Fobbing is a small village in Thurrock, Essex, England. It is set between Basildon and Corringham, close to Stanford-le-Hope.

Fobbing is one of seven conservation areas in Thurrock.

The now quiet village is renowned for its history, which includes being one of the main villages involved with the Peasants' Revolt. On 30th May, John Brapton attempted to collect the poll tax from villagers at Fobbing. The villagers, led by Thomas Baker, a local landowner, told Brampton that they would give him nothing and he was forced to leave the village empty handed. Robert Belknap was sent to investigate the incident and to punish the offenders. On 2nd June, he was attacked at Brentwood. By this time the violent discontent had spread, and the counties of Essex and Kent were in full revolt. Soon people moved on London in an armed uprising. In 1981 a metal sculpture by B R Coode-Adams was erected as a memorial to the Peasants' Revolt at Fobbing to commemorate the 600th anniversary .

One of the major features of the village is Saint Michael's Church. It is renowned for its historic association with the smuggling trade. Once upon a time the church was near the waterfront of Fobbing Harbour. Smugglers sailed up Fobbing Creek guided by the distinctive church tower but after the great flood of 1 February 1953, the creek and harbour were sealed up by a dyke and drained. Underneath the church are many tunnels which were used by the smugglers in the fourteenth century.

Notes

1. http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/planning/environment/content.php?page=conservation_consult
2. Maurice Hugh Keen, England in the Later Middle Ages: A Political History (Routledge, 1975)

External links

• Fobbing - White's Directory of Essex, 1848

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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Fobbing". Image Credit.

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