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The three nearest villages to the reservoir are Downham, West Hanningfield and South Hanningfield, with the area of Sandon Valley that was flooded, apparently split between the three parishes.

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Downham was not named in the Domesday Book in 1086 but Roman remains were discovered in the village, suggesting that it had been a Saxon settlement.  The village is around half a mile away from the reservoir.

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Hanningfield was first recorded in the Domesday Book, as Haningefelda and Haneghefelda. Karen Plumridge wrote in ‘Study of the Parish Landscape’ in 1997 that the name appeared to date from the Anglo-Saxon era and means ‘the open country (feld), of the people (inga), of Hana or Han.’

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As well as having two residents hanged for their involvement in the 1381 Peasant’s Revolt there were also a number of people accused of witchcraft.

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The Witchcraft Act of 1542 made Witchcraft an offence punishable by death.  This act was repealed five years later.

 
A new act was created in 1563 and demanded the death penalty for anyone found guilty for using witchcraft to commit murder.

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Thomas Kynge, of South Hanningfield, was accused in 1584 of ‘bewitching a person to death’ and was hanged for his crime.  

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During 1590 Alice Bateman of East Hanningfield was accused of being ‘a witch, and failing to receive Communion’.  Francisca Pashell, of South Hanningfield was also accused.  It is not known what the outcome of these accusations were.

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Six residents of East Hanningfield were ‘accused of Witchcraft’ in 1608.  All six had their cases dismissed.

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The last execution for witchcraft in England was in 1684, when Alice Molland was hanged in Exeter.  Scotland executed its last witch 20 years later.  Law was passed in 1735 making it illegal for anyone in Great Britain to accuse another of witchcraft.