Plate II. Aerial photograph May 1976 shows most of the main heather area
(dark patches). Different aged blocks of plants can be seen at centre. The
rectangular area centre right was levelled several years ago to make a football
pitch. Dark blotches over 90% of the pitch area are heather seedlings. Gorse is
freely mixed with heather lower left making a network of firebreaks essential.
The field top left is typical of the arable land which abutts the Heath.
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Braxsted, Keldon in part and Inforde and of Tiptreeheeth shall have . .
common of pasture . . . generally to putte in and to common at large upon
the said Waste of Typtreheath . . . and that they shall have reasonable
Common of Estovers necessarie for Fyreboote. . . they shall take browmes,
firres, thornes, bircheses, willowghes, sallowghes and alders. . .
(Abridged excerpt from Order of Council in reign of King Henry VIII)
The absence of the name Tiptree is not surprising, since the parish of
Tiptree only came into being as an ecclesiastical unit in 1858 and as a civil
parish in 1933. During the 17th and 18th centuries the Heath was greatly
reduced in size by enclosures sometimes in small nibbles and occasionally in
giant bites of 200 acres or more. At this time militia training, fairs and horse
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