Plate I. Aerial photograph May 1976 shows large area top left cleared of gorse
in 1972. Now largely grassland being colonised by ling and bell heather (dark
patches inside triangle of footpaths). Bracken zone at right distinctly marked
by pale tone of dead fronds. The line of trees to the right of the bracken
follows the stream.
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along the crest of the northern leg of the Tiptree/Danbury Ridge, so that
Tiptree Heath today is an insignificant outlier of the 18th century Heath area.
The vast tract of heathland must have intimidated nervous travellers in the
15th century, when it was apparently several thousand acres in extent and
frequented by footpads, tinkers and other dubious characters. Several centuries
later the Heath was to harbour Gentlemen of the Road and to conceal contra-
band smuggled into creeks on the Blackwater estuary. The 16th century Heath
played an important part in the economy of local parishes as this extract from
Philip Morant's "History and Antiquities of the County of Essex" indicates.
That all and everye of the freeholders, copieholders and inhabitaunts of the
townes of Messynge, Lyard Marney, Wygeboroughe Salcote, Tollyshunte-
Knights, Tolleshunt-darcye, Tollesburye, Goldeanger, Tolleshunte-major,
Little Tothame, Muche Tothame, Hebredge, Langeforde, Wikehamme,
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