BARKING

barking, a market-town in the romford parliamentary division of essex, england, on the river roding near its junction with the thames, 8 m. e. of fenchurch street station and liverpool street station, london, by the london, tilbury & southend and great eastern railways. pop. of urban district of barking town (1891) 14,301; (1901) 21,547. the church of st margaret is norman with perpendicular additions, and contains many monuments of interest. barking was celebrated for its nunnery, one of the oldest and richest in england, founded about 670 by erkenwald, bishop of london, and restored in 970 by king edgar, about a hundred years after its destruction by the danes. the abbess was a baroness _ex officio_, and the revenue at the dissolution of the monasteries was l1084. there remains a perpendicular turreted gateway. there is also an ancient market-house, used as a town-hall. victoria gardens form a public pleasure-ground, and there are recreation grounds. the gaslight and coke company's works at beckton are in the parish, and also extensive rubber works. at the mouth of the roding (barking creek) are great sewage works, receiving the northern outfall sewer from london. there are also chemical works, and some shipping trade, principally in timber and fish. barking is a suffragan bishopric in the diocese of st albans.