Assington

Assington is a village in Suffolk, England, 4 miles (6.4 km) south-east of Sudbury. At the 2011 Census it had a population of 402,[2] estimated at 445 in 2019.[3] The parish includes the hamlets of Rose Green and Dorking Tye.[4]

Assington
St Edmund's church, Assington.
Assington is located in Suffolk
Assington
Assington
Location within Suffolk
Area11.20 km2 (4.32 sq mi)
Population402 (2011)[1]
• Density36/km2 (93/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTL934381
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSUDBURY
Postcode districtCO10
Dialling code01787
PoliceSuffolk
FireSuffolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

History

According to Eilert Ekwall, the meaning of the name is "homestead of Assi". Before the Norman Conquest, the village was held by Siward Barn. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the village as being made up of 78 households including 5 villagers, 6 freemen, 55 smallholders, and 12 slaves along with 23 cattle, 60 pigs, 90 sheep, 12 goats, 6 beehives, 30 pigs, 1 mill, and 16 acres of meadow. At the time the Lord and tenant in chief of the village was Ranulf Peverel[5] 78 households implies a population similar to that of today [5]

A church on the site of St Edmunds was recorded in the Domesday Book, with the earliest recorded mention of a vicar being in 1349 and that of a dedication to St Edmund in 1459.[6]

Historic buildings

The parish church is dedicated to St Edmund the Martyr and built of flint and dressed stone. It dates from the 15th century and was restored in the 19th century.[7] A ring of six bells hangs in the tower, the largest of them weighing about 10.5 cwt (533 kg). All six were cast and hung in 1890 by John Warner & Sons in a modified frame. Ringing is currently prohibited.[8][9]

Assington Hall, which is adjacent to the church, was the home of the Gurdon family for several centuries. John Gurdon (c. 1544–1623) was elected a Member of Parliament for the borough of Sudbury, Suffolk, in 1571,[10] as was his son Brampton Gurdon (died 1648) in 1621, who became High Sheriff of Suffolk in 1629.

Later members of the Gordon family were involved in local charities through the 18th century.[11] The hall was pulled down in 1957 after a fire,[12] but the stables and coach house remain and are grade II listed.[13]

Transport

Assington is served on Monday to Saturday by daytime buses between Sudbury and Colchester.[14] The nearest railway station is at Bures (about 3 miles – 5 km – away). Hourly trains to and from Marks Tey link with mainline trains to and from London and Colchester.

Amenities

The village has a farm shop, a pub-restaurant (the Shoulder of Mutton),[15] a village hall and a post office, all in The Street running off the main A134 road between Sudbury and Colchester.

References
  1. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Assington Parish (E04009068)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  2. Parish population 2011, Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  3. City Population. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  4. Official Guide to the Melford Rural District, Suffolk, Home Publishing Company p. 9 (available online). Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  5. Assington, Open Domesday. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  6. "History of St Edmund". VCS Parish Church Websites. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  7. Church of St Edmund, Assington, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  8. "Dove Details". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  9. "The Suffolk Guild of Ringers, Assington". www.suffolkbells.org.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  10. "Village Info » Assington". assington.onesuffolk.net. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  11. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  12. Pictured. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  13. Historic England. "Stables and coach house to former Assington Hall (1276815)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  14. Timetables. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  15. Own site. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
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