Little Baddow

Human settlement in England

Chelmsford

Essex

Region

East

CountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townChelmsfordPostcode districtCM3Dialling code01245PoliceEssexFire Essex Ambulance East of England UK Parliament

Maldon & East Chelmsford

List of places: UK; England; Essex

51°44′31″N 0°34′23″E / 51.742°N 0.573°E / 51.742; 0.573

Little Baddow is a village to the east of Chelmsford, Essex.

The name Baddow is believed to have been derived from the River Beadwan, now known as the River Chelmer, which marks the northern boundary of the village. Beadwan is thought to be a Celtic word of uncertain meaning,^[2] possibly "birch stream" or a reference to the goddess Badbh.^[3]

The village includes woodlands owned by the National Trust and Essex Naturalist Trust.

Although there are no shops in the village, there are two pubs, The Generals Arms and The Rodney, a village hall, and Elm Green Preparatory School. Churches are the Anglican St Mary the Virgin and the United Reformed Church. St Mary's is a Grade I listed building with a late 11th-century core. It contains a 14th-century 'Devil's door', dating to the time when medieval Christians believed the North of side of a church to be the abode of the Devil.^[4]

The village sports ground and clubhouse is used by Little Baddow Cricket club and the local running club, Little Baddow "Ridge" runners.

The manor was once a possession of Robert the Bruce.^[5]

Thomas Hooker who founded the colony of Connecticut lived in the village and was a school teacher there before going to Holland and then to New England.^[6]

Eric Eastwood settled in Little Baddow after he started work at Marconi Research Laboratory in 1948. He lived there until his death in his home in 1978.^[7]

References

^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
^ "Great Baddow". Key to English Place-names. English Place-Name Society. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
^ Great Baddow Parish Council, published 2005, accessed 2011-10-13
^ Ash, Russell (1973). Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain. Reader's Digest Association Limited. p. 241. ISBN 9780340165973.
^ Sayles, George Osborne (1982) Scripta Diversa
^ Thomas Hooker, geocities.com
^ Hartley-Smith, Alan. "Marconi Radar History / A Biographical Memoire". marconiradarhistory.pbworks.com. Marconi Radar History. Retrieved 29 August 2017.