a market-town of Essex, in the hundred of Hinckford, eleven miles N. by E. of Chelmsford. It is one of the polling places for North Essex, and is the seat of the Braintree Poor Law Union. Besides the parish church, which is a fine gothic edifice, the Independents, Baptists, and Quakers, have places of worship in the town. The market is held on Wednesday, and is well supplied with cattle, poultry, and corn. Two annual fairs, of three days each, are held here, commencing May 7 and October 2. The town is governed by a select vestry of 24 parishioners; but the drainage and sewerage are so defective as to cause a very high annual average of mortality. The manufactures of silk and crape, which employ about 1000 persons, have quite superseded that of woollen cloth, which was introduced by the Flemings who fled to England to escape the persecution of the Duke of Alva. Straw-plaiting has been introduced of late years. There is a free school in the town, besides several charities, distributed over fourteen different places. Pop. (1851) 2836.