Prittlewell

Prittlewell is part of the inner city of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. It was the original settlement, with Southend meaning the southern end of Prittlewell.

History

Prehistoric

People first settled by the Prittle Brook at least 10,000 years ago in the late Stone Age.

Roman

A Roman farmhouse or villa, was built close to the brook in what is now Priory Park. Roman burial sites were found during road and rail construction in the 1920s and 1930s.

Saxons and Vikings

After the Roman era, it became part of the kingdom of the East Saxons. During the 5th and 6th centuries), the historic Saxon name of Prittleuuella came into being. An archway built of Roman tiles can still be seen in the north wall of St Mary's church. For many years it was thought the archway was part of a small Anglo-Saxon chapel built in the 7th century, possibly during the reign of King Sæberht of Essex.^[1] However, more recent research shows the arch was built in the 10th or early 11th century, and is part of the first church to be built on the site.^[2]

Royal Saxon tomb

Road and rail works in 1923 and 1930 also found Anglo-Saxon burials. Some of these must have been important people or warriors. The graves contained weapons, imported goods, jewellery and decorative beads, some of which were made out of glass. In 2003 a large and undisturbed 7th-century chamber tomb was found by archaeologists from Museum of London Archaeology.^[3] They were exploring the site for a new road widening project. In 2009, following local opposition, the project was stopped, and other roads were changed instead.^[4]

The unusually rich contents and their condition have excited archaeologists, being described as "unique" by the Museum of London. A description of the excavation and the artefacts of the burial chamber, originally thought to be of Sæberht of Essex, can be seen at the dedicated Museum of London website. The story was also made into a TV show, a special documentary called the "King of Bling", as part of the Time Team series.

References