In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Mistley like this:
MISTLEY, a village and a parish in Tendring district, Essex. The village stands on the river Stour, and on the Manningtree and Harwich railway, at the junction of the line to Walton-on-the-Naze, and at the N boundary of the county, ¾ of a mile ESE of Manningtree; was formerly called Mistley-Thorn; commands extensive and beautiful views along the Stour and into Suffolk; is a seat of petty-sessions; carries on considerable commerce in corn, malt, and coals, from a good quay, which was much extended in 1849; and has a post office under Manningtree, and a railway station with telegraph. ...