Tiptree is a village and civil parish in the English county of Essex, situated south-west of Colchester and around north-east of London. Surrounding villages include Messing, Tolleshunt Knights, Tolleshunt Major, Layer Marney, Inworth, Birch, Great Braxted, Great Totham and Little Totham. The placename 'Tiptree' is first attested in a charter of circa 1225, where it appears as Typpetre. The name means "Tippa's tree". The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 9,152. The village has been expanding rapidly for several years with large numbers of new houses and estates being built, though it stills retains the title of being a village. The 'village' status was the subject of a local referendum in 1999 but residents and secondary school pupils rejected town status. Tiptree is amongst the contenders for the title of 'largest village in England'. Tiptree has four primary schools: St Luke's Church of England Primary school, Milldene Primary School, Tiptree Heath Primary School and Baynard's Primary School. Thurstable School provides secondary and sixth form education. Messing Maypole Mill, a Grade II* listed tower mill, and the preserves company Wilkin & Sons, whose products use the village name as part of their brand, are located in the village. Tiptree is within the City of Colchester and is administered by Tiptree Parish Council, Colchester City Council and Essex County Council. It is within in the Parliamentary constituency of Witham. Tiptree was the site of the Tiptree sneeze, an event that occurred on 22 February 2014 at a concert by the London Central Fellowship Band at St. Luke's Parish Church where a trombonist sneezed into his trombone while playing. A video of the event was posted to YouTube and went viral in 2014. Nature reserves Tiptree Heath lies to the south of Tiptree. The 25-hectare heath is the largest surviving fragment of heathland in Essex and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Historically the area was a focal point for smugglers, who used the secluded water inlets of Tollesbury, Salcott cum Virley and Mersea, and often hid their contraband within the overgrown heathland. Species found on the heath include Cross-leaved Heather (Erica tetralix), Bell Heather (Erica cinerea) and Ling or Common Heather (Calluna). To help maintain the heath, Dexter cattle are grazed there during the summer and a herd of hardy Exmoor ponies throughout the year. Tiptree Parish Field is a Local Nature Reserve. Governance An electoral ward