All Saints Church, Acton

All Saints Church is located in the village of Acton near Sudbury. It is an Anglican parish church in the deanery of Sudbury, part of the archdeaconry of Ipswich, and the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.[1]

All Saints Church, Acton
OS grid referenceTL8922345230
LocationMelford Road, Acton, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 0BA
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
ChurchmanshipCentral Anglican
History
StatusParish church
Architecture
Heritage designationGrade I
Designated23 March 1961
Architect(s)Whitworth Co-partnership
Architectural typeChurch
CompletedCirca 12th Century
Specifications
Bells5
Tenor bell weight8 long cwt 1 qr 4 lb (928 lb or 421 kg) in F#
Administration
ProvinceCanterbury
DioceseSt Edmundsbury and Ipswich
ArchdeaconrySudbury
DeanerySudbury
ParishActon
Clergy
Priest in chargeCaroline Hallett
Laity
Reader(s)Gerry Higginson
Churchwarden(s)Gerry Higginson
Christopher Moss

All Saints Church was listed at Grade I on 23 March 1961.[2]

Construction

The Domesday Book mentions Acton as a church with 30 acres of land. The original building was constructed circa 1250.[3][4] The south aisle of the church was constructed in the 15th century, and the upper part of the church tower was pulled down in the late 19th century for safety,[5] to be rebuilt in the 1920s.[3]

Memorials

Brasses

All Saints' Church has a collection of monumental brasses, one of which of Robert de Bures is the oldest brass in Suffolk and third oldest in England, and which was described by the Victoria and Albert Museum as "the finest military brass in existence".[6][3]

The collection of brasses includes Robert de Bures, Lady Alice Byran and Henry de Bures, as well as some smaller brasses created of later Byrans. The clothing of Robert de Bures in this Brass indicates that he was a knight of the Crusade in the last Crusade to the Holy Lands which took place in 1270.[7] He is buried within All Saints Church, although his family doesn't appear to have held lands in Acton until his second marriage.[7]

Jennans Memorial

The Jennans family vault was added with the south aisle in the 15th century.[3] The memorial itself was added in the 1700s dedicated to Robert Jennans who died in 1732 and was Adjutant to the Duke of Marlborough,[2] it features Robert Jennans and the allegorical figure of grief.[6] Details of Both Robert Jennans and his son William Jennans are recorded on the memorial.[6][8]

Bells

The church has five bells, which were overhauled by Whitechapel Bell Foundry and rehung in 1926.[3][9][10] The bells were founded between 1659 and 1747, with weights ranging between 4-1-4 and 8-1-4 cwt.[9]

Zeppelin

The church displays a WW1 bomb dropped by a Zeppelin on the Parish on August 7, 1916.[11][12]

See also

References
  1. "Listing on A Church Near You". A Church Near You. The Church of England. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  2. "British listed buildings". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  3. "Acton, All Saints". The Medieval Combat Society. The Medieval Combat Society. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  4. "About Us". All Saints Church Acton. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  5. "Acton Genealogical Records". Forebears. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  6. "All Saints, Acton". Suffolk Churches. Simon Knott. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  7. "Robert De Bures, Jr". Geni. Geni.com. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  8. Milburn, Betty. "Images of Acton". Bury Past and Present. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  9. Baldwin, John. "Acton". Dove Details. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  10. "Acton All Saints". Suffolk Bells. The Suffolk Guild of Ringers. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  11. Pye, Adrian. "WW1 Bomb dropped by a Zeppelin". Geograph. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  12. Harris, Brian (5 October 2006). Harris's Guide to Churches and Cathedrals (First ed.). Ebury Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0091912512. Retrieved 29 January 2017.

Official website

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