In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described West Mersea like this:
MERSEA (WEST), a parish in Lexden district. Essex 5½ miles WSW of Brightlingsea r. station, and 8 S by W of Colchester. It comprises the western part of Mersea island, and has a post office under Colchester, and a coast-guard station. Acres, 4,415; of which 1,050 are water. Real property, £5,402. ...
Pop., 944. Houses, 197. The property is snbdivided. A Benedictine priory w as here, a cell to St. Audonin's in Rouen; and passed to the D'Arcies of St. Osyth. Two islets, one of them called Cobmarsh, lie adjacent in Salcott creek. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Rochester. Value, £.230. Patrons, the Trustees of the late F. May, Esq. The church consists of nave, S aisle, and chancel, with a tower.; and is good. There are chapels for Independents and Wesleyans, a national school, an income of £90 a year for church and causeway repairs, and charities £12.
West Mersea through time
West Mersea is now part of Colchester district. Click here for graphs and data of how Colchester has changed over two centuries. For statistics about West Mersea itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of West Mersea, in Colchester and Essex | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/1208
Date accessed: 24th April 2024
Not where you were looking for?
Click here for more detailed advice on finding places within A Vision of Britain through Time, and maybe some references to other places called "West Mersea".