Akenham
Encyclopedia
Akenham is a village and civil parish
in the Mid Suffolk
district of Suffolk
in Eastern England. Located on the northwestern edge of Ipswich
, in 2005 it had an estimated population of 60.
Romano-British pottery has been unearthed in fields across the parish. A Middle Saxon gilded bronze pendent or brooch has also been found. A silver penny of the Saxon king Aethelred II was also found nearby.
It was known as Acheham in the Domesday Book
. Its place name is possibly derived from Old English - 'homestead of a man called Aca'. The abandoned St. Mary's church
suffered bomb damage during World War II
and is maintained by the organisation Friends of Friendless Churches
. This little lost church was the scene of one of the great ecclesiastical scandals of the 19th century, a scandal that occupied the national press for a year or more; a scandal that reached the highest courts in the land, and ultimately led to a change in the law. See here for more detail of the Akenham Burial Case.
Rise Hall near the church is a late Georgian
building on the site of an ancient manor house, formerly the residence of the Le Ruse or Rous family in the 13th century. To the south of Rise Hall here is a small moated site with a central island 14.0m across and 0.3m high. The ditch is water-filled on the W side and parts of the N and S sides, the remainder is merely marshy. There are traces of a causeway in the middle of the E side. On the lower W side there are small fragments of a probable retaining wall for the moat. Site lies just S of Rise Hall and it is likely that this moat accommodated a timber-framed dovecote. This could be a precursor site for Rise Hall. How unusual is it for a dovecot to moated? A moat might protect the dovecot from poachers but would be expensive to build and maintain. On the other hand reusing an existing moat would make sense. The mound is small and there is no attached bailey, Rise Hall being about 50m to the north, in an oval enclosure partly defined by ponds. Mottes slightly separate from baileys do occasionally occur but make no sense as defensive features. Was this moated mound a fundamentally symbolic feature?
A pair of 6th century cruciform brooches were found ante 1911 at Akenham Hall which possibly indicates an inhumation site.
There are a few small businesses operating out of former agricultural buildings including Stealth Electronics which specialise in security equipment, based at Akenham Hall Farm. Chives Montessori School is located in the parish. The school was established 14 years ago and is very much a community school serving local needs.
The parish is bordered by the parish of Whitton-cum-Thurleston
to the south, Claydon
to the west, Henley
to the north and Westerfield
to the east.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Mid Suffolk
Mid Suffolk
Mid Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council is based in Needham Market, and the largest town is Stowmarket.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Borough of Eye, Stowmarket urban district, Gipping Rural District, Hartismere Rural District and...
district of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in Eastern England. Located on the northwestern edge of Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, in 2005 it had an estimated population of 60.
Romano-British pottery has been unearthed in fields across the parish. A Middle Saxon gilded bronze pendent or brooch has also been found. A silver penny of the Saxon king Aethelred II was also found nearby.
It was known as Acheham in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. Its place name is possibly derived from Old English - 'homestead of a man called Aca'. The abandoned St. Mary's church
St Mary's Church, Akenham
St Mary's Church, Akenham, is a redundant Anglican church in the hamlet of Akenham, Suffolk, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust...
suffered bomb damage during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and is maintained by the organisation Friends of Friendless Churches
Friends of Friendless Churches
Friends of Friendless Churches is a registered charity active in England and Wales. It campaigns for and rescues redundant historic churches threatened by demolition, decay, or inappropriate conversion. To that end, as of August 2010, it owns 43 former churches or chapels, 23 of which...
. This little lost church was the scene of one of the great ecclesiastical scandals of the 19th century, a scandal that occupied the national press for a year or more; a scandal that reached the highest courts in the land, and ultimately led to a change in the law. See here for more detail of the Akenham Burial Case.
Rise Hall near the church is a late Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
building on the site of an ancient manor house, formerly the residence of the Le Ruse or Rous family in the 13th century. To the south of Rise Hall here is a small moated site with a central island 14.0m across and 0.3m high. The ditch is water-filled on the W side and parts of the N and S sides, the remainder is merely marshy. There are traces of a causeway in the middle of the E side. On the lower W side there are small fragments of a probable retaining wall for the moat. Site lies just S of Rise Hall and it is likely that this moat accommodated a timber-framed dovecote. This could be a precursor site for Rise Hall. How unusual is it for a dovecot to moated? A moat might protect the dovecot from poachers but would be expensive to build and maintain. On the other hand reusing an existing moat would make sense. The mound is small and there is no attached bailey, Rise Hall being about 50m to the north, in an oval enclosure partly defined by ponds. Mottes slightly separate from baileys do occasionally occur but make no sense as defensive features. Was this moated mound a fundamentally symbolic feature?
A pair of 6th century cruciform brooches were found ante 1911 at Akenham Hall which possibly indicates an inhumation site.
There are a few small businesses operating out of former agricultural buildings including Stealth Electronics which specialise in security equipment, based at Akenham Hall Farm. Chives Montessori School is located in the parish. The school was established 14 years ago and is very much a community school serving local needs.
The parish is bordered by the parish of Whitton-cum-Thurleston
Whitton, Suffolk
Whitton is an ancient parish and now an area of Ipswich, in Suffolk. It is thought to have been a Saxon colony, possibly dating from the Saxon invasion of around 430 AD. It appears in the Domesday Book as Widituna, possibly meaning Hwita's farm or White's farm....
to the south, Claydon
Claydon, Suffolk
Claydon is a small village just north of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. The meaning of the name is 'clay-on-the-hill', though it is not much of a hill....
to the west, Henley
Henley, Suffolk
Henley is a small village just north of Ipswich in Suffolk, England.-Geography:Henley is positioned on a hill between two valleys. To the west of the village is a hill that extends down to the villages of Claydon and Barham situated in the Gipping Valley. East of the village is the Fynn Valley...
to the north and Westerfield
Westerfield
Westerfield is a village in Suffolk, England.It is located approximately two miles north of the centre of Ipswich. The village is served by Westerfield railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line....
to the east.