Sudbury, Suffolk
Encyclopedia
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town
in the county of Suffolk
, England
, on the River Stour
, 15 miles (24.1 km) from Colchester
and 60 miles (96.6 km) from London
.
. The town’s earliest mention is in 799
AD, when Aelfhun, Bishop of Dunwich
, died in the town. The Saxon Chronicle records the town as Suthberie ("south-borough"), presumed to distinguish it from Norwich
or Bury St Edmunds, to the north. The town is also mentioned in the Domesday Book
of 1086, as a market town
where the local people came to barter their goods. The market was established in 1009.
A community of Dominicans arrived in the mid-13th century and gradually extended the size of their priory
, which was one of three Dominican priories in the county of Suffolk.
Sudbury was one of the first towns in which Edward III settled the Flemings, allowing the weaving
and silk
industries to prosper for centuries during the Late Middle Ages
. As the main town in the area, Sudbury prospered too, and many great houses and churches were built, giving the town a major historical legacy. The Woolsack
in the House of Lords
was originally stuffed with wool from the Sudbury area, a sign of both the importance of the wool industry and of the wealth of the donors.
One citizen of Sudbury, Archbishop Simon Sudbury
showed that not even the Tower of London
guarantees safety. On 14 June 1381 guards opened the Tower’s doors and allowed a party of rebellious peasants
to enter. Sudbury, inventor of the poll tax, was dragged to Tower Hill
and beheaded. His body was afterwards buried in Canterbury Cathedral
, but his skull is kept in St. Gregory’s with St. Peter’s Church, one of the three medieval churches in Sudbury. Simon's concerns for his native town are reflected in the founding of St Leonard's Hospital in 1372, a place of respite, towards Long Melford
, for lepers. For the College of St Gregory, which he founded in 1375 to support eight priests, he used his father's former house and an adjoining plot.
From the 16th to 18th century the weaving industry was less consistently profitable and Sudbury experienced periods of varying prosperity. By means of the borough court, the mayor and corporation directed the affairs of the town. They built a house of correction
(1624) for 'rogue
s, vagabond
s and sturdy beggar
s' and tried to finance the reconstruction of Ballingdon
Bridge, which disappeared during a storm on 4 September 1594. Among theatrical companies they paid to visit Sudbury were Lord Strange's Men
(1592) and the King's Men
(1610). Minor infringements, such as not attending church, were punished by fines, for worse offenders there was a stocks
or a whipping. During the Civil War
a 12-strong band of watchmen was created to prevent the town's enemies, presumed to be Royalists, burning it down.
Sudbury and the surrounding area, like much of East Anglia
, was a hotbed of Puritan
sentiment during much of the 17th century. Sudbury was among the town's called "notorious wasps' nests of dissent." During the decade of the 1630s, many families departed for the Massachusetts Bay Colony
as part of the wave of emigration that occurred during the Great Migration
.
By the 18th century the fees charged to become a freeman
, with voting rights, were exorbitant and the borough of Sudbury, along with 177 other English towns, was reformed by a Municipal Reform Act (1835).
During the 18th century Sudbury became famous for its local artists. John Constable
painted in the area, especially the River Stour
. Painter Thomas Gainsborough
was born in Sudbury in 1727, and was educated at Sudbury Grammar School
. His birthplace, now named Gainsborough House, is now a museum to his work and is open to the public. It houses many valuable pictures and some of his family possessions. A statue of Gainsborough was unveiled in the town centre outside St Peter’s Church
on Market Hill in 1913.
and Brundon
appended to the town. In the 1841 general election
Sudbury became the first place in the UK to elect a member of an ethnic minority
to parliament
, with David Dye Sombre, the son of an India
n queen, winning the seat. However, he was not allowed to take his place in parliament as he was subsequently declared insane.
The railway arrived in Sudbury in 1847 when Sudbury railway station
was built on the Stour Valley Railway
. The town escaped the Beeching Axe
of the 1960s and maintained its rail link with London, although it became the terminus of the Gainsborough Line, and many villages further up the river lost their railway stations. Road links with the major cities of the area are being improved. Once a busy and important river port the last industrial building on the riverside in Sudbury has been converted into the Quay Theatre. However the river is no longer subject to the local ordinance of 9 November 1893, when the Town Council decided that bathing in the river was to be banned after 8.00am, except at Dobs Hole, where screens had been erected.
Sudbury's Catholic Church, Our Lady Immaculate and St. John the Evangelist, was designed by Leonard Stokes
and erected in 1893. The shrine
of Our Lady of Sudbury sits within its nave. It is a grade 2 listed building.
During World War II
an American
squadron of B-24 Liberator
bombers of the 834th Squadron (H), 486th Bomb Group (H), 8th Air Force was based at RAF Sudbury
. This squadron performed many important bombing and photographic missions during the war, but is perhaps best known as the "Zodiac Squadron", as its bombers were decorated with colorful images of the twelve signs of the zodiac painted by a professional artist named Phil Brinkman, who was taken into the squadron by its commander, Capt. Howell, specifically for the purpose of painting the bombers.
The Sudbury Society was formed in 1973 after a successful campaign to save the town's corn exchange from developers. However, in protecting its ancient centre the town has not shut itself off from modern development. As the town has expanded (to a population in 2005 of 12,080) modern retail and industrial developments have been added on sites close to the centre and on the eastern edge at Chilton
. The 18th and 19th century houses near the town centre have been added to by modern developments.
until the local government reorganisation of 1974. Since then it has been a civil parish. Being an urban area the parish council and its chair are known as the 'Town Council' and 'Town Mayor' respectively. The parish is part of Babergh
, a district covered by Suffolk County Council
.
From 1559 until 1844 the parliamentary constituency
of Sudbury
returned two Members of Parliament
, before it was disenfranchised for corruption. The Sudbury election of 1835, which Charles Dickens
reported for the Morning Chronicle
, is thought by many experts to be the inspiration for the famous Eatanswill election in his novel Pickwick Papers. In the previous year's by-election a dead heat of 263 votes each was recorded for the two candidates, Edward Barnes
and J. Bagshaw. The mayor of Sudbury gave a casting vote
to Barnes despite having already voted, and the decision led to serious riots in the town. A county constituency of the same name was established by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
for the 1885 general election
, electing one MP by the first past the post voting system. It was abolished for the 1950 general election
when it was merged with the Woodbridge
constituency to form Sudbury and Woodbridge
. In 1983 this constituency was abolished, and Sudbury formed part of the new South Suffolk
constituency. Since South Suffolk's formation it has been represented by the Conservative
, Tim Yeo
.
is Sudbury Upper
. There are two middle school
s, All Saints' and Uplands, and several primary schools, including Tudor Primary School, St. Gregory CEVCP and Woodhall Primary School.
group, is delivered free to households, and the Suffolk Free Press, owned by Anglia Newspapers, is sold in shops around south Suffolk and north Essex.
(founded 1885) and Sudbury Wanderers
(founded 1958). Three times FA Vase
finalists, they are currently members of the Isthmian League Division One North.
The local rugby
club, Sudbury R.F.C. have previously played as high as National 3 in English rugby, but are currently in the London 2 North East. The club's ground is in neighbouring village, Great Cornard
. The town's oldest sports club is Sudbury Cricket Club, founded in 1787.
city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario
(formerly known as Sudbury) was named for Sudbury, Suffolk. The then-commissioner of the Canadian Pacific Railway
, which played a major role in the Canadian city's founding, was married to a woman who had been born in Sudbury, Suffolk, and the name was chosen to honour her.
with the following towns: Höxter
, Germany
Clermont
, France
. Fredensborg
, Denmark
was born in Sudbury and fellow painter John Constable
worked in and near the town. 14th Century Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon Sudbury
was born in the town as was, more recently, artist Maggi Hambling
and professional footballer Stuart Slater
. The Bayning family of Nayland
, originally cloth merchants, entered the spice trade
and were joint founders of the East India Company
. Paul Bayning (1588–1629) was knighted in 1611 and created Viscount Bayning of Sudbury
in 1628
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in the county 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on the River Stour
River Stour, Suffolk
The River Stour is a river in East Anglia, England. It is 76 km long and forms most of the county boundary between Suffolk to the north, and Essex to the south. It rises in eastern Cambridgeshire, passes to the east of Haverhill, through Cavendish, Sudbury and the Dedham Vale, and joins the...
, 15 miles (24.1 km) from Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
and 60 miles (96.6 km) from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Early history
Sudbury’s history dates back into the age of the SaxonsSaxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
. The town’s earliest mention is in 799
799
Year 799 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 799 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Religion :* 29 November – Pope Leo III, aided...
AD, when Aelfhun, Bishop of Dunwich
Bishop of Dunwich
The Bishop of Dunwich is an episcopal title which was first used by an Anglo-Saxon bishop between the 7th and 9th centuries and is currently used by a suffragan bishop who assists a diocesan bishop. The title takes its name after Dunwich in the English county of Suffolk, which has now largely been...
, died in the town. The Saxon Chronicle records the town as Suthberie ("south-borough"), presumed to distinguish it from Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
or Bury St Edmunds, to the north. The town is also mentioned 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...
of 1086, as a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
where the local people came to barter their goods. The market was established in 1009.
A community of Dominicans arrived in the mid-13th century and gradually extended the size of their priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
, which was one of three Dominican priories in the county of Suffolk.
Sudbury was one of the first towns in which Edward III settled the Flemings, allowing the weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
and silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
industries to prosper for centuries during the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
. As the main town in the area, Sudbury prospered too, and many great houses and churches were built, giving the town a major historical legacy. The Woolsack
Woolsack
The Woolsack is the seat of the Lord Speaker in the House of Lords, the Upper House of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From the Middle Ages until 2006, the presiding officer in the House of Lords was the Lord Chancellor and the Woolsack was usually mentioned in association with the office of...
in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
was originally stuffed with wool from the Sudbury area, a sign of both the importance of the wool industry and of the wealth of the donors.
One citizen of Sudbury, Archbishop Simon Sudbury
Simon Sudbury
Simon Sudbury, also called Simon Theobald of Sudbury and Simon of Sudbury was Bishop of London from 1361 to 1375, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1375 until his death, and in the last year of his life Lord Chancellor of England....
showed that not even the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
guarantees safety. On 14 June 1381 guards opened the Tower’s doors and allowed a party of rebellious peasants
Peasants' Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt, Wat Tyler's Rebellion, or the Great Rising of 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major event in the history of England. Tyler's Rebellion was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the...
to enter. Sudbury, inventor of the poll tax, was dragged to Tower Hill
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is an elevated spot northwest of the Tower of London, just outside the limits of the City of London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Formerly it was part of the Tower Liberty under the direct administrative control of Tower...
and beheaded. His body was afterwards buried in Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
, but his skull is kept in St. Gregory’s with St. Peter’s Church, one of the three medieval churches in Sudbury. Simon's concerns for his native town are reflected in the founding of St Leonard's Hospital in 1372, a place of respite, towards Long Melford
Long Melford
Long Melford is a large village and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England. It is on Suffolk's border with Essex, which is marked by the River Stour, approximately from Colchester and from Bury St. Edmunds...
, for lepers. For the College of St Gregory, which he founded in 1375 to support eight priests, he used his father's former house and an adjoining plot.
From the 16th to 18th century the weaving industry was less consistently profitable and Sudbury experienced periods of varying prosperity. By means of the borough court, the mayor and corporation directed the affairs of the town. They built a house of correction
House of Correction
The house of correction was a type of establishment built after the passing of the Elizabethan Poor Law , places where those who were "unwilling to work", including vagrants and beggars, were set to work. The building of houses of correction came after the passing of an amendment to the Elizabethan...
(1624) for 'rogue
Rogue (vagrant)
A rogue is a vagrant person who wanders from place to place. Like a drifter, a rogue is an independent person who rejects conventional rules of society in favor of following their own personal goals and values....
s, vagabond
Vagabond (person)
A vagabond is a drifter and an itinerant wanderer who roams wherever they please, following the whim of the moment. Vagabonds may lack residence, a job, and even citizenship....
s and sturdy beggar
Sturdy beggar
Sturdy beggar is a former British English legal expression for someone was fit and able to work but begged or wandered for a living instead. Sometimes men willing to work but unable to find work were lumped into the same category....
s' and tried to finance the reconstruction of Ballingdon
Ballingdon
Ballingdon is a suburb of the town of Sudbury in Suffolk, England. Once a separate village, today it is part of Sudbury civil parish. It is the only part of the town to the south of the River Stour....
Bridge, which disappeared during a storm on 4 September 1594. Among theatrical companies they paid to visit Sudbury were Lord Strange's Men
Lord Strange's Men
Lord Strange's Men was an Elizabethan playing company, comprising retainers of the household of Ferdinando Stanley, Lord Strange . They are best known in their final phase of activity in the late 1580s and early 1590s...
(1592) and the King's Men
King's Men (playing company)
The King's Men was the company of actors to which William Shakespeare belonged through most of his career. Formerly known as The Lord Chamberlain's Men during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it became The King's Men in 1603 when King James ascended the throne and became the company's patron.The...
(1610). Minor infringements, such as not attending church, were punished by fines, for worse offenders there was a stocks
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
or a whipping. During the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
a 12-strong band of watchmen was created to prevent the town's enemies, presumed to be Royalists, burning it down.
Sudbury and the surrounding area, like much of East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, was a hotbed of Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
sentiment during much of the 17th century. Sudbury was among the town's called "notorious wasps' nests of dissent." During the decade of the 1630s, many families departed for the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
as part of the wave of emigration that occurred during the Great Migration
Great Migration (Puritan)
The Puritan migration to New England was marked in its effects in the two decades from 1620 to 1640, after which it declined sharply for a while. The term Great Migration usually refers to the migration in this period of English settlers, primarily Puritans to Massachusetts and the warm islands of...
.
By the 18th century the fees charged to become a freeman
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
, with voting rights, were exorbitant and the borough of Sudbury, along with 177 other English towns, was reformed by a Municipal Reform Act (1835).
During the 18th century Sudbury became famous for its local artists. John Constable
John Constable
John Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
painted in the area, especially the River Stour
River Stour, Suffolk
The River Stour is a river in East Anglia, England. It is 76 km long and forms most of the county boundary between Suffolk to the north, and Essex to the south. It rises in eastern Cambridgeshire, passes to the east of Haverhill, through Cavendish, Sudbury and the Dedham Vale, and joins the...
. Painter Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
was born in Sudbury in 1727, and was educated at Sudbury Grammar School
Sudbury Grammar School
Sudbury Grammar School was a boys' grammar school in Sudbury. The school was founded in 1491. In 1972, the school was amalgamated with other local schools to form Sudbury Upper School.-History:...
. His birthplace, now named Gainsborough House, is now a museum to his work and is open to the public. It houses many valuable pictures and some of his family possessions. A statue of Gainsborough was unveiled in the town centre outside St Peter’s Church
St Peter's Church, Sudbury
St Peter's Church, Sudbury, is a redundant Anglican church in the town of Sudbury, Suffolk, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust...
on Market Hill in 1913.
Victorian times to present day
The 1832 Reform Act saw the villages of BallingdonBallingdon
Ballingdon is a suburb of the town of Sudbury in Suffolk, England. Once a separate village, today it is part of Sudbury civil parish. It is the only part of the town to the south of the River Stour....
and Brundon
Brundon
Brundon is a hamlet in the Babergh District, in the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the River Stour near the town of Sudbury . For transport there is the A131 road nearby.- References :...
appended to the town. In the 1841 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1841
-Seats summary:-Whig MPs who lost their seats:*Viscount Morpeth - Chief Secretary for Ireland*Sir George Strickland, Bt*Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987...
Sudbury became the first place in the UK to elect a member of an ethnic minority
Ethnic groups of the United Kingdom
People from various ethnic groups reside in the United Kingdom. Migration from what are now the Northern European states has been happening for millennia, with other groups such as British Jews also well established...
to parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, with David Dye Sombre, the son of an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n queen, winning the seat. However, he was not allowed to take his place in parliament as he was subsequently declared insane.
The railway arrived in Sudbury in 1847 when Sudbury railway station
Sudbury railway station
Sudbury railway station is a railway station serving the town of Sudbury in Suffolk, England. It is the single-platform northern terminus of the Gainsborough Line, and is managed by National Express East Anglia, who provide all train services. The station is located on the edge of the town...
was built on the Stour Valley Railway
Stour Valley Railway
The Stour Valley Railway is a partially closed railway line that ran between , near Cambridge and in Essex, England. The line opened in sections between 1849 and 1865...
. The town escaped the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
of the 1960s and maintained its rail link with London, although it became the terminus of the Gainsborough Line, and many villages further up the river lost their railway stations. Road links with the major cities of the area are being improved. Once a busy and important river port the last industrial building on the riverside in Sudbury has been converted into the Quay Theatre. However the river is no longer subject to the local ordinance of 9 November 1893, when the Town Council decided that bathing in the river was to be banned after 8.00am, except at Dobs Hole, where screens had been erected.
Sudbury's Catholic Church, Our Lady Immaculate and St. John the Evangelist, was designed by Leonard Stokes
Leonard Stokes
Leonard Aloysius Scott Stokes was an English architect.Leonard Stokes was born in Southport in 1858. He trained in London and travelled in Germany and Italy. Most of his designs were for Roman Catholic buildings, including churches, convents and schools. His first outstanding work was the...
and erected in 1893. The shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
of Our Lady of Sudbury sits within its nave. It is a grade 2 listed building.
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...
an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
squadron of B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
bombers of the 834th Squadron (H), 486th Bomb Group (H), 8th Air Force was based at RAF Sudbury
RAF Sudbury
RAF Sudbury is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located between the villages Acton, Great Waldingfield and Chilton, around 2 miles east of Sudbury in Suffolk.-USAAF use:...
. This squadron performed many important bombing and photographic missions during the war, but is perhaps best known as the "Zodiac Squadron", as its bombers were decorated with colorful images of the twelve signs of the zodiac painted by a professional artist named Phil Brinkman, who was taken into the squadron by its commander, Capt. Howell, specifically for the purpose of painting the bombers.
The Sudbury Society was formed in 1973 after a successful campaign to save the town's corn exchange from developers. However, in protecting its ancient centre the town has not shut itself off from modern development. As the town has expanded (to a population in 2005 of 12,080) modern retail and industrial developments have been added on sites close to the centre and on the eastern edge at Chilton
Chilton, Suffolk
Chilton is a civil parish on the eastern outskirts of Sudbury in Suffolk, England.Once a normal village, Chilton today consists of scattered clusters of housing and an isolated Church of St Mary, and is a prime example of a deserted medieval village....
. The 18th and 19th century houses near the town centre have been added to by modern developments.
Geography
Governance
Sudbury was a boroughBorough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
until the local government reorganisation of 1974. Since then it has been a civil parish. Being an urban area the parish council and its chair are known as the 'Town Council' and 'Town Mayor' respectively. The parish is part of Babergh
Babergh
Babergh is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council headquarters is based in Hadleigh, whilst its largest town is Sudbury.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Borough of Sudbury, Hadleigh urban district, Cosford Rural District, Melford Rural District and...
, a district covered by Suffolk County Council
Suffolk County Council
Suffolk County Council is the administrative authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 72 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions...
.
From 1559 until 1844 the parliamentary constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Sudbury
Sudbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Sudbury was a parliamentary constituency which was represented in the British House of Commons. A parliamentary borough consisting of the town of Sudbury in Suffolk, it returned two Members of Parliament from 1559 until it was disenfranchised for corruption in 1844...
returned two Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, before it was disenfranchised for corruption. The Sudbury election of 1835, which Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
reported for the Morning Chronicle
Morning Chronicle
The Morning Chronicle was a newspaper founded in 1769 in London, England, and published under various owners until 1862. It was most notable for having been the first employer of Charles Dickens, and for publishing the articles by Henry Mayhew which were collected and published in book format in...
, is thought by many experts to be the inspiration for the famous Eatanswill election in his novel Pickwick Papers. In the previous year's by-election a dead heat of 263 votes each was recorded for the two candidates, Edward Barnes
Edward Barnes (British Army officer)
Lieutenant General Sir Edward Barnes, GCB was a British soldier who became governor of Ceylon.-Military career:Barnes joined the 47th Regiment of Foot in 1792, and quickly rose to field rank. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1807, serving in the Invasion of Martinique in 1809, and colonel...
and J. Bagshaw. The mayor of Sudbury gave a casting vote
Casting vote
A casting vote is a vote given to the presiding officer of a council or legislative body to resolve a deadlock and which can be exercised only when such a deadlock exists...
to Barnes despite having already voted, and the decision led to serious riots in the town. A county constituency of the same name was established by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
for the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
, electing one MP by the first past the post voting system. It was abolished for the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
when it was merged with the Woodbridge
Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Woodbridge was a county constituency centred on the town of Woodbridge in Suffolk. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
constituency to form Sudbury and Woodbridge
Sudbury and Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Sudbury and Woodbridge was a county constituency centred on the towns of Sudbury and Woodbridge in Suffolk. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
. In 1983 this constituency was abolished, and Sudbury formed part of the new South Suffolk
South Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency)
South Suffolk is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundary review:...
constituency. Since South Suffolk's formation it has been represented by the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, Tim Yeo
Tim Yeo
Timothy Stephen Kenneth Yeo is an English Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for South Suffolk and the current Chairman of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee.-Early life:...
.
Schools
Like some other parts of Suffolk, Sudbury has a three-tier schooling system. The town's sole upper schoolUpper school
Upper Schools tend to be schools within secondary education. Outside England, the term normally refers to a section of a larger school. There is some variation in the use of the term in England.-State Maintained Schools:...
is Sudbury Upper
Sudbury Upper School
Sudbury Upper School & Arts College is a 11 - 18 comprehensive school in the town of Sudbury, Suffolk for 13 - 19 year old students. The school was established in 1972, following the country wide introduction of the comprehensive school system, to serve the expanding town of Sudbury, and its...
. There are two middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s, All Saints' and Uplands, and several primary schools, including Tudor Primary School, St. Gregory CEVCP and Woodhall Primary School.
Media
Sudbury is served by two weekly newspapers, both published on a Thursday. The Sudbury Mercury, owned by the ArchantArchant
Archant is a publishing company, based in Norwich, England, United Kingdom. The group publishes four daily newspapers, around 75 weekly newspapers, and 75 consumer and contract magazines....
group, is delivered free to households, and the Suffolk Free Press, owned by Anglia Newspapers, is sold in shops around south Suffolk and north Essex.
Sports
The town's main football club, A.F.C. Sudbury, was formed on 1 June 1999 by the amalgamation of two existing clubs, Sudbury TownSudbury Town F.C.
Sudbury Town F.C. was an English football club based in Sudbury, Suffolk. Established in 1885, the club merged with Sudbury Wanderers in 1999 to form A.F.C. Sudbury.-History:...
(founded 1885) and Sudbury Wanderers
Sudbury Wanderers F.C.
Sudbury Wanderers was an English football club based in Sudbury, Suffolk. Established in 1958, the club merged with Sudbury Town in 1999 to form AFC Sudbury.-History:The club was established in June 1958 following a meeting in the town's Black Horse pub...
(founded 1958). Three times FA Vase
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System...
finalists, they are currently members of the Isthmian League Division One North.
The local rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, Sudbury R.F.C. have previously played as high as National 3 in English rugby, but are currently in the London 2 North East. The club's ground is in neighbouring village, Great Cornard
Great Cornard
Great Cornard is a large village located just outside Sudbury, in Suffolk, England.-History:The area now called Great Cornard has been occupied since pre-history, with evidence of Palaeolithic, Bronze Age and Roman settlements in the parish. The village is accounted for in the Domesday Book as the...
. The town's oldest sports club is Sudbury Cricket Club, founded in 1787.
International links
The CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(formerly known as Sudbury) was named for Sudbury, Suffolk. The then-commissioner of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
, which played a major role in the Canadian city's founding, was married to a woman who had been born in Sudbury, Suffolk, and the name was chosen to honour her.
Twin towns
Sudbury is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with the following towns: Höxter
Höxter
Höxter is the seat of the Höxter district, and a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia on the left bank of the river Weser, 52 km north of Kassel in the centre of the Weser Uplands...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Clermont
Clermont, Oise
Clermont is a small city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-Main sights:* Church St Samson containing numerous Painting from the seventeenth century...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Fredensborg
Fredensborg
Fredensborg is a railway town with a population of 8,377 located in Fredensborg Municipality, Denmark at the railroad between Hillerød and Helsingør....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Notable Sudburians
As noted above, the artist Thomas GainsboroughThomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
was born in Sudbury and fellow painter John Constable
John Constable
John Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
worked in and near the town. 14th Century Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon Sudbury
Simon Sudbury
Simon Sudbury, also called Simon Theobald of Sudbury and Simon of Sudbury was Bishop of London from 1361 to 1375, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1375 until his death, and in the last year of his life Lord Chancellor of England....
was born in the town as was, more recently, artist Maggi Hambling
Maggi Hambling
Maggi Hambling CBE is an English painter and sculptor. Perhaps her best known public works are a memorial to Oscar Wilde in central London and Scallop, a 4 metre high steel sculpture of two interlocking scallop shells on Aldeburgh beach dedicated to Benjamin Britten...
and professional footballer Stuart Slater
Stuart Slater
Stuart Slater is a former professional footballer who played as a winger and forward for West Ham United, Celtic, Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Watford. He also represented England at under-21 and B level....
. The Bayning family of Nayland
Nayland
Nayland is a village in the Stour Valley on the Suffolk side of the border between Suffolk and Essex in England.-History:From an article by Rosemary Knox, Wissington...
, originally cloth merchants, entered the spice trade
Spice trade
Civilizations of Asia were involved in spice trade from the ancient times, and the Greco-Roman world soon followed by trading along the Incense route and the Roman-India routes...
and were joint founders of the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. Paul Bayning (1588–1629) was knighted in 1611 and created Viscount Bayning of Sudbury
Viscount Bayning
Viscount Bayning, of Sudbury in the County of Suffolk, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 8 March 1628 for Paul Bayning, 1st Baron Bayning...
in 1628