Messing-cum-Inworth is a parish in north-east Essex, 8.5 miles west of Colchester, and 15 miles east of Chelmsford. The parish consists of two small villages; Messing (popn. 250), and Inworth (popn. 100).

Geography

The parish of Messing-cum-Inworth is bounded by the parishes of Kelvedon to the west, Feering to the north, Birch to the east and Tiptree to the south. The highest point in the parish is no more than 69 metres (226 ft) above sea level dropping to 32 metres (105 ft) in the vicinity of Domsey Brook. It is situated in the Birch & Winstree ward of Colchester Borough Council. Amenities in Messing include a church, a pub/restaurant, and a large garden centre, while Inworth hosts most of the small businesses in the parish.

History

The history of Messing has been published twice, in Roger Carter’s Simply Messing and William Goldsborough Whittam’s The Story of Messing. Known historically as Maesa's settlement, and Mething, the village is close to a site called ‘The Rampart’, which according to legend is where Boudica, Queen of the Iceni was defeated by the Romans.

Inworth village dates back to medieval times, and has been known in the past as Ineworth, Inneworth, Inneworde and Inford.

Bush Family Connection

Messing was the home of the ancestors of the Bush family dynasty, where Reynold Bush was born in 1567 and lived out most of his life before emigrating to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1631.

References