Tiptree Parish Council

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Tiptree Parish Council

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A Brief History of Tiptree

Contributed by Elaine Bamford who was born and brought up in Tiptree and has researched and compiled books on Tiptree memories and history.

The name Tiptree appears in early documents as: Tipentrie, Typpetre, Tippetre, Typeltre, Typetre, Tiptre Heth, Tiptree Comon, and Heath.

Its origin is unclear but may derive from the Celtic word “trey” (town) and either the Prior of Tipper (granted heathland), or a Saxon named Tippa.

Pre 1800s

Heathland Era

Heathland stretched from present-day Pods Wood to Great Braxted, divided into areas known as Bigmores/Sadlers, Paternoster, Whittakers, and Messing Heath. Annual Races and Fairs held each July attracted vagabonds, smugglers, and thieves, earning the area the nickname: “land of heath and thief”, with the Goose Fairs continuing into the early 1900s.

1842

Agricultural Innovation

John Joseph Mechi developed Bigmores/Sadlers Heath for agricultural experimentation and rebuilt Bigmores Hall (now Tiptree Hall).

As an Alderman, he supported the building of the Church and School in Tolleshunt Knights.

1885

Industrial and Social Growth

Arthur Charles Wilkin began jam-making at Trewlands Farm. A community leader and advocate for the Temperance movement, Wilkin championed the Tollesbury to Kelvedon railway, the smallholding movement, and the Inworth Council School (now Heath School).

1934

Official Parish Status

Tiptree became an official parish. Previously the area formed seven parishes: Tolleshunt Knights, Tolleshunt Darcy, Great Wigborough, Great Braxted, Messing, Inworth, and Tollesbury (detached).

1950s – 1970s

Strawberry Boom

The heath evolved into flower fields, allotments, and fruit and vegetable gardens. Strawberries, grown widely, not just by Wilkin, covered much of Tiptree.

Visitors came to buy or pick strawberries, but as markets shifted, land was sold to developers, and the population grew rapidly.

Present Day

Today, Tiptree is one of the largest villages in the country, with over 10,000 residents.

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