The Saints, Suffolk

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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 (that of their parish church), 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.

Contents

South Elmham comes from the Anglo-Saxon "hamlet where elms grew" and is first mentioned in Domesday Book as Almeham; North Elmham is in Norfolk, 30 miles (48 km) away.

The Saints are:

Each of the villages also constitutes a civil parish, apart from All Saints and St Nicholas, which are joined together in the All Saints and St Nicholas, South Elmham parish. St Michael is one of the Thankful Villages.

It is unclear whether North Elmham in Norfolk or South Elmham in Suffolk is the site of East Anglia's second See ("Helmham"), founded in the reign of King Ealdwulf (c.664-713) according to Bede.

The Saints is the setting for much of Michael Ondaatje's Warlight , a mystery set in the 1950s in which the area is described as having a unique culture.[ citation needed ]

Governance

An electoral ward of Waveney District Council with the same name exists. The population of this ward taken at the 2011 Census was 2,242. [1]

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

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

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

St Michael 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 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.

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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">St Nicholas South Elmham</span> Human settlement in England

St Nicholas South Elmham is a place and former civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. The parish was combined with All Saints' 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 part of the area around Bungay 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. "Ward population 2011.accessdate=20 September 2015".


52°25′N1°28′E / 52.41°N 1.47°E / 52.41; 1.47