History of Wickford, Essex

Are you planning to visit Essex and want to learn more about the different histories of each city? It is always advisable to read more about the country you want to visit so that you are aware about their culture and avoid some behaviors that are offending to their culture. One of the most visited cities in Essex is Wickford.  It is located in north Basildon in South Essex. The name Wickford is derived from the words Wygford and Wyckford. Based on the history, the name means “a sheep farm on a river crossing”. This is because there are two rivers located nearby the area namely the River Crouch and another river flowing at the south of River Crouch.

The small town of Wickford started from agriculture and farming where many of the locals are working from morning until night in order to produce crops for their living, and it is now a very busy city where commuters usually drop by. Thomas Churchman Darby designed the digger and sold it all over the world. It became a success since he invented a machine where almost 70 people need to work before the machine was invented. Throughout his life, Darby has been inventing different kinds of machineries that are useful in agriculture and farming, which made him very famous and rich. Because of his inventions, the small town of Wickford became popular. When he died, his youngest son took over their business and later became Sidney C. Darby (Wickford) Ltd.

Wickford’s population in 1832 was only 402. There are only few residents living in Wickford since it was located in the countryside of Essex. However, right after World War II, many homeless Londoners started to migrate and live in Wickford, which made its population rise up to 50,000. In the mid of 1995, the village of Wickford was converted into metropolitan community.