In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Rayleigh like this:
RAYLEIGH, or Raleigh, a village, a parish, and a sub-district, in Rochford district, Essex. The village stands 4 miles N N E of Benfleet r. station, and 4½ W by N of Rochford; was held, at Domesday, by Sweyn or Sueno; was once a market-town; consists now of onewide street, of considerable length; has a post-office‡under Chelmsford, and a fair on Trinity Monday; and gives the title of Baron to the family of Strutt. ...
The parish comprises 2, 873 acres. Real property, £7, 747. Pop., 1, 433. Houses, 296. The property is much sub-divided. The manor belongs to R. Bristow, Esq. Lime House, Wheatley, Barringtons, and Down Hall are chief residences. A moated mound, 100 feet high, is at the upper end of the village; was the site of a castle, built by Sweyn; and commands a fine view. Roman coins werefound in 1849. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Rochester. Value, £800.* Patron, R. Bristow, Esq. The church is chiefly later English; and has a tower, with short spire. There are a Baptist chapel, an endowed school with £17 a year, and charities £4.—The sub-district contains also 7 other parishes, and most of another. Acres, 23, 764. Pop., 4, 937. Houses, 1,031.
Rayleigh through time
Rayleigh is now part of Rochford district. Click here for graphs and data of how Rochford has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Rayleigh itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Rayleigh, in Rochford and Essex | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/1262
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 "Rayleigh".