; is bounded, along the S side, by the sea between the mouth of the Colne and the mouth of the Blackwater; and is separated from the mainland, along the N side, by Pyefleet creek, famous for oysters, crossed by a causeway, and dry at low water. ...
The island is prevailingly flat, but fertile and wooded; and is divided into the two parishes of East Mersea and West Mersea. It was known to the Saxons as Meresige; it seems to have been occupied by the Romans, probably as a good station for defending the neighbouring rivers and coasts; and it was, for a brief period, in 994, held by the Daues. Traces of several barrows are on it; a large mosaic pavement, ascertained to extend under West Mersea church, was discovered in 1730; and some other antiquities have been found. A strong dyke or sea-wall defends the entire island.
Mersea through time
Mersea is now part of Colchester district. Click here for graphs and data of how Colchester has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Mersea itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Mersea, in Colchester and Essex | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/21538
Date accessed: 29th April 2024
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