Rochford - the Place of the Peculiar People

Rochford, a small medieval market town, just over 3 miles (4.8km) north of Southend, is worth visiting before or after this walk for its abundance of delightful cottages, many of which are listed buildings. The town centre contains one of the few remaining market town cross patterns in England, comprising North, South, East and West Streets. In 1257, the lord of the manor, Sir Guy de Rochefort, was granted a charter to hold a weekly market, a tradition which still takes place every Tuesday in the attractive square.

But there have been horrific, and odd, goings-on in this peaceful town. In 1555 villagers gathered in the square to witness the execution of John Simson, a farm labourer from Great Wigborough. He was burnt at the stake because he refused to conform to Roman Catholicism. A plaque on the wall of a bakery shop commemorates his martyrdom.

A few centuries later in 1837 James Banyard, a shoemaker, had a religious experience which inspired him to form a Christian sect which became known as the Peculiar People. Peculiar to Essex, the sect had its headquarters in Rochford. The group took its name from Deuteronomy, Chapter 14, Verse 2, which proclaims, 'and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself'. Banyard, who took to religion after spending his life as a drunkard, rounded up followers and preached with such fervour that he and his flock were treated with suspicion and hostility.

Even more strange were their dress and customs. The men were clean shaven and wore bowler hats and the women went about their daily business in black bonnets. They rejected orthodox medicine and when one of the sect fell ill, the illness or disease was treated with the laying on of hands, or the affected part or parts would be anointed with oil. Needless to say, not all treatments were successful and there was often an outcry among local people when children from the sect died.

But in 1855, James Banyard's son became ill and, fearing that he would not live, Banyard summoned the doctor. Such disregard of the rules caused a split in the movement and Banyard was ousted. He was duly replaced and the centre of operations moved from Rochford to Daws Heath 5 miles (8km) away. Banyard never regained leadership and presumably went back to shoemaking; he died in 1863.

On this walk you may glimpse the ghost of a black-bonneted lady with her black skirts billowing like a sail on the flat open landscapes. She may disappear as soon as you hear the planes roaring above open fields bound for Southend Airport and if you linger long enough, she may re-appear. There are many peculiar happenings in this peculiar little town.

Where to eat and drink

If you're in Rochford on a Sunday, try the freshly caught cockles and seafood from the stall beside the New Ship Inn in the town centre or try an 'eat-as-much-as-you-like' Indian meal at the Taste of Raj directly opposite. Other watering holes in the town include the Kings Head Inn in Market Square and the Antique Tea Rooms in South Street.

What to look for

Visit St Mary and All Saints Church at Stambridge with its distinctive square Saxon tower and look for the stained-glass memorial window known as the Winthrop Window. It was placed in the church by the American descendants of Stambridge's most famous resident, John Winthrop who, in 1630, set sail for the Americas in the Arabella and went on to become the first Governor of Boston.

While you're there

Continuing the theme of peculiarity in Rochford don't forget to visit St Andrew's Church, the only church in England which stands in the middle of a golf course. Just opposite is Rochford Hall, part residential and part home of the Rochford Hundred Golf Club. The hall stands on the site of the residence of Sir Thomas Boleyn whose daughter, Anne, married Henry VIII in 1533. She was executed three years later, but not before she had given birth to a son, who died, and a daughter who went on to become Queen Elizabeth I.