Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England. It is 30 miles (48.5 km) northeast of Charing Cross London. Chelmsford is in the centre of Essex, and has been the county town since 1215. During the Peasants' Revolt, Chelmsford was made the seat of government for England for a week. It is also the seat of the Borough of Chelmsford, which includes the new (ca. 1970s) settlement of South Woodham Ferrers on the banks of the River Crouch. The Borough Council celebrated its centenary in 1988 (it had been incorporated as a municipal borough on 19 September 1888 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1882), and the town had its 800th anniversary in 1999.