Editing Colchester (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Colchester}}

===Prehistory===
The gravel hill upon which Colchester is built was formed in the [[Middle Pleistocene]] period and was shaped into a [[River terrace|terrace]] between the [[Anglian glaciation]] and the [[Ipswichian]] [[glaciation]] by an ancient precursor to the [[River Colne, Essex|River Colne]].<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1992">Crummy, Philip (1992) Colchester Archaeological Report 6: Excavations at Culver Street, the Gilberd School, and other sites in Colchester 1971–85. Published by Colchester Archaeological Trust ({{ISBN|0-9503727-9-X}})</ref> From these deposits [[Paleolithic|Palaeolithic]] [[Stone tool|flint tools]], including at least six [[Acheulian]] [[handaxes]], have been found.<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1992"/> Further flint tools made by [[hunter gatherer]]s living in the Colne Valley during the [[Mesolithic]] have been discovered, including a [[tranchet axe]] from Middlewick.<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1992"/><ref>Wymer, J. (ed.) "Gazetteer of Mesolithic sites in England and Wales", in CBA Research Report 20</ref> In the 1980s an archaeological inventory showed that over 800 shards of pottery from the [[Neolithic]], [[Bronze Age]] and early [[Iron Age]] have been found within Colchester, along with many examples of [[Flint tool|worked flint]].<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1992"/> This included a pit found at Culver Street containing a ritually placed Neolithic [[grooved ware]] pot,<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1992"/> as well as find spots containing later [[Deverel-Rimbury culture|Deverel-Rimbury bucket urns]].<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1992"/> Colchester is surrounded by Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments that pre-date the town, including a Neolithic [[henge]] at [[Tendring, Essex|Tendring]], large [[Tumulus|Bronze Age barrow cemeteries]] at [[Dedham, Essex|Dedham]] and [[Langham, Essex|Langham]], and a larger example at [[Brightlingsea]] consisting of a cluster of 22 barrows.<ref>Strachan, David (1998) Essex from the Air, Archaeology and history from aerial photographs. Published by Essex County Council ({{ISBN|1 85281 165 X}})</ref>

===Celtic origins===
[[File:Colchester Flag.png|thumb|Flag of Colchester as flown from the City Hall, based on its [[Coat of arms of Colchester|coat of arms]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nickbarlow/3653355763|title=Colchester Flag|date=18 June 2009}}</ref>]]
Colchester is said to be the [[Oldest town in Britain|oldest recorded town]] in Britain on the grounds that it was mentioned by [[Pliny the Elder]], who died in AD 79,<ref>Pliny, ''Naturalis Historia'', II, 187</ref> although the Celtic name of the town, ''Camulodunon'' appears on coins minted by tribal chieftain [[Tasciovanus]] in the period 20{{ndash}}10 BC.<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1997"/> Before the Roman conquest of Britain it was already a centre of power for [[Cunobelin]]{{snd}} known to Shakespeare as [[Cymbeline]]{{snd}} king of the [[Catuvellauni]] (c. 5 BC{{snd}}AD 40), who minted coins there.<ref>P. Salway, ''Roman Britain'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1981), pp. 55–6</ref> Its [[Celt]]ic name, Camulodunon, variously represented as CA, CAM, CAMV, CAMVL and CAMVLODVNO on the coins of Cunobelinus, means 'the fortress of [the war god] [[Camulos]]'.<ref>V. Watts, ''The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names'' (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2004), p. 113; T. W. Potter, 'The Transformation of Britain', in P. Salway, ed., ''The Roman Era'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2002), p. 21</ref> During the 30s AD Camulodunon controlled a large swathe of Southern and Eastern Britain, with Cunobelin called "''King of the Britons''" by Roman writers.<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1997"/> Camulodunon is sometimes popularly considered one of many possible sites around Britain for the legendary (perhaps [[mythology|mythical]]) [[Camelot]] of King Arthur,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/8561756/Camelot-discovering-the-legend-of-King-Arthur-around-Britain.html?image=5|title=Camelot: discovering the legend of King Arthur around Britain|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=8 June 2011|access-date=15 August 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926075557/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/8561756/Camelot-discovering-the-legend-of-King-Arthur-around-Britain.html?image=5|archive-date=26 September 2015}}</ref> though the name ''Camelot'' (first mentioned by the 12th century French Arthurian storyteller [[Chrétien de Troyes]]) is most likely a corruption of ''[[Battle of Camlann|Camlann]]'', a now unknown location first mentioned in the 10th century Welsh annalistic text [[Annales Cambriae]], identified as the place where Arthur was slain in battle.<ref>Brugger, Ernst "Beiträge zur Erklärung der arthurischen Geographie II: Gorre", in: Zeitschrift für französische Sprache und Literatur, Volume 28, Berlin, 1905, pp. 1–71 (p. 22-23).</ref>

===Roman period===
{{Main|Camulodunum}}
[[File:The Roman Town Wall, Head Street to the Balkerne Gate 3.JPG|thumb|Part of the Roman walls in Colchester]]

Soon after the [[Roman conquest of Britain]] in AD 43, a Roman legionary fortress was established,<ref>J. Nelson, ed., ''The Victoria History of the County of Essex'', IX (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1994), pp. 7–10</ref> the first in Britain.<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1997"/> Later, when the Roman frontier moved outwards and the twentieth legion had moved to the west (c. AD 49), Camulodunum became a [[Colonia (Roman)|colonia]] named in a second-century inscription as ''Colonia Victricensis''. This contained a large and elaborate [[Temple of Claudius, Colchester|Temple to the Divine Claudius]],<ref>Nelson, ed. ''V.C.H. Essex'', IX, p. 10</ref> the largest [[Roman Temple|classical-style temple]] in Britain, as well as at least seven other Romano-British temples.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roman-britain.co.uk/places/colchester_temples/|title=Temple of Claudius at Camulodunon (Colchester)|website=Roman-britain.co.uk|access-date=20 July 2014}}</ref> Colchester is home to two of the five [[Roman theatre (structure)|Roman theatres]] found in Britain; the example at Gosbecks (site of the [[Trinovantes|Iron Age]] royal farmstead) is the largest in [[Great Britain|Britain]], able to seat 5,000.<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1997"/>

Camulodunum served as a provincial Roman capital of Britain, but was attacked and destroyed during [[Boudica]]'s rebellion in AD 61.<ref>Salway, ''Roman Britain'', pp. 89–90, 117–18</ref> Sometime after the destruction, London became the capital of the province of [[Britannia]].<ref>Salway, ''Roman Britain'', p. 530</ref> Colchester's city walls c. 3,000&nbsp;yd. long were built c.65–80 A.D. when the Roman town was rebuilt after the Boudicca rebellion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21995|title=Walls and Gates British History|publisher=British-history.ac.uk|access-date=17 January 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102061835/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21995|archive-date=2 November 2012}}</ref> In 2004, Colchester Archaeological Trust discovered the remains of a Roman Circus (chariot race track) underneath the Garrison in Colchester, a unique find in Britain.<ref>D. Mattingly, ''An Imperial Possession; Britain in the Roman Empire'' (Penguin Books: London, 2007), pp. 269–70</ref> The city reached its peak in the second and third centuries AD.<ref name="Crummy, Philip 1997"/><ref name="Faulkner, 1994">Faulkner, Neil. (1994) Late Roman Colchester, In Oxford Journal of Archaeology 13(1)</ref> It may have reached a population of 30,000 in that period.<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=Discovering Roman Britain|author1=McCloy, A.|author2=Midgley, A.|date=2008|publisher=New Holland|isbn=9781847731289|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mswynZFMtqgC|page=60}}</ref>

In 2014 a hoard of jewellery, known as The Fenwick Hoard, named for the shop it was found beneath,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Boyle|first1=Danny|title='Fenwick Treasure': Hoard of Roman jewellery buried to save it from Boudicca goes on display in Colchester|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/03/23/fenwick-treasure-hoard-of-roman-jewellery-buried-to-save-it-from/|access-date=1 April 2020|work=The Telegraph|date=23 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401114237/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/03/23/fenwick-treasure-hoard-of-roman-jewellery-buried-to-save-it-from/|archive-date=1 April 2020}}</ref> was discovered in the town centre.<ref name="The Colchester Archaeologist 1">{{cite news|url=http://www.thecolchesterarchaeologist.co.uk/?p=14844|title=The Fenwick Treasure at Williams & Griffin!|work=The Colchester Archaeologist|date=23 March 2016|access-date=23 March 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320171848/http://www.thecolchesterarchaeologist.co.uk/?p=14844|archive-date=20 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="The Colchester Archaeologist 2">{{cite news|url=http://www.thecolchesterarchaeologist.co.uk/?p=15398|title='the Fenwick treasure' reveals more gems...|work=The Colchester Archaeologist|access-date=23 March 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320091301/http://www.thecolchesterarchaeologist.co.uk/?p=15398|archive-date=20 March 2016}}</ref> The director of Colchester Archaeological Trust, Philip Crummy, described the hoard as being of "national importance and one of the finest ever uncovered in Britain".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/archaeology/12202566/Fenwick-Treasure-Hoard-of-Roman-jewellery-buried-to-save-it-from-Boudicca-goes-on-display-in-Colchester.html|title='Fenwick Treasure': Hoard of Roman jewellery buried to save it from Boudicca goes on display in Colchester|author=Danny Boyle|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=23 March 2016|access-date=23 March 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323202610/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/archaeology/12202566/Fenwick-Treasure-Hoard-of-Roman-jewellery-buried-to-save-it-from-Boudicca-goes-on-display-in-Colchester.html|archive-date=23 March 2016}}</ref>

===Sub-Roman and Saxon period===
[[File:Holy Trinity Church Colchester Dorway in Tower 02.jpg|thumb|Doorway in tower of Holy Trinity Church]]
There is evidence of hasty re-organisation of Colchester's defences around 268–82 AD, followed later, during the fourth century, by the blocking of the Balkerne Gate.<ref>J. Cooper, ed., ''The Victoria History of the County of Essex, IX: The Borough of Colchester'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1995), pp. 16–17, 248</ref> [[John Morris (historian)|John Morris]] suggested that the name [[Camelot]] of Arthurian legend was probably a reference to [[Camulodunum]], the capital of [[Britannia]] in Roman times.<ref>J. Morris, ''The Age of Arthur: A History of the British Isles from 350 to 650'', 3 vols (Phillimore: Chichester, 1977), I, p. 138</ref>

The archaeologist [[Mortimer Wheeler|Sir Mortimer Wheeler]] was the first to propose that the lack of early [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] finds in a triangle between London, Colchester and [[St Albans]] could indicate a 'sub-Roman triangle' where British rule continued after the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons.<ref>R. E. M. Wheeler, ''London and the Saxons'' (London, 1935)</ref> Since then excavations have revealed some early Saxon occupation, including a fifth-century wooden hut built on the ruins of a Roman house in present-day Lion Walk. Archaeological excavations have shown that public buildings were abandoned and is very doubtful whether Colchester survived as a settlement with any urban characteristics after the sixth century.<ref>J. N. L. Myres, ''The English Settlements'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1986), p. 214</ref>

The chronology of its revival is obscure. But the ninth-century ''Historia Brittonum'', attributed to [[Nennius]], mentions the town, which it calls ''Cair Colun'', in a list of the thirty most important cities in Britain.<ref>''Nennius'', ed. J. Morris (Phillimore: London and Chichester, 1980); Watts, ''Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names'', p. 149</ref> Colchester was in the area assigned to the [[Danelaw]] in c.880 and remained in Danish hands until 917 when it was besieged and recaptured by the army of [[Edward the Elder]].<ref>D, Hill, ''An Atlas of Anglo-Saxon History'' (Blackwell: Oxford, 1981), pp. 47, 56–8; ''The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', trans. G. N. Garmondsway, 2nd edition (Dent: London, 1954), p. 103; F, Stenton, ''Anglo-Saxon England'', 2nd edition, (Clarendon Press: Oxford, 1947), pp. 324–5</ref> The tenth-century Saxons called the town ''Colneceastre'', which is directly equivalent to the ''Cair Colun'' of 'Nennius'.<ref>Watts, ''Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names'', p. 149</ref> The tower of Holy Trinity Church is late Saxon work.

===Medieval and Tudor periods===
[[File:Colchester castle 800.jpg|thumb|Colchester Castle, completed c. 1100 AD]]
Medieval Colchester's main landmark is [[Colchester Castle]], which is an 11th-century Norman keep and built on top of the vaults of the old [[Roman temple]]. There are notable medieval ruins in Colchester, including the surviving gateway of the [[Benedictine]] [[St. John's Abbey, Colchester|abbey of St John the Baptist]] (known locally as "St John's Abbey"), and the ruins of the [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] [[priory]] of [[St Botolph]] (known locally as "[[St Botolph's Priory]]"). Many of [[Colchester churches|Colchester's parish churches]] date from this period.

Colchester's medieval town seal incorporated the biblical text ''Intravit ihc: in quoddam castellum et mulier quedam excepit illum'' 'Jesus entered a certain castle and a woman there welcomed him' (Luke 10.38).  This is a commonplace allegory in which a castle is likened to Mary's womb and explains the name of Maidenburgh St, neighbouring the castle.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Briggs|first1=Keith|title=Maidenburgh, Geoffrey of Wells and Rabanus Maurus|journal=Nomina|date=2010|volume=33|pages=121–128|url=http://snsbi.org.uk/Nomina_articles/Nomina_33_Briggs.pdf}}</ref>

In 1189, Colchester was granted its first known [[royal charter]] by King Richard I ([[Richard I of England|Richard the Lionheart]]), although the wording suggests that it was based on an earlier one. It granted Colchester's [[Burgess (title)|burgess]]es the right to elect [[Bailiff#Historic bailiffs|bailiffs]] and a [[Judge#England and Wales|justice]].<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Cooper|editor1-first=Janet|editor2-last=Elrington|editor2-first=C. R.|year=1994|title=A History of the County of Essex: The Borough of Colchester|volume=IX|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol9/pp48-57|location=London|publisher=Victoria County History|pages=48–57|isbn=978-0-19-722784-8}}</ref> The borough celebrated the 800th anniversary of its charter in 1989.<ref>{{cite web|date=27 December 2002|url=http://www.oysterfayre.flyer.co.uk/1989newsreports.html|title=Oyster Fayre{{snd}}1989 News Reports|publisher=Oysterfayre.flyer.co.uk|access-date=17 January 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829164600/http://www.oysterfayre.flyer.co.uk/1989newsreports.html|archive-date=29 August 2008}}</ref>

Colchester developed rapidly during the later 14th century as a centre of the woollen cloth industry and became famous in many parts of Europe for its russets (fabrics of a grey-brown colour). This allowed the population to recover exceptionally rapidly from the effects of the [[Black Death]], particularly by immigration into the town.<ref name="R.H. Britnell, 1986">{{cite book|first=R. H.|last=Britnell|title=Growth and Decline in Colchester, 1300–1525|publisher=Cambridge|orig-date=1986|date=2009}}</ref>
Rovers Tye Farm, now a pub on [[Ipswich Road, Colchester|Ipswich Road]], has been documented as being established by 1353.<ref name=comms>{{cite journal|title=Communications|journal=A History of the County of Essex|volume=9, the Borough of Colchester|editor1-first=Janet|editor1-last=Cooper|editor2-first=C R|editor2-last=Elrington|location=London|year=1994|pages=233–237|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol9/pp233-237|access-date=29 July 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919055317/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol9/pp233-237|archive-date=19 September 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Colchester Map 1500AD.png|thumb|left|Colchester in 1500 AD]]
By the 'New Constitutions' of 1372, a borough council was instituted; the two [[bailiff]]s who represented the borough to the king were now expected to consult sixteen ordinary councillors and eight auditors (later called aldermen). Even though Colchester's fortunes were more mixed during the 15th century, it was still a more important place by the 16th century than it had been in the 13th. In 1334 it would not have ranked among England's wealthiest fifty towns, to judge from the taxation levied that year. By 1524, however, it ranked twelfth, as measured by its assessment to a lay subsidy.<ref name="R.H. Britnell, 1986"/>

[[File:Peake's House Colchester 01.jpg|thumb|Peake's House, one of the Elizabethan houses in the Dutch Quarter]]
Between 1550 and 1600, a large number of [[weaver (occupation)|weaver]]s and clothmakers from [[Flanders]] emigrated to Colchester and the surrounding areas.<ref name=Cooper>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21968&strquery=colchester|title=The Borough of Colchester|editor1=Janet Cooper|editor2=C R Elrington|author1=A P Baggs|author2=Beryl Board|author3=Philip Crummy|author4=Claude Dove|author5=Shirley Durgan|author6=N R Goose|author7=R B Pugh|author8=Pamela Studd|author9=C C Thornton|work=A History of the County of Essex: Volume 9: The Borough of Colchester|publisher=Institute of Historical Research|year=1994|access-date=28 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102061859/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21968&strquery=colchester|archive-date=2 November 2012}}</ref> They were famed for the production of "Bays and Says" cloths which were woven from [[wool]] and are normally associated with [[baize]] and [[serge (fabric)|serge]] although surviving examples show that they were rather different from their modern equivalents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cat.essex.ac.uk/reports/EAS-report-0030.pdf|title=Colchester Archaeological Trust Online Report Library – Colchester Bays, Says and Perpetuanas by Eliot Howard|publisher=University of Essex|access-date=8 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20121212020626/http://cat.essex.ac.uk/reports/EAS-report-0030.pdf|archive-date=12 December 2012}}</ref> An area in Colchester town centre is still known as the Dutch Quarter and many buildings there date from the [[Tudor dynasty|Tudor]] period. During this period Colchester was one of the most prosperous wool towns in England and was also famed for its [[oyster]]s.<ref name=Cooper/> Flemish refugees in the 1560s brought innovations that revived the local cloth trade, establishing the Dutch Bay Hall for quality control of the textiles for which Colchester became famous.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britainsfirstcity.com/heritage.html|title=Heritage|website=Colchester: Britain's First City|access-date=8 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209063510/https://www.britainsfirstcity.com/heritage.html|archive-date=9 February 2018}}</ref> The old Roman wall runs along Northgate Street in the Dutch Quarter.

In the reign of "Bloody Mary" (1553–1558) Colchester became a centre of Protestant "heresy" and in consequence at least 19 local people were burned at the stake at the castle, at first in front, later within the walls. They are commemorated on a tablet near the altar of St Peter's Church.
(Sources: John Foxe, Book of Martyrs; Mark Byford, The Process of Reformation in a Tudor Town)

===17th and 18th century===
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = {{visible anchor|Colchester Improvement Act 1623}}
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of England
| long_title            = An Act for the payringe and mainteyninge of the Haven River and Channell runing unto the Borowgh and Towne of Colchester in the Countie of Essex, and alsoe for the paveing of the said Towne.
| year                  = 1623
| citation              = [[21 Jas. 1]]. c. ''34''
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 29 May 1624
| commencement          = 
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}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = {{visible anchor|Bays Regulation (Colchester) Act 1660}}
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of England
| long_title            = An Act for the regulating of the Trade of Bay-making, in the Dutch Bay Hall, in Colchester.
| year                  = 1660
| citation              = [[12 Cha. 2]]. c. ''7''
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 13 September 1660
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
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| collapsed             = yes
}}

[[File:Lucas and Lise.jpg|thumb|The place of the execution of [[Charles Lucas]] and [[George Lisle (Royalist)|George Lisle]]]]
The town saw the start of the [[Stour Valley riots]] of 1642, when the town house of [[John Lucas, 1st Baron Lucas of Shenfield]] was attacked by a large crowd. In 1648, during the [[Second English Civil War]], a [[Cavalier|Royalist]] army led by [[George Goring, 1st Earl of Norwich|Lord Goring]] entered the town. A pursuing [[Roundhead|Parliamentary]] army led by [[Thomas Fairfax]] and [[Henry Ireton]] surrounded the town for eleven and a half weeks, a period known as the [[Siege of Colchester]]. It started on 13 June. The Royalists surrendered in the late summer (on 27 August Lord Goring signed the surrender document in the Kings Head Inn) and [[Charles Lucas]] and [[George Lisle (Royalist)|George Lisle]] were executed in the grounds of [[Colchester Castle]].<ref>''The English Civil War: a military history of the three civil wars, 1642–1651'', Young, Peter and Holmes, Richard (1974) p. 290. Available here [https://books.google.com/books?id=_VsJAQAAIAAJ]</ref> A small obelisk marks the spot where they fell.

[[Daniel Defoe]] mentions in ''A tour through [[England and Wales]]'' that the town lost 5259 people<ref name=Defoe/> to the [[Great Plague of London|plague]] in 1665, ''"more in proportion than any of its neighbours, or than the city of London"''.<ref name=Defoe>Daniel Defoe, ''A tour through England and Wales'', J.M. Dent and Sons Ltd, London (1959) [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/text/chap_page.jsp?t_id=Defoe&c_id=2&cpub_id=0 Available online here] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303184013/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/text/chap_page.jsp?t_id=Defoe&c_id=2&cpub_id=0 |date=3 March 2016 }}</ref> By the time he wrote this in 1722, however, he estimated its population to be around 40,000 (including "out-villages").

Between 1797 and 1815 Colchester was the HQ of the Army's Eastern District, had a garrison of up to 6,000, and played a main role in defence against a threatened French or Dutch invasion, At various times it was the base of such celebrated officers as Lord Cornwallis, Generals Sir James Craig and David Baird, and Captain William Napier. It was in a state of alarm during the invasion threat of 1803/4, a period well chronicled by the contemporary local author Jane Taylor.
<ref>(Sources—Records of Army's Eastern Command at National Archives, Kew; Julian Foynes "East Anglia against the Tricolor 1793–1815", Poppyland Press, 2016)</ref>

===Victorian period===
Significant Victorian landmarks include [[Colchester Town Hall]], the [[Jumbo Water Tower]] and the [[Albert Hall, Colchester|Albert Hall]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1337737|desc=The Albert Hall|access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref>

In 1884, the area was struck by the [[1884 Colchester earthquake|Colchester earthquake]], estimated to have been 4.7 on the [[Richter Scale]] causing extensive regional damage.

The [[Paxman diesels]] business has been associated with Colchester since 1865 when James Noah Paxman founded a partnership with the brothers Henry and Charles Davey ('Davey, Paxman, and Davey') and opened the Standard Ironworks. In 1925, Paxman produced its first spring injection oil engine and joined the English Electric Diesel Group in 1966{{snd}}later becoming part of the GEC Group. Since the 1930s the Paxman company's main business has been the production of [[diesel engine]]s.

===20th century and later===
[[File:Colchestermap.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|A map of Colchester from 1940]]
In the early 20th century Colchester lobbied to be the seat for a new [[Church of England]] [[diocese]] for [[Essex]], to be split off from the existing [[Diocese of Rochester]]. The bid was unsuccessful, with county town Chelmsford forming the seat of [[Diocese of Chelmsford|the new diocese]].<ref name=ModernColchester>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21986&strquery=colchester|title=Modern Colchester: Introduction|editor1=Janet Cooper|editor2=C R Elrington|author1=A P Baggs|author2=Beryl Board|author3=Philip Crummy|author4=Claude Dove|author5=Shirley Durgan|author6=N R Goose|author7=R B Pugh|author8=Pamela Studd|author9=C C Thornton|work=A History of the County of Essex: Volume 9: The Borough of Colchester|publisher=Institute of Historical Research|year=1994|access-date=28 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102061923/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21986&strquery=colchester|archive-date=2 November 2012}}</ref>

In the 2nd World War Colchester's main significance lay in its infantry and light-anti-aircraft training units and in the Paxman factory, which supplied a large proportion of the engines for British submarines and landing craft. Occasionally hit by stray single German aircraft in 1940 and 1941, in 1942 more serious attempts to bomb its industries were made by the Luftwaffe. None of these attacks hit their targets, but a raid on 11 August bombed [[Severalls Hospital]] and killed 38 elderly patients. In February 1944 a single raider caused a huge fire in the St Botolph's area which gutted warehouses, shops and part of Paxman's Britannia Works. The total wartime bombing death toll in the borough was 55.<ref>(Sources:--Eastern Command, 11 Corps, various divisional, brigade and battalion, and Colchester Garrison war diaries in WO 166 series at National Archives, Kew; 4 Civil Defence Region reports in HO 192/193 series at National Archives; CW 1 Police Incident records at Essex County Record Office).</ref>

The [[University of Essex]] was established at Wivenhoe Park in 1961.<ref name=ModernColchester/> The £22.7M {{convert|8|mi|km|0|abbr=off|adj=on}} [[A120 road|A120]] Colchester Eastern Bypass opened in June 1982.

Colchester and the surrounding area is currently undergoing significant regeneration,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colchester-regen.co.uk|title=Homepage&nbsp;– Colchester Borough Council|publisher=Colchester-regen.co.uk|access-date=17 January 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121080542/http://www.colchester-regen.co.uk/|archive-date=21 November 2008}}</ref> including controversial greenfield residential development in Mile End and Braiswick.<ref name="lovemyland.org.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.lovemyland.org.uk|title=Home|publisher=Love Myland|access-date=22 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204010/http://www.lovemyland.org.uk/|archive-date=3 March 2016}}</ref> At the time of the [[2011 United Kingdom census]]<!-- Note that the 178000 population reported in 2011 is for the borough: the subject of this article is the town, so it is not appropriate. It is linked in the demographics section below -->, Colchester and its surrounding built up area had a population of [[List of urban areas in England by population|121,859]], marking a considerable rise from the previous census and with considerable development since 2001 and ongoing building plans; it has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/england/8626127.stm|title=Concerns over 'fast-growing' town|date=16 April 2010|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> The local football team, Colchester United, moved into a [[Weston Homes Community Stadium|brand new stadium]] at Cuckoo Farm in 2008.

On 20 May 2022, it was announced that as part of the [[Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours]], what was then the [[Borough of Colchester]] would receive [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]]. It was slated to receive the status formally by [[Letters patent (United Kingdom)|letters patent]] on 12 September 2022,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Record number of city status winners announced to celebrate Platinum Jubilee|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/record-number-of-city-status-winners-announced-to-celebrate-platinum-jubilee|access-date=2022-05-21|website=Gov.uk|language=en}}</ref><ref name="City date2">{{Cite web|title=Revealed: When Colchester will officially be named a city (but we won't get a royal visit)|url=https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/20604150.colchester-city-status-set-made-official-september/|access-date=2022-08-17|website=Gazette|date=8 August 2022|language=en}}</ref> however following the [[death of Queen Elizabeth II]], the ceremony was postponed.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2022-09-09|title=Queen Elizabeth II: Colchester city status ceremony plans postponed|language=en-GB|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-62851159|access-date=2022-09-19}}</ref> On 29 September 2022, the letters patent was made public, with Colchester receiving city status dated 5 September 2022 by the late Queen.<ref name="Crown Office-2022" /> Colchester officially received city status on 23 November 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Colchester City Council|url=https://www.colchester.gov.uk/city-status/|access-date=2023-04-23|website=colchester.gov.uk|language=en-US}}</ref> Colchester was visited by [[Charles III|King Charles III]] on 7 March 2023, in order to congratulate Colchester on receiving city status.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2023-03-07|title=King Charles and Camilla visit Colchester to mark city status|language=en-GB|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-64875029|access-date=2023-06-11}}</ref>