Paglesham (/ˈpæɡəlʃəm/ PAG-əl-shəm[2]) is a village and civil parish in the north east of the Rochford Rural District, Essex.

The two hamlets form one of Essex's oldest fishing villages and the area was once renowned as a smuggling centre.

[3] This included being home to one of the more famous smugglers in the region, Hard Apple, who was actually the parish councillor and local constable William Blyth.

[4] Admiralty records show that the celebrated vessel HMS Beagle, in which Charles Darwin circumnavigated the world, ended its days as a static ship in the river near Paglesham Eastend, guarding against smugglers.

The Paglesham village sign which stands by the approach road was designed and made by resident Rodney Choppin in response to a general initiative to mark the Millennium by Rochford District Council, and the decision to commission a village sign was taken by the Parish Council.