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Town in Essex, England

Rayleigh '/r//eɪ//l//iː/ is a market town and civil parish in the Rochford District in Essex, England; it is located between Chelmsford and Southend on Sea, 32 mile (51 km) east of central London. It had a population of 32,150 at the census in 2011.

The name Rayleigh is Old English in origin deriving from rǣge ('female roe deer or she goat') and lēah ('clearing'). Therefore, the name means overall 'wood or clearing of the wild she goats or roe deer".

There has been a scattering of stray finds around the town from Prehistoric and Roman times, including some Roman roof and hypocaust tiles found within the fabric of Rayleigh Church. This suggests that there was a Roman habitation site within the area. However, there is little evidence of any density of population here during this period.

One significant archaeological find was in the early 2000s at the western edge of Rayleigh, at the site of the former Park School in Rawreth Lane. An early Saxon cemetery site was discovered here, with 144 cremation burials and evidence of just one high status female inhumation burial. By the end of the Saxon period, there was definitely a village here, as it is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was held by Swein of Essex, the son of Robert FitzWimarc. The most significant historic monument in Rayleigh is the great medieval mound of Rayleigh Castle. This was an early Norman motte and bailey castle, of which only the motte and its surrounding embankments remain. Despite the loss of its timber superstructure and later stone buildings, its height and bulk mean that it still dominates the town centre.

A courthouse was erected in Rayleigh in 1338. This was apparently resented by the townspeople, who turned out in force to destroy it, with 20 ringleaders later arrested and tried. The forests around Rayleigh were royal hunting grounds. It is recorded that King Henry III hunted here in 1222, and three King Edwards also visited. One of the oldest secular buildings in Rayleigh is 91 High Street which houses Pizza Express downstairs and Rayleigh Town Museum upstairs. The Regal Room in the museum is dated circa 1350. It is suspected that some of Rayleigh's older brick built buildings may contain portions older than this. Rayleigh Castle gradually fell into disuse, and in 1394 King Richard II gave permission for the townspeople of Rayleigh to use the foundations as a source of stone. By this time, the site was in royal ownership and used for pasture:
know all men of special grace who have the will to repair certain Chapel in the said town and to build a new a certain belfry we have granted them the foundations and to take away and use any stones found therein".

During the 1990s many new housing estates appeared on formerly greenfield areas of the town, with the East of England region currently pushing for even more homes to be built in the area. This has caused some controversy locally, with residents of Rayleigh feeling that the areas surrounding the town should be preserved with more care.

Rayleigh is served by two prominent modes of public transport: bus and train. Bus services are run by Arriva Southend and First Essex. Arriva services usually terminate at Rayleigh railway station, whereas First Essex services travel further afield to Hullbridge, Wickford, Basildon and Chelmsford. First Essex also operate an hourly bus service to Stansted Airport, numbered X30, which makes a stop at Rayleigh railway station. Greater Anglia operate railway services between Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street. Trains run generally every 20 minutes during the day from Rayleigh station in both directions.

Rayleigh has two secondary schools: The Sweyne Park School, formed by the amalgamation of the Sweyne and Park schools, and FitzWimarc School. It also has seven primary schools – Down Hall, Edward Francis, Grove Wood, Our Lady of Ransom (Catholic), Rayleigh Primary and Wyburns. The seventh, Glebe Primary School with UHI, was created in September 2014 through the amalgamation
of Glebe Infant and Nursery School and Glebe Junior School. In addition, St Nicholas C of E Primary School, a long established school for the adjoining village of Rawreth, moved in 2006 to a new building just on the Rayleigh side of the parish boundary.

Rayleigh has a golf club on the outskirts of the town; Rayleigh Club (previously Lords Golf & Country Club) is situated on Hullbridge Road to the north of the town. This was originally opened in 1991 as Hanover Golf Club on the site of Hanover Farm and was designed by Reg Plumbridge.

Rayleigh has a number of parks and playing fields.

This is a broadleaved wood established in the late 1990s. The wood was designed and planted by a partnership of Local people and the Woodland Trust. There is a car park at the Grange Community Centre in Little Wheatley Chase and access to the wood is across the playing fields.

At least two greyhound racing tracks existed in the town. The main venue was the Rayleigh Weir Stadium which also hosted speedway and traded from 1948 1974. A smaller short lived track at O'Tooles Meadow, Wickford Road, off the Down Hall Road also hosted greyhound racing and dirt track speedway. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the National Greyhound Racing Club) and was known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks. The track opened in 1932, but the date of closure is not known; it is possible that it may have been the same venue known as the Rayleigh Sports Stadium, although it is also possible that the Rayleigh Sports Stadium may have been a third separate venue.

There is a small outdoor market on Wednesdays. Until 2011 it was located next to Rayleigh Civic Suite and Information Centre, opposite Holy Trinity Church. In 2011 it moved to the taxi rank in the town's High Street (outside Boots). The market dates back to before 1181 when it was inscribed in the Exchequer Records of Henry II. The Dutch Cottage, the smallest and oldest council house in the United Kingdom, can be visited on Wednesdays by prior appointment. Rayleigh Windmill has been renovated, including a structural renovation of the 19th century brick built building has now been completed. The basic external brickwork has been repaired and the interior has been transformed to provide four storeys of modern display facilities which has turned the windmill into a major tourist and educational attraction in the county. The changes to the windmill allow the public to view the interior and to exploit this local historic amenity for cultural, educational and tourism use. Rayleigh Mount, a National Trust property adjacent to Rayleigh Windmill, is the site of a Domesday castle erected by Sweyn of Essex with distinctive motte and bailey defences. Edward Belcham Francis gave the Mount to the National Trust in 1923. From its summit it offers sweeping views across the Crouch Valley.

Rayleigh Town Museum occupies the 1st floor at 91 High Street and contains many artefacts telling the history of Rayleigh.

The Church of England parish church of the Holy Trinity is at the top of the High Street. A church existed on the site in Saxon times and the present building has a Norman chancel. The bell tower was built in the 15th century and includes stone taken from the castle when that fell into disuse. The church has an impressive Tudor brick porch. The Gothic Revival architect C. C. Rolfe restored the chancel in 1873. The parish church of Saint Michael and All Angels is in Sir Walter Raleigh Drive near Sweyne School. It was built in the 1950s when Rayleigh expanded considerably. It has a multi purpose building which is used by other local groups as well as the church. Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Church is on London Hill. The United Reformed Church is on Crown Hill. The Baptist Church is in the High Street. The building opened for worship on 25 March 1799, shortly before the first Pastor, Rev James Pilkington, was inducted in June 1799. In June 1979, work started on a church extension. This added significantly more seating and completed some much needed repairs. The Methodist Church is on Eastwood Road. (Moved from the High Street in 1934). Grange Free Church is on London Road, at the junction with Langdon Road. The Salvation Army are located on the corner of the High Street and Love Lane. The building was the original 1884 Methodist Church, which was sold to the Salvation Army in 1934 when the Methodist Church moved to a larger site in Eastwood Road.