Hadleigh as a settlement has been occupied since approx. 500 BC. ‘Hadleigh’ is a Saxon word and means ‘a clearing in the heath’.

The earliest record of a ‘park’ at Hadleigh dates from 1234. Oaks from the area supplied the repairs of the Tower of London in 1272 and 1275. Around this time, most of the land in south-eastern Essex would have been woodland. Hadleigh would have been a small village. Villagers would have been occupied as farmers, shepherds, rush gatherers, cheese makers or wood cutters. Produce could be bought and sold at the weekly market which was founded in 1246.

For more detailed information on Hadleigh try the book entitled; HADLEIGH PAST by Ian Yearsley. This book can be found in a local library.

Hadleigh Castle