Dagenham and Rainham are both ancient settlements, Neolithic pottery finds were discovered, followed by a wooden figure called the Dagenham Idol, and Bronze-Age burial chambers in Rainham. The Romans came and left coffins and corn-querns, followed by the Saxons, with glass drinking horns, to prove that Dagenham and Rainham were well established long before Henry Ford made a 'Model T'! Its agricultural aspect changed with the building of Dagenham Dock and Field's soap factory in Rainham, but the pace quickened when the Ford Motor Company built its new factory.