- Wix, Essex
infobox UK place
country = England
static_
official_name= Wix
latitude= 51.91215
longitude= 1.14201
population = 755
shire_district=Tendring
shire_county =Essex
region= East of England
constituency_westminster=
post_town=
postcode_district=
postcode_area=
dial_code=
os_grid_reference= TM162284Wix is a village and
civil parish in theTendring district ofEssex . It lies in a small valley about three km south of the Stour Estuary. The valley drains east towardsHarwich . Formerly an important crossroads on the route to Harwich, it has now been bypassed by theA120 road .The church, dedicated to
Saint Mary , has a detached belfry which stands in the churchyard and contains one bell. In 1961 the then owner of Wix Abbey Farm, was ploughing in the church which was overgrown when he struck a large piece of dressed limestone with further investigation revealed a large stone coffin with a skeleton inside. Archaeologists were called in and dated the coffin to circa 1140, due to the decorative cross on the lid having Saxon influences.The skeleton is very likely that of Alexander de Wix, a founder of Wix Priory, which occupied the church grounds until the 12th century. This coffin is now on show, or was until recently on display in Colchester castle. A almost identical but slightly smaller coffin from the same site can be found in the bellhouse, in the churchyard.There is one pub left open, The Waggon at Wix, it is located at the crossroads.
Nearby places
External links
* [http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/pageviewer.asp?fn=00008tx9.tif&dn=BCL8011tif&zoom=in Entry in Kelly's Directory of Essex, 1894]
* [http://www.wykes.org/wix.html Page on the World Wykes Web about Wix Priory] and earlier spellings of the name
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