[2] Braintree district has four market towns, picturesque villages, a designer shopping outlet, historic houses and gardens.

The original settlement and parish of Braintree lay on the River Brain and was bounded on the north by Stane Street, the Roman road from Braughing to Colchester.

[4] It sometimes appears as "Branktre" in Medieval Latin legal records, and "Branktry" in early American colonial documents.

Most notable road names in Braintree now coincide with names of people who fought for the town, and locals living there, such as Aetheric Road (a notable Saxon nobleman who died in the Battle of Maldon in 991, and subsequently left most of the land of Braintree to the Bishop of London, as well as the land of Bocking going to the Prior and monks of Canterbury), Trinovantian Way.

(At one point, the townsfolk were called Trinovantes, who were around during the Iron Age, and could till the light sandy soil and hunted animals in the surrounding woodland.)

[3] The town was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was named "Branchetreu", and consisted of 30 acres (12 hectares) in possession of Richard, son of Count Gilbert.

[8] By the late 19th century, Braintree was a thriving agricultural and textile town and benefited from a railway connection to London.

[11] Essex is rather flat on the whole, and the Braintree area is no exception; however, there is a general downward trend in the height of the ground from the northwest towards the coast to the southeast.

Pod's Brook approaches the western side of the town, forming a natural boundary between Braintree and the neighbouring village of Rayne about two miles (three kilometres) west.

Pod's Brook becomes the River Brain as it passes under the Roman road, before running through the southern part of Braintree.

The River Pant (or Blackwater) runs roughly parallel to it, through the north of Bocking and away to the east of the town.

[15] On 1 April 1934 Braintree Urban District was substantially enlarged to take in Bocking and parts of the neighbouring parishes of Black Notley, Gosfield, Rayne, and Stisted.

The enlarged urban district and its associated parish were both renamed Braintree and Bocking at the same time, reflecting the expansion.

It is also used extensively for local community activities including regular NHS blood donor sessions, record and stamp/coin collectors' fairs, and charity fundraising events.

[citation needed] The management of the building is now reliant on unpaid volunteers under the auspices of the Bocking Arts Theatre Charitable Trust.

Built in 1863, this Grade II listed building was bequeathed to the citizens of Braintree by George Courtald and his family and celebrated its 150-year anniversary in 2013.

For 61 years, these were performed at the Institute at Bocking End but, in 2012, they moved to a new venue at the Braintree Arts Theatre, part of Notley High School.

The English electronic music band The Prodigy originated in Braintree and still live in the area, in nearby Harlow.

Braintree Rugby Union Football Club was formed in 1963 by a group of old boys from Margaret Tabor Secondary School[citation needed] and celebrated its 50th anniversary in May 2013.

[citation needed] Braintree has two main market areas that link throughout the town, which run on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

It has approximately 90 departments where designer brands sell surplus stock for lower than the recommended retail price.

[28][29] Key roads in the town include: National Cycle Route 16, which runs between Bishop's Stortford and Great Totham, passes through Braintree.

It is named after the Dunmow Flitch Trials, a ceremony in which couples can win a side of bacon if they can convince a jury that they have not wished themselves unwed for a year.

Published histories of Braintree & Bocking include: East of England (United Kingdom): Settlements in Counties and Unitary Districts - Population Statistics, Charts and Map