Wortham, Suffolk
Encyclopedia
Wortham is a village and parish
in Suffolk
, England
.
Its church, St Mary The Virgin, lies about a mile north of the village. It is one of 38 existing round-tower church
es in Suffolk
. It has the largest round tower by diameter in England.
Diss
is the nearest railway station.
between them and a combined value of 7 shilling
s.
After the Norman Conquest there were still two parishes, corresponding to the two Norman
manors: Southmoor, held by the Abbots of Bury, and Eastgate (Wortham Hall) held by the Barons of Rye.
In 1769 the parishes were combined under William Evans, Rector of Eastgate. The Saxon
church in Southmoor disappeared and was never rebuilt, although the Rectory remained until 1785. A faculty was granted by the Bishop of Norwich
to Rowland Holt (Patron) and Henry Patterson (Rector) for taking down and excusing the rebuilding of one of the parsonages belonging to the Rectory of Wortham Edward w. Jervis annexed. This parsonage was stated to be above a mile from the church and built of stud and claywork and covered with a thatch.
Wortham was the family seat of the Betts family, as cronicled by K. F. Doughty in The Betts of Wortham in Suffolk - 1480-1905 published in 1912 by John Lane Co.
described in more detail at www.ancestry.com
Home to the author Richard Cobbold
between 1825 and 1877. In addition to his famous story of Margaret Catchpole
, he published (1860) The Biography Of A Victorian Village - Wortham which contained a series of drawings and character details of various members of the community during the mid-Victorian period. A useful source for genealogists.
The local public house is The Dolphin Inn
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in 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...
.
Its church, St Mary The Virgin, lies about a mile north of the village. It is one of 38 existing round-tower church
Round-tower church
Round-tower churches are a type of church found mainly in England, almost solely in East Anglia; of about 185 surviving examples in the country, 124 are in Norfolk, 38 in Suffolk, 6 in Essex, 3 in Sussex and 2 each in Cambridgeshire and Berkshire. There is evidence of about twenty round-tower...
es in 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...
. It has the largest round tower by diameter in England.
Diss
Diss railway station
Diss is a railway station which serves the town of Diss in Norfolk, England. The station is on the Great Eastern Main Line south of Norwich towards London Liverpool Street. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by National Express East Anglia...
is the nearest railway station.
History
In the time of Edward the Confessor Wortham consisted of two parishes, each with its own church and parsonage. They had 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of glebeGlebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
between them and a combined value of 7 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s.
After the Norman Conquest there were still two parishes, corresponding to the two Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
manors: Southmoor, held by the Abbots of Bury, and Eastgate (Wortham Hall) held by the Barons of Rye.
In 1769 the parishes were combined under William Evans, Rector of Eastgate. The Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
church in Southmoor disappeared and was never rebuilt, although the Rectory remained until 1785. A faculty was granted by the Bishop of Norwich
Bishop of Norwich
The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers most of the County of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The see is in the City of Norwich where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided...
to Rowland Holt (Patron) and Henry Patterson (Rector) for taking down and excusing the rebuilding of one of the parsonages belonging to the Rectory of Wortham Edward w. Jervis annexed. This parsonage was stated to be above a mile from the church and built of stud and claywork and covered with a thatch.
Wortham was the family seat of the Betts family, as cronicled by K. F. Doughty in The Betts of Wortham in Suffolk - 1480-1905 published in 1912 by John Lane Co.
described in more detail at www.ancestry.com
Home to the author Richard Cobbold
Richard Cobbold
Richard Cobbold was a British writer.- Life :Richard Cobbold was born in 1797 in the Suffolk town of Ipswich, to John Cobbold and Elizabeth , a large and affluent family who made their money from the brewing industry...
between 1825 and 1877. In addition to his famous story of Margaret Catchpole
Margaret Catchpole
Margaret Catchpole , a British adventuress, chronicler and criminal, born in Suffolk she worked as a servant in various houses before being convicted of stealing a horse and later escaping from Ipswich Gaol. Following her capture she was transported to Australia...
, he published (1860) The Biography Of A Victorian Village - Wortham which contained a series of drawings and character details of various members of the community during the mid-Victorian period. A useful source for genealogists.
The local public house is The Dolphin Inn