Barling is a village and civil parish in the district of Rochford, Essex, England. It is located approximately 4 miles northeast of Southend-on-Sea and is 18 miles southeast of the county town of Chelmsford. The village formerly known as Barling Magna, also includes the hamlets of Little Wakering and Stonebridge. The name "Barling" is said to derive from two Saxon words "ban", a boar, and "ing", a meadow, but it was also known as Baerlingum, and this is generally accepted to mean Baerla's people. The village and surrounding area has been inhabited for many thousands of years and it can be said with certainty that Christianity was established in the village over 1000 years ago. In the year 998, during the reign of Ethelred II (The Unready), Barling was left in the will of Leofwine, a Saxon Thegn to his lord, Wulfstan, Bishop of London. In its agricultural setting, Barling village is mainly situated along Little Wakering Road, Church Road and Barling Road.All Saints Church is situated at the end of Church Road, by Potten Creek, a tributary of the River Roach. Whether this was the original site or not for the first holy place in Barling is not known as many records were lost in the Fire of London.The present building, thought to date from the 12th century has seen many alterations over the last 900 years. In 1846, the parish was transferred to the Diocese of Rochester, then to St Albans in 1877. Barling is now in the Diocese of Chelmsford; the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, however, are still patrons. In 1933, Barling and Little Wakering became a united benefice. On the 1st of February 2008 the parishes of Barling Magna and Little Wakering were officially merged into one.