ROMAN armies, royal palaces, body snatchers, mammoths and witches: Chelmsford has seen it all.
A new book, the Bloody British History of Chelmsford, has been published, detailing the facts and the fate of the city's citizens since 10,000BC.
Robert Hallmann, 77, wrote the book, which is part of a series on Bloody British History.
He said: "I thought, well, somebody's going to do it and if I do it, it wouldn't be that bad."
And the overriding feature of such a book with such a title? Death in its most gruesome form.
"The problem with Chelmsford is the courts and there were lots of hangings.
"Almost every kind of death happened in Chelmsford. It takes a bit of getting used to," said Mr Hallmann.
The book goes into detail about the gruesome goings on of the Napoleonic era in the town, right the way through to 1945 and the Second World War.
As well as death, Chelmsford has a history of royal residents – Henry VIII built a palace in New Hall Road, which Cromwell later bought; Queen Mary I spent the majority of her youth here, and Richard II and Elizabeth I also ventured to the city.
"For me the most surprising thing was the very history we have in this area. The biggest thing about history is the way our thinking today is so different to the way they would have thought," says the author.
Mr Hallmann recounts researching true stories about children giving evidence in court with fabricated stories of mystical creatures – evidence that was accepted by judges – while another chapter focuses on the Black Death.
When the epidemic struck there were fights between Chelmsford residents and Moulsham residents, due to the lack of a church in Moulsham.
Mr Hallmann said: "During the Black Death there were vigilantes to keep out the Moulsham people because they didn't have a church, and therefore nowhere to bury their dead.
"When it comes to that sort of thing, neighbours aren't friends. It's everyone for themselves."
The professional photographer-turned-author was fascinated by his research into the city's history, explaining that the lives and laws of old Chelmsfordians baffle our educated modern minds.
Mr Hallmann said: "Everything that people did in those days was dangerous. Shooting was compulsive – that's why the British did so well at war with their arrows.
"Many people died accidentally – a child might get in the way of two adults and end up with an arrow through his eye – but nobody would be prosecuted for murder as it was an accident."
The book also goes into detail about prehistoric woolly mammoths, witch hunts of the 16th century and the secrets of the Georgian body snatchers – as well as the effects of Hitler's bombs.
The Bloody British History of Chelmsford is available from www.thehistorypress.co.uk for £8.99, on Amazon at the same price, and will be in book stores later this month at £9.99.
Robert Hallmann will be signing copies of the book at Waterstones, in Chelmsford High Street, between 11am and 1pm on Saturday.
