CHELMSFORD, the county-town of Essex, in England. 29 miles N.N.E. of London, with which it is connected by the Great Eastern Railway. It is situated in a valley on the Chelmer, near the confluence of the Cann, and has communication by the river with Maldon and the sea, 11 miles to the east. The Cann is crossed by two bridges, one ef stone and the other of cast-iron; and there is also a bridge over each of the two branches into which the Chelmer is divided at this part of its course. In the neighbourhood of the island enclosed by this bifurcation are the works of the gas company, and the wharves for the barges on the river. Besides the parish church of St Mary, an ancient and elegant edifice, rebuilt in 1428 and again in 1800, the town has seven churches and chapels belonging to different denominations, a grammar school founded by Edward VI., an endowed charity school, a mechanics’ institute, a museum, and a library. It is the seat of the county assizes and quarter sessions, and has an elegant and commodious shire hall. Its corn and cattle markets are among the largest in the county; for the former a fine exchange was provided in 1856 at a cost of £10,000, and a similar sum is being expended on an enclosure for the latter. In the centre of the square in which the corn-exchange is situated there stands a bronze statue, by Bailey, of Lord Chief-Justice Tindal, who was a native of the parish. There are corn mills, tanneries, and a brewery in the town; but most of the inhabitants are engaged in agriculture or the trades immediately connected with it. About a mile to the north is situated the county jail at Springfield Hill, and at a distance of two miles to the south is the racecourse, with a grand stand erected in 1863. The town, not being a corporation, is under the ...