Colchester (England)

Colchester (England) (ancient Camulodunum), borough in Essex, eastern England, on the Colne River. The town of Colchester is the center of trade for the agricultural areas of the borough, with large grain and cattle markets, and it is a minor port. The principal industries are oyster fishing, flour milling, and the manufacture of machinery. Much of the city wall built by the Romans still stands. An 11th-century castle contains the largest Norman keep, or stronghold, in England and houses an archaeological museum. Colchester is the seat of the University of Essex (1961).

Having flourished as the royal town of the British chieftain Cunobelinus, or Cymbeline, Colchester was captured (ad43) by Emperor Claudius I and became the first Roman colony in Britain. In ad60 and 61 the British queen Boudicca (also Boadicea) rebelled against the Roman conquerors and destroyed the colony. Boudicca later committed suicide to avoid capture by the Romans. Colchester soon revived to become one of the chief towns of Roman Britain. Later it was the Saxon stronghold of Colneceaster. During the early Middle Ages Colchester was a thriving port. Flemish Protestants settling here in the 16th century established textile industries. Population (2001) 155,794.