Early history Some of the earliest records of human occupation of Billericay are the
burial mounds in
Norsey Wood, showing evidence of occupation in the
Bronze and
Iron Ages. Evidence of a
Roman town, subsequently abandoned, were found on the high ground at Billericay School, just south of the High Street during excavations in 1970–71. There may also have been a small cavalry fort at Blunts Wall Farm.
Middle Ages The town of Billericay was established in the 13th century in the Manor and Parish of Great Burstead. The Manor of
Burgestede is first recorded in an Anglo-Saxon will of 975 AD. In the
Domesday Book of 1086, two separate manors are recorded as Burghestada. The name Great Burstead is first recorded in the early 13th century, The town was established at the High Street. Like the abandoned Roman settlement just to the south, it benefitted from a prominent position on the high ground forming the watershed of the
River Crouch and
River Wid catchment areas. It was also on the crossroads (at Sun Corner) of the road from the
Thames to
Chelmsford (the modern B1007) and the
A129 road linking Hutton to
Wickford; it is believed that the Crouch may have been navigable as far as Wickford at that time. At this time, the parish church for Billericay was at
St Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead. By the 14th century, a
chantry chapel had been built on the High Street, which became a
chapel of ease to Great Burstead following
the Reformation; it eventually became a parish church in 1844, also dedicated to St Mary Magdalen. In the 13th and 14th centuries, some pilgrims to
Canterbury journeyed via Billericay. Some of them may have spent the night in the town before crossing the river Thames at Tilbury; this may account for the large number of inns. Billericay's most notable historical episode was the Battle of Billericay during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381.
Tudor period The
Wycliffe preachers influenced the town. Four local people (Thomas Watts, Joan Hornes, Elizabeth Thackwell and Margaret Ellis) were
burnt at the stake. Two other residents (Joan Potter and James Harris) were tortured for their Protestant faith during the reign of
Queen Mary.
Pilgrim Fathers A meeting of the
Pilgrim Fathers, prior to their sailing in the
Mayflower, is said to have taken place on the High Street; many local names and much historical imagery reflect this, such as Mayflower House, Mayflower Morris Men, Mayflower Taxis, Mayflower School and Mayflower Hall. Sunnymede school's
houses were called Mayflower, Pilgrim and
Chantry.
Christopher Martin, who was born in Great Burstead and later became a Billericay goods merchant and property owner, travelled on the
Mayflower in 1620; he was the official ship's governor and purchasing agent, procuring ships supplies for the voyage. The
Mayflower ship set sail once the Pilgrim Fathers had all boarded and set to meet the
Speedwell in the English Channel; the
Speedwell was sailing from the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the
Speedwell developed leaks and so the ships headed for the Devon coast to repair her, but this proved impossible; the
Mayflower eventually sailed from
Plymouth without her. Four people from Billericay were on board, including Christopher Martin, his wife Mary Prowe, along with Solomon Prowe - her son from her first marriage - and John Langemore, the Martins' servant. All four pilgrims perished after their arrival at
Cape Cod,
Massachusetts. Martin died of fever on 8 January 1621 and his wife perished in Plymouth in 1621. Both Christopher and Mary are buried in the
Cole Hill Burial ground in
Plymouth. The unfortunate fate of the would-be pioneers did not deter other inhabitants of Billericay from setting sail for the New World. The town of Billerica, Massachusetts, was established in 1655 by colonists from Billericay and named after their home town in England.
Georgian and Victorian eras In the
Georgian period, many excellent examples of the period's houses were built in Billericay. One of those remaining today is Burghstead Lodge in High Street, which used to house the library. The
Town Hall was built in 1830 at 94 High Street. The Billericay
Poor Law Union was created in 1835 to serve the town and several surrounding parishes. It built a
workhouse in 1840 on Norsey Road. Parts of this building were later incorporated into St Andrew's Hospital. The population of the town in the 1841 census was 1,824. The railway arrived in Billericay in 1889; the station is situated on a branch line from the
Great Eastern Main Line between
Shenfield and
Southend-on-Sea. In 1899, Billericay's market, the reason for the town's establishment is recorded for the last time, though there were short-lived revivals.
20th century In 1916, during the
First World War, a German Zeppelin airship was shot down during an aerial battle over Billericay. During its fiery demise, it narrowly missed the High Street, crashing into a field off Greens Farm Lane. A plaque was erected at the site in 2016, to commemorate 100 years since the incident. Parts of the aluminium frame can be seen at the
Cater Museum in the High Street. Recent research has indicated that this may be identified with the 'ghost Zeppelin' of Tonbridge, which was allegedly seen floating over that town earlier in the day. The former workhouse became St Andrew's Hospital, which housed the internationally renowned Regional Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit from 1973, until this was relocated to
Broomfield Hospital, north of Chelmsford, in April 1998. After the relocation, most of the hospital was redeveloped into housing, with the listed old workhouse buildings being converted to residential use. ==Geography==