Rochford is a town in the Rochford district of Essex in the East of England. It has to do with 43 miles (69 kilometres) from Central London and approximately 21 miles (34 km) from Chelmsford, the County Town of Essex. According to the 2001 census the civil parish of Rochford, which includes the town correct, and also London Southend Airport, had a population of 7,610, raising to 8,471 at the 2011 Census. The community is the primary settlement in the Rochford area, and takes its name from Rochefort, Old English for Ford of the Hunting Dogs. The River Roach was initially called the Walfleet (Creek of the foreigners). It was relabelled the Roach in what is known as a back formation. This is where it is thought that Rochford suggests ford over the River Cockroach so they relabelled the river to fit the theory. The town runs into suburban growths in the churches of Ashingdon and Hawkwell. Kings Hill, in Rochford, was remarkable for containing the Lawless Court up until the 19th century.