Medieval
After the Norman Conquest of 1066, Sweyne switched allegiances to William and increased his power. Under the feudal system he became Lord of the Manor: at the time of Domesday there were two manors in the area that is now Prittlewell — Prittlewell and Milton.
Around 1110, a Sweyne's successor, Robert Fitzsweyne, also known as Robert d'Essex, divided his manor in two, the part to the west being Prittlewell, the site of Earl's Hall and the rest, consisting of thirty acres (120,000 m²) of land, the church at Prittlewell, being given to the Cluniac Priory of St Pancras, Lewes for the purpose of setting up Prittlewell Priory.
At this time the lands of the priory extended to right down to the seafront. Due to this, when a fishing settlement was set up two miles (3 km) south of the priory in the 14th century, it was still regarded as part of Prittlewell and as such was named Stratende, Sowthende or South-End. From this settlement the modern town of Southend-on-Sea grew.
Over a period of around two hundred years the Parish Church, St. Mary's, was substantially enlarged, reaching its present size with the addition of its tower in the mid-15th century.
Read more about this topic: Prittlewell, History
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