Essex Family History Guides - Free

ESSEX, a maritime county of England; bounded, on the N, by Cambridge and Suffolk; on the E, by the German ocean; on the S, by Kent; on the W, by Middlesex and Hertfordshire.

An oyster-fishery, carried on all round the coast from the Colne river to Canvey island, employs about 200 boats and 500 hands, and produces yearly about 15,000 bushels of good oysters. Other fisheries, and the catching of wild fowl, also are carried on. The woollen manufacture was formerly of some importance, but has become nearly extinct. Crapes are manufactured at Braintree, Bocking, and other places; satin-velvet, at Halstead; and silk fabrics at Coggleshall and Colchester.