Ashingdon
This large
parish extends southwards from a 2-mile frontage along the River
Crouch and is of considerable historical interest. In 1016 the
Danes, led by King Canute, met the Saxon army of Edmund Ironside in
a very significant battle in the Crouch Valley between Ashingdon
and Canewdon.
Canute was the victor, some say as a result of treachery by
Edmund Ironside's commanders, and as a result it was agreed that
both should share the kingdom. Canute later built a church at
Ashingdon to commemorate the souls of those killed in the battle
and appointed Stigand as its priest. He later became the Archbishop
of Canterbury and crowned William the Conqueror.
The Ashingdon of today belies its bloody past and now offers an
area of neat residential streets intermingled with many local
shops. The main village stretches from north to south along the
Ashingdon Road, which leads to Rochford. The parish also includes
the hamlet of South Fambridge nestling close to the River
Crouch.