Suffolk and Norfolk

 SUFFOLK

East Anglia

With it’s impressive stone structures it is easy to assume that the West Country (Wiltshire in particular) was the centre of civilisation in ‘Stone age’ Britannia.

East Anglia was relatively well populated and a major centre of farming and industry from very early times. Just outside Brandon flint was mined from 30 ft pits in vast qualities over 5000 years ago.

East Anglia had it’s own ancient circular monuments constructed of wooden poles (Stonehedge was initially a wooden circle). As East Anglia has no natural stone, unlike their  Wiltshire cousins these structures were not replaced with stone and were therefore lost. The most famous of these is ‘Seahenge’  uncovered by wave action on the North North Coast a few years ago.

About 3000 years ago the area was ruled by two of the most powerful Celtic tribes in Britain; the Icen in the North and the Trinovantes in the South.

Suffolk

With it’s rich soil, Suffolk (land of the south folk) played a major part of early British economy.

In the great survey of 1086  Suffolk took up more than it’s share of space in the resulting manuscript - Domesday book The population is estimated at 20,500 (properly the most densely populated area of Britain at that time) At about 1100 there were around 500 village churches in Suffolk alone. These would be a small wooden shelter constructed by Lay preachers over a simple alter. As regular attendance was enforced by the over lord the villains (village people) would erect a wooden shelter (Nave) in front. This large number of churches earned Suffolk the title Holy Suffolk (Seelig) which remains today as ‘Silly Suffolk’  The grand stone churches we see today were not to be built for several hundred years.

Being a rich area many of the invading Norman nobility made their home here, controlling from vast manor estates.

Suffolk grew wealthy on this wool and cloth industry throughout the middle ages.

Many so called wool towns grew into major centres investing much of their wealth in impressive ‘Wool Churches’ although through lack of stone the older houses are mainly timber framed. The wool trade had it’s ups and downs due to political pressures, however when the last sudden and rapid decline left the communities penny-less there was no money to update to the new fashion for brick which has left us with the charming villages we have today.

Bury St Edmunds (St Edmundsbury)

Motto - ‘Sacrarium Regis, Cunanbula Legis’ (Shrine of the King, cradle of the Law).

The village of Beodericsworth with it’s small religious establishment was chosen as the final resting place of King Edmund, England’s original Patron Saint. Around his shine grew the Abbey of St Edmund, probably the largest and  finest Abbey of it’s day. The Abbey laid out plans for the expanding town of a grid system and built and expanded the surround land. Large areas of West Suffolk was gifted to the Abbey, the Abbey therefore had control over the majority of Suffolk. Being a major pilgrimage site Edmund’s shine was the safest place for the Barons to meet and draft ‘Magna Carta’. The town can therefore claim the title ‘Cradle of the Law’.

The Family held many civic posts  over the course of  the 300 years  they lived in the Town.

Today Bury is a vibrant market town full of architectural interest and history. The Abbey flower gardens are renowned.

Westley

A small but spread out village on the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds. The first recording of the Lucas Family. The original church (St Thomas the Martyr) at the end of  Old Church Lane is but a few ruins covered in nettles and weeds. A nature reserve ?

The modern church is a plain concrete affair of little charm. Pembroke Hall who owned by the Family, as was one other property. In Old Church Lane stood ‘Luces Hall’, it is thought this a corruption of the original name. I would like to think this was once ‘Lucas Hall’.

Little Saxham

Thomas, The solicitor General, built a fine manor (Little Saxham Hall) on the edge of the village, now reduced to a few foundations, outline of the moat etc., in a private garden (Moat House). It was sold to The Croft family, then known as Croft Place. Richard Croft pulled it down in 1773.

He also built a chantry Chapel in the Church (St Nicholas) in 1531 it contained his tomb, however he is buried in London. The Crofts also over the Chapel, today it is dominated by the Croft memorials.