In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Purfleet like this:
PURFLEET, a hamlet in West Thurrock parish, Kent; on the river Thames, at the mouth of Marditch rivulet, and on the London and Southend railway, 8 miles E S E of Barking. It belonged once to the Knights of St. John; was then called Portflete or Pourteflete; ispopularly fabled to have got its name from an exclamation of Queen Elizabeth, " Oh my poor fleet!" on seeingher fleet depart from its vicinity to encounter the Spanish armada; is overlooked by Beacon hill, commanding a fine view; had formerly a ferry over the Thames; has now a post-office under Romford, a railway station, abridge over the Marditch, a small harbour, a hotel, pleasure-gardens and government powder magazines, with store-houses, barracks, and a good quay; and ranks as a chapelry, annexed to the vicarage of West Thurrock. ...
Pop., 440.
Purfleet through time
Purfleet is now part of Thurrock district. Click here for graphs and data of how Thurrock has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Purfleet itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Purfleet, in Thurrock and Essex | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/1242
Date accessed: 20th April 2024
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