Saffron Walden (UK Parliament constituency) Saffron Walden (UK Parliament constituency) Saffron Walden is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Kemi Badenoch, a Conservative. 1885-1918: The Municipal Borough of Saffron Walden, the Sessional Divisions of Freshwell, Hinckford North, and Walden, part of the Sessional Division of Hinckford South (Halstead Bench), the part of the Municipal Borough of Sudbury in the county of Essex, and the civil parish of Thaxted. 1918-1950: The Municipal Borough of Saffron Walden, the Urban District of Halstead, and the Rural Districts of Belchamp, Bumpstead, Dunmow, Halstead, Saffron Walden, and Stansted. 1950-1974: The Municipal
Saffron Walden market place. This was demolished in 1847 to make way for a corn exchange. In the 16th–17th centuries the saffron crocus ("Crocus sativus") was widely grown, thanks to the town's favourable soil and climate. The flower was valuable, as the extract from the stigmas was used in medicines, as a condiment, in perfume, as an aphrodisiac, and as an expensive yellow dye. The industry gave Walden its name. The town and surrounding area, like much of East Anglia, was strongly Puritan during the 17th century. The population was influenced by the missionary John Eliot. By 1640, Samuel Bass's family and