Pleshey is a historic village and civil parish in the Chelmsford district, in the county of Essex, England, 6 miles north-west of Chelmsford. The Normans built a motte-and-bailey castle in the late 11th century; the motte is one of the largest of its kind in Great Britain. It was besieged several times during the Barons' Wars and rebellions in the 13th century.