The village is the location of an important mediaeval abbey, St Osyth's Priory, named after Osgyth, a semi-legendary Saxon princess and martyr.

The programme sought to uncover the early origins of the village, which is now concentrated around the Priory, the surviving parts of which date from its establishment as an Augustinian ('Austin') monastery in the 12th century.

The programme found evidence that a massive high tide in the 1600s might have ended industrial activity in the original village site along the creek.

[12] St Osyth is claimed to be the driest recorded place in the United Kingdom, with an average annual rainfall of just 507 mm (20 inches).

[14] The modern village lies on the coastward edge of the clay plateau which forms much of the topography of North East Essex, at an altitude of about 20 metres above mean sea level, but extends down towards the tidal St Osyth Creek.

It overlooks extensive areas of rough pasture to the south and east - former marshes drained and reclaimed from the 17th century onward, which typically lie only one or two metres above mean sea level (some patches are below, especially near Jaywick).

Avocet, Golden Plover, Shelduck, Short-eared Owl, Marsh Harrier and Brent Geese are all found there, along with the invasive Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi).

St Osyth's Priory held a herd of polled White Park cattle until an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 1951, which led to their slaughter.

A contemporary account states: At St Osyth Priory, where an outbreak occurred last week, there was one of the few remaining herds of White Park cattle, one of the oldest breeds in this country.

Attempts by the owner to develop the park have resulted in controversy and a sustained campaign by a local group, Save Our St Osyth (S.O.S.).

A Roman road led from near Elmstead Market to the vicinity of the current St Osyth burial ground on Clay Lane.

A plaque on The Bury (as the green in front of the Priory is called) commemorates the achievement of Trevor Osben, who circumnavigated the globe in a self-built sloop.

The tiny settlement of Lee-over-Sands, adjacent to Colne Point Nature Reserve with access from Lee Wick Lane, is a remnant of a failed 1930s attempt to build a golfing resort.

Lying mostly along the seaward side of the coastal defences, it consists mainly of small chalet dwellings built on stilts to protect them against high tides.