Maldon and Tiptree FC

Taking a little trip down the A12 for this one... to Park Drive, the home of the Jammers, aka

(@MaldonTiptreeFC).

Probably the two most famous Essex food-based towns—Tiptree Jam and Maldon Salt. Sweet and savoury. The two joined forces in 2010 under the ownership of Ed Garty. Their red and blue striped shirts reflect their separate origins, and they’re currently scrapping it out in the #IsthmianLeague North Division.

So, let’s take a look at them and #GetTheBadgeIn.

It’s a beauty. One half of the badge shows the Essex blades (seaxes) from the county crest. Maldon’s original coat of arms featured three lions of England, but these were swapped for Tiptree United’s Essex blades. Maldon's lions still fly on the ship’s flag—a tidy solution. The yellow blobs at the masts’ ends are fleurs-de-lis, a nod to the English King's long held claim to France.

The ship on the other side taken from Maldon's oldest seal, it shows a medieval vessel with high forecastle and aftcastle. These ships were used before cannons could accurately fire. Until then (and the English were mastering this art by 1588—as the Spanish learned), warships were floating castles. Crews threw arrows, stones, cats, dogs, and kitchen sinks until close enough to board and finish the job with swords and axes. Intense stuff.

Maldon earned self-governance under Henry II on the condition it provided a warship and warhorses when required. The crest’s ship is that ship, crewed by Maldon’s men, awaiting their king’s command.

But Maldon is best known for the 991 Battle of Maldon, where Vikings met Anglo-Saxons. The Saxons lost, mainly because their two armies couldn’t agree—one wanted to fight, the other to pay the “Danegeld” and buy peace. The fighters, led by Byrhtnoth, faced Olaf’s Viking horde. Olaf offered to leave if paid in gold and armour, but Byrhtnoth famously replied, “We will pay you with spear tips and sword blades.”

Classic “Russian warship, go f*** yourself” energy. Makes you proud.

Let’s spread the story a little further to Tiptree.

Tiptree, with its rich soil, had long grown fruit for London markets. In 1885, local farmer Arthur Wilkin had a bright idea: stop selling fresh fruit and make jam instead. His first batch went straight to a ship heading for Australia. Jam’s long shelf life made it perfect for shipping across the Empire—and Wilkin cashed in. It wasn’t all smooth sailing. At one point, cash flow got so bad he sold his horse to pay wages. But he persisted, and it turned into a very sweet deal.

Wilkin & Sons turned Tiptree into a company town, the sort you’d expect in the industrial North. By 1922, they owned “over 100 houses, eight farms, the windmill, the blacksmith’s forge, the Factory Club, the Salvation Army Hall, the factory and 1,000 acres of land.”

Many employees still live in company housing, a rarity these days. Even more remarkably, half the company’s shares are employee-owned. In 2016, they introduced the “New Growing System,” reducing inputs, doubling plants per hectare, and making fruit easier to pick. East Anglia remains jam-packed with farming innovation.

To Maldon: The salty waters of the River Blackwater and flat marshes make it perfect for salt production. When William of Normandy completed his Domesday Book audit in 1086, Maldon already had “45 lead pans” for salt making. Few towns can boast industries over a millennium old, but Maldon can.

Warships and valour. Sugar and salt. The red and the blue. Maldon and Tiptree are coming for you.