The Rodings

The Rodings (or Roothings) are a group of villages in Essex, England, the largest group in the country to bear a common name. They are believed to be the remnants of a single Anglo-Saxon community known as the Hroðingas, led by Hroða, who sailed up the River Thames and along a tributary in the sixth century and settled in the area. This was one of the tribal areas that were absorbed into the Kingdom of Essex. The River Roding and the villages derived their name from Hroða. The typical pronunciation of the name is "Roadings". The Rodings formed a single land unit that was investigated by Stephen Basset.