mayflower high school
Billericay
The site of Mayflower High school has a rich history since long before the
school itself opened. First inhabited in the Iron Age, burial mounds still exist
in Norsey Woods, but the town that would eventually become Billericay became
important when a Roman settlement was formed following the defeat of the local
Trinovante tribe. During the Saxon period a now traditional form of local
government came into being. The area was then owned by King Harold's father, who
is buried locally, who named the fortified settlement Burghstede. The area then
passed into the ownership of William the Conqueror's half brother. When he fell
out of favour, William gave the lands to the Cistercian monks. In 1381, men from
Billericay joined the Peasant’s Revolt against the poll tax. The rebels were
pursued by the Kings armies and a battle ensued in Norsey Woods, adjacent to the
modern Mayflower site. Why a ship? Whilst Billericay had become a flourishing
commercial centre during the reign of Henry VIII, religious persecution during
the reign of James I of England (James VI of Scotland) led some inhabitants to
embark on the famous Mayflower voyage to America. The expedition was led by
Christopher Martin, born in Great Burstead who is believed to have lived in what
is now known as the Old Chantry in Billericay High Street and a meeting of the
‘Pilgrim Fathers’ is said to have taken place in Billericay prior to the sailing
In September 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, a port on the southern
coast of England. Nearly 40 of the passengers were Protestant Separatists (they
called themselves “Saints”) who hoped to establish a new church free from
religious persecution, in the so-called New World. It is the Mayflower ship that
is represented on the school’s badge.
