Suffolk Manors

Having found a wealth of information on Essex from Thomas Wright's History and Topography of Essex, the references he makes to neighbouring Suffolk locations are not so easy to research as I had not found a similar account that covered Suffolk or Norfolk. Seeing that Belchamp Walter is located on the Essex Suffolk border knowledge of the towns and villages near-by is essential.

Belchamp Walter's nearest market town is Sudbury Suffolk. In fact the postal address is Sudbury Suffolk even though it is actually in Essex.

There is copy of this publication available on archive.org. I will copy and paste sections of the document that are relevant to my history of Belchamp Walter.

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Apart from the town of Sudbury, there many key locations that feature in Belchamp Walter's history. These include Clare, Edwardstone and Gipping.

Clare, Suffolk, is obvious because of the de Clare dynasty and that much of Sudbury's history has involvment of the family in its history. Elizabeth de Burgh was influential in many of the developments in Sudbury

Edwardstone, could be a clue in the name, is mentioned with relation to the Montecansyo name. The connection here with respect to the Anarchy and the 12th and 13th century developments between vying elements of the Normans.

Gipping is the seat of the Tyrells, many connections here. Ties to the Wentworths of Gosfield and possibly to the "prices in the tower"

The quoted text from the image above (Manors of Suffolk)

Babergh Hundred

SUFFOLK at a period prior to the Norman Conquest was divided into three parts the Liberty of St. Etheldreda, the Liberty of St. Edmund, and the Geldable. The Hundreds of Babergh and Blackbourn were both in the Liberty of St. Edmund. Queen Emma of Normandy, the mother of Edward the Confessor, had as a marriage portion, either from Ethelred in 1002, or from her second husband Knut in 1017, jurisdiction in eight Hundreds and a half adjoining the Monastery of St. Edmund; Elfric son of Earl Withgar and afterwards Ordgar having custody of the franchise.

After the Coronation of the Confessor in 1043 he took into his own hands the possessions of his mother, to whom he does not appear to have been very favourably inclined, and on the petition of the Monks of St. Edmund bestowed upon them the eight hundreds and a half, and the gift was confirmed to the Monks by William the Conqueror.

Sudbury is descibed in The Manors of Suffolk.

Six volumes

Although I have found much information from the volume I have found and downloaded I feel that there is much missing. In the note at the start of volume 1 it says:

The present is a kind of trial volume, and forms the first instalment of six like volumes already written on the Manors of Suffolk. Should it meet with acceptance, the volumes will be sent to press so soon as a sufficient number of copies have been subscribed to repay the cost of printing. No doubt more might have been said respecting the manors, and especially the manor houses, but in view of the fact that there are about 2,000 manors in Suffolk, and the expediency of restricting the work to seven volumes, little more than dry facts could be given to speak for themselves.

Sudbury and Babergh are covered but some of the other Hundreds in the middle and north of Suffolk are not in this volume.

Rushbrooke and the Jermyms are mentioned but the manor of Rushbrooke is not. Eye, Suffolk, is described as is the manor of Theltenham (the reference to the Malet family)

Suffolk Manors

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