Blythburgh
Blythburgh | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | Halesworth | |
Postcode district | IP19 | |
UK Parliament | ||
Blythburgh
Blythburgh is best known for its church,
The village is in the area of the
History
North of the village is the site of the Battle of Bulcamp which occurred in 653 or 654 between the forces of Anna of East Anglia and Penda of Mercia. Anna, the King of East Anglia, was defeated and killed along with his son Jurmin. Both are believed to have been buried at the site of Blythburgh Priory.[5][6]
At the
Blythburgh Priory was founded by Augustine monks from St Osyth's Priory in Essex in the 12th century.[2][3] The priory was suppressed in 1537 and ruins remain at the site.[4] The site is a scheduled monument.[12] It was partially excavated in 2008 by Channel Four's Time Team programme.
The River Blyth had largely silted by the 18th century. By the 1750s merchants from the nearby town of Halesworth were keen to open the river for trade. An Act of Parliament was passed in 1757 and, after four locks were built, the river was open for vessels by 1761.[13] By the end of the 19th century silting of the river downstream from Blythburgh made trade difficult and the locks were finally closed in 1934.[13] Bulcamp, on the northern edge of the parish, was the site of the Blything Union workhouse. It was built in 1765-66 and later became a geriatric hospital.[14] It has now been converted to residential use.[15]
Geography
The
The village is noteworthy for the large area of flooded marshes around the estuary of the River Blyth. The river flows from west of Halesworth to the North Sea between Southwold and Walberswick, although it originally reached the sea at Dunwich. Southwold is reached by the A1095 road with views over the river and the adjacent Hen Reedbeds bird reserve.
Blythburgh Station is in the process of being restored, currently there is a period platform, with a length of operating track, sidings and other infrastructure. The once derelict coal shed has been completely restored and is used for railway operations.
A 3ft gauge battery electric locomotive 'Greenbat' hauls replica rolling stock on open days.
Holy Trinity Church
The parish church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Known as the Cathedral of the Marshes, Blythburgh was one of the earliest Christian sites in East Anglia and a church is believed to have been located here in the 7th century. The current church is a Grade I Listed building dating from the 14th and 15th centuries.[17] On 4 August 1577 a ghostly black dog known as Black Shuck is said to have appeared at the church.
Notable people
Blythburgh is mentioned in the song “Black Shuck”, from rock band
- William Alwyn - composer
- Doreen Carwithen - composer
- Ernest Crofts RA - military artist
- H-Bombin May 1957
- vintner
- Sir John Seymour Lucas RA - portrait painter
- Jack Pritchard - Isokon designs
- Martin Shaw - hymn music
- Peter Harold Wright - World War II Victoria Cross recipient
References
- ^ 2011 census
- ^ a b Blythburgh Priory ruins hosts first service in 500 years, BBC news website, 2011-08-02. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- ^ a b Blythburgh Priory, Blythburgh, Suffolk. Archaeological evaluation and assessment of results Archived 9 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Wessex Archaeology, September 2009. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- ^ a b Page.W (1975) 'Houses of Benedictine monks: Priory of Blythburgh', A History of the County of Suffolk: Volume 2, pp. 91-94 (available online). Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Sept 2013 accessed 2014-03-08.
- ^ Warner, Peter (1996) The Origins of Suffolk, Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press.
- ^ "Blythburgh | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- ^ Blythburgh Archived 9 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Open Domesday. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- ^ a b Blythburgh, The Domesday Book Online. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- ^ Bulcamp Archived 10 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Open Domesday. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- ^ Hinton Archived 10 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Open Domesday. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- ^ Historic England. "Blythburgh Priory] (1005962)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ Blythburgh and District Hospital, Blythburgh, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- ^ The Workhouse in Blything The Workhouse website.
- ^ White Hart Inn, Blythburgh, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- ^ Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
- Hugh Roberts, Mary Montague, & Barry Naylor. Holy Trinity, Blythburgh: Cathedral of the Marshes. Jarrold Publishing, 1999.
- History Notes — Blythburgh Society
- Alan Mackley, Mary Montague. 'Blythburgh. A Suffolk Village'. Blythburgh Church and Jarrold Publishing, 2003.
- Alan Mackley, ed. The Restoration of Blythburgh Church 1881–1906. The Dispute between the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Blythburgh Church Restoration Committee. Boydell, 2017.
External links
- Blythburgh Village — Suffolk County Council
- The Poaching Priors of Blythburgh — Blythburgh Society, 2002, Alan Mackley (ed.)