South Elmham

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South Elmham (also Southelmham) is a location in north Suffolk which was an ancient deanery dating back to the 7th century when it was given to the Bishop of East Anglia. [1] South Elmham constituted a "ferthing", i.e a quarter of Wangford Hundred. This area included the parishes of Homersfield and Flixton. [2]

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Nine parishes

1825 edition of John Kirby's map as revised by his sons Joshua and William in 1766 Nine parishes, Wangford, (Kirby 1766).jpg
1825 edition of John Kirby's map as revised by his sons Joshua and William in 1766

In The Suffolk Traveller (1735) John Kirby describes how Wangford Hundred is divided into three parts: the nine parishes, the seven parishes and a remaining part around Beccles. The nine parishes are:

When John's sons, Joshua and William produced a second edition in 1764 they added the comment:

"These nine Parishies which are called the Deanery of Southelmham, are represented in old Wills as one Township ; and as such they have an Estate in Aldborough and Wortwell in Norfolk, common to them all. For we frequently meet with Homersfield, in the Town of Southelmham; and St. James, in the Township of Southelmham; and the like.": 156 

Etymology

Views on the etymology of the name – and indeed its significance for the Christianisation of the Anglo Saxon – differ. Keith Briggs and Kelly Kirkpatrick only mention a derivation from Old English based on Elm + Ham yielding "Elm Farmstead". [3] However Mel Birch mentions this derivation, but then goes on to discuss Claude Morley's suggestion arising from area being called Almeham in the Doomsday Book. He rejected the derivation from Elm as inappropriate for an area 9,000 acres in size and with such a particular nature. Instead he offered a derivation from the saxon term ælmesse referring to "our alms" or "alms-giving" saying that this referred to an area of land given as alms by the recent christian convert, King Sigeberht of East Anglia to Felix of Burgundy, the first Bishop of the East Angles. [4] : 342  The latter view supports the claims for South Elmham to be the seat (sede) of the See of Elmham in a long standing controversy in relation to rival claims by North Elmham, in Norfolk.

Related Research Articles

This article describes the history of Suffolk, the English county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Elmham</span> Village and civil parish in Norfolk, England

North Elmham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of 7.41 sq mi (19.2 km2) and is located about 5 mi (8.0 km) north of East Dereham, on the west bank of the River Wensum. Including Gateley, the civil parish had a population of 1,428 in 624 households at the 2001 census; this increased slightly to 1,433 at the 2011 census.

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All Saints and St Nicholas, South Elmham is a civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is 5 miles (8.0 km) south of the market town of Bungay and the same distance north-west of Halesworth and east of Harleston. The parish is in the East Suffolk district and is one of the parishes that make up the area around Bungay known as The Saints. It includes the settlements of All Saints, South Elmham and St Nicholas, South Elmham.

The Saints are a group of villages in the north of the English county of Suffolk, between the rivers Blyth and Waveney near to the border with Norfolk. The villages are all named after a saint, and either South Elmham or Ilketshall named after the 'hall of Alfkethill'. Known by locals as 'up the Parishes' the area is found between the market towns of Halesworth, Harleston, Bungay and Beccles.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Saints' South Elmham</span> Human settlement in England

All Saints' South Elmham is a village and former civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. The parish was combined with St Nicholas South Elmham in 1737 to form the parish of All Saints and St. Nicholas, South Elmham. It is 5 miles (8.0 km) south of the market town of Bungay in the East Suffolk district. It is one of the villages that make up the area around Bungay known as The Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flixton, The Saints</span> Human settlement in England

Flixton is a village and civil parish located in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is around 2 miles (3.2 km) south-west of Bungay in the East Suffolk district and is one of the villages around Bungay which make up the area known as The Saints. The A143 road runs just to the north of the parish border linking Bungay with Harleston and Diss.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wangford Hundred</span> Historical division of Suffolk, England

Wangford was a hundred of Suffolk, England, consisting of 34,679 acres (140.34 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flixton Priory</span> Former monastery in United Kingdom

Flixton Priory was a nunnery under a prioress following the Augustinian rule, which formerly stood in the parish of Flixton in the north of the English county of Suffolk, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south-west of Bungay. It was founded by Margery de Creke in 1258, and was dissolved in 1536–37. It was the poorest of the nunneries within the Diocese of Norwich. The site of the priory, which was enclosed by a moat, was at the present Abbey Farm, where little apart from the position in the landscape and a small section of standing wall remain to be seen. It was scheduled as an ancient monument in 1953. It is privately owned and is not open to the public. It is suggested that some parts of the masonry may have been re-used in St Peter's Hall at St Peter, South Elmham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Saints Church, South Elmham</span> Church in Suffolk, England

All Saints Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of All Saints' South Elmham, one of a group of villages jointly known as The Saints, in Suffolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Cross South Elmham</span> Human settlement in England

St Cross South Elmham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is in the East Suffolk district, close to the border with Norfolk and is 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Harleston and 4.25 miles (6.84 km) south-west of Bungay. It is one of the villages around Bungay known as the Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Margaret South Elmham</span> Human settlement in England

St Margaret South Elmham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of the market town of Bungay in the East Suffolk district. It is one of the parishes surrounding Bungay which are known as The Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Peter South Elmham</span> Human settlement in England

St Peter South Elmham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is around 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the market town of Bungay in the East Suffolk district. It is one of the villages surrounding Bungay which make up the area known as The Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wangford Rural District</span> Former rural district in East Suffolk, England

Wangford Rural District was a rural district within the administrative county of East Suffolk between 1894 and 1934. It was created out of the earlier Wangford rural sanitary district. It was named after the historic hundred of Wangford, whose boundaries it closely matched. It contained the group of small villages collectively known as The Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wainford Rural District</span> Former rural district in East Suffolk, England

Wainford Rural District was a rural district in East Suffolk, England, between 1934 and 1974. It was created by a merger of the disbanded Wangford Rural District and parts of Blything Rural District, and contained the group of small villages collectively known as The Saints. The name Wainford is linked to that of Wangford, a historic hundred of Suffolk.

References

  1. ↑ "St Margaret, South Elmham St Margaret, Suffolk". CRSBI. The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  2. ↑ Vincent Burrough Redstone (1912). "South Elmham Deanery" (PDF). Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology & History. XIV (Part 3): 323 to 331.
  3. ↑ Briggs, Keith; Kilpatrick, Kelly (2016). A dictionary of Suffolk place-names. Nottingham: English Place-Name Society. ISBN   978-0-904889-91-8.
  4. ↑ Mel Birch, ed. (2004). Suffolk's Ancient Sites – Historic Places. Mendlesham, Suffolk: Castell Publishing. ISBN   0-948134-50-X.
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