Ian Yearsley is a local historian and author of books on the history of Essex.
History Ian Yearsley was born in Ingatestone, Essex in 1965, moving to Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1972. He started out as a journalist with the Leigh Times in 1988 before producing historical books on Essex, as well as poetry and fiction titles based on the county's history."Ingatestone & Fryerning: A History" by Ian Yearsley, p.1
His first book, "Islands of Essex" (), was published in 1994. He has since written numerous books on the history of Essex, four works of fiction, three poetry books and the introductions to four historic maps, all based on Essex, as well as a book on language. His maps were published by Alan Godfrey in 2019.
In the 1990s Yearsley wrote for various magazines, including Essex Countryside and This Month in Essex, and he has been a regular commentator for local newspapers.
Yearsley was involved in the 1,000th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of Assandun at Ashingdon in Essex, following the publication of various editions of an epic poem he wrote about it between 2006 and 2016.
In 2011 he achieved an MA in history from the University of Essex, where he won an award for his dissertation on population migration in the Rochford Hundred in the late 19th century.
Yearsley has created historic tours of Essex and Suffolk for iPhone and has worked on a project to uncover the history of a lost Jacobean manor at Marks Hall near Coggeshall. He has also worked at Tilbury Fort for English Heritage.
He has associations with the Hadleigh & Thundersley Community Archive and has attended their events. He also recorded the demolition of St Erkenwald's Church in Southend-on-Sea in 1995.
Bibliography 1994 - Islands of Essex Publisher: Ian Henry Publications 1996 - Dedham, Flatford & East Bergholt: A Pictorial History Publisher: Phillimore & Co. Ltd. 1997 - Ingatestone & Fryerning: A History Publisher: Ian Henry Publications 1998 - Hadleigh Past Publisher: Phillimore & Co. Ltd 1999 - Essex Events Publisher: Phillimore & Co. Ltd 2000 - Islands of Essex (2nd Edition) Publisher Ian Henry Publications 2001 - A History of Southend Publisher: Phillimore & Co. Ltd 2005 - Rayleigh A History Publisher: Phillimore & Co. Ltd 2006 - Tears of Poignancy Publisher: Paragon Publishing 2006 - The Battle of Ashingdon (1016) Publisher: Ian Yearsley 2009 - Unspoken Understanding (a collection of thirty poems about love, life and Essex) Publisher: Paragon Publishing 2012 - The Curse of Cannow's End Publisher: Melrose Books 2014 - The Blackwater Saga: A Victorian Riverside Romance Publisher: Paragon Publishing 2014 - Looking for a Lost Leigh Love Publisher: Paragon Publishing 2016 - Southend in 50 Buildings Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2016 - The Battle of "Assandun" (1016) Publisher: Ashingdon Parish Council 2017 - Return to Cannow's End Publisher: Paragon Publishing 2018 - Dracula – The Essex Connection Publisher: Paragon Publishing 2019 - Old Ordnance Survey Maps - Southend Seafront 1921 Publisher: Alan Godfrey Maps 2019 - Old Ordnance Survey Maps - Southend (Town Centre) 1921 Publisher: Alan Godfrey Maps 2019 - Old Ordnance Survey Maps - Leigh-on-Sea 1921 Publisher: Alan Godfrey Maps 2019 - Old Ordnance Survey Maps - Westcliff-on-Sea 1921 Publisher: Alan Godfrey Maps 2020 - Single-Context Words: A Study of a Quirk of the English Language Publisher: Paragon Publishing 2021 - An Essex Quizbook Publisher: Paragon Publishing 2022 - Secret City of Southend Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2023 - Ashingdon & South Fambridge: A History Publisher: Paragon Publishing 2025 - City of Southend: A Potted History Publisher: Amberley Publishing
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