Bungay, Suffolk
Encyclopedia
Bungay (ˈ) is a market town
in the English county
of Suffolk
. It lies in the Waveney
valley, 5.5 miles (9 km) west of Beccles
on the edge of The Broads
, and at the neck of a meander
of the River Waveney
.
title 'Bunincga-haye', signifying the land belonging to the tribe of Bonna, a Saxon chieftain. Due to its high position, protected by the River Waveney
and marshes, the site was in a good defensive position and attracted settlers from early times. Roman artifacts have been found in the region.
Bungay Castle
was built by the Normans
, but was later rebuilt by Roger Bigod
and his family, who also owned Framlingham Castle
. Bungay's village sign
shows the castle. The Church of St. Mary
was once the church of the Benedictine
Priory
, founded by Gundreda, wife of Roger de Glanville. It was here that one of the most famous episodes in Bungay's history occurred:
, also known as 'The Black Dog of Bungay' is said to have killed two and left another injured. The dog was later believed to have visited the Cathedral of the Marshes at Blythburgh
(Holy Trinity Church) during the same thunderstorm within an hour of the appearance at Bungay. In that appearance the hound, after charging down the aisle, fled through the North door of the church. Large black scorched gouges can still be seen on the door.
The legend of Black Shuck has inspired several of the town's sporting events. An annual marathon "The Black Dog Marathon" begins in Bungay, and follows the course of the River Waveney and the town's football club is nicknamed the "Black Dogs". Black Shuck was also the subject of a song by The Darkness.
The town was almost destroyed by a great fire in 1688. The central Buttercross
was constructed in 1689 and was the place where local farmers displayed their butter
and other farm produce for sale. Until 1810, there was also a Corn
Cross
, but this was taken down and replaced by a pump
.
The railway arrived with the Harleston to Bungay section of the Waveney Valley Line
opening in November 1860 and the Bungay to Beccles section in March 1863. Bungay had its own railway station
near Clays printers. The station closed to passengers in 1953 and freight in 1964.
, which is based at St. Peter's Hall. Bungay is often seen as a 'poor relation' of the larger neighbouring town of Beccles
.
, currently play in the Anglian Combination
, having previously been members of the Eastern Counties League
.
Godric Cycling Club is based in Bungay. It organises a number of events each year, including weekly 'club runs'.
(1731–1804), the bookseller and antiquarian, settled in the village. His publisher son, William Miller
(1769–1844), was born there. The Strickland family, which according to the Canadian Dictionary of Biography was as prolific as the Brontës
, Edgeworths, and Trollopes, settled in the village 1802-1808. Its daughters included Agnes
, a historian;
Catharine Parr Traill
, who concentrated on children's literature; and Susanna Moodie
, who emigrated to Canada and wrote Roughing it in the Bush (1852) as a warning to others. The novelist Sir H. Rider Haggard
(1856–1925) was born nearby in Bradenham
and presented St. Mary's Church with a wooden panel, displayed behind the altar. Religious writer Margaret Barber
(1869–1901), author of the posthumously published best-selling book of meditations, The Roadmender
, settled in Bungay. More recently the family of sucessfull Songwriters Tom Baxter
Charlie Winston
& Vashti Anna spent a portion of their childhood in Bungay where their father Papa G - Geoff Gleave still lives.
Jaik Mickleburgh, Essex County Cricketer
Sean (Moley) Payne, Manchester United Supporter of the Millenium
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 English county
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...
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...
. It lies in the Waveney
Waveney
Waveney is a local government district in Suffolk, England, named after the River Waveney that forms its north-west border. The district council is based in Lowestoft, the major settlement in Waveney, which is the only unparished area in the district...
valley, 5.5 miles (9 km) west of Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
on the edge of The Broads
The Broads
The Broads are a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Broads, and some surrounding land were constituted as a special area with a level of protection similar to a UK National Park by The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act of 1988...
, and at the neck of a meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
of the River Waveney
River Waveney
The Waveney is a river which forms the border between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads.-Course:The source of the River Waveney is a ditch on the east side of the B1113 road between the villages of Redgrave, Suffolk and South Lopham, Norfolk...
.
Early history
The origin of the name of Bungay is thought to derive from the Anglo-SaxonOld English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
title 'Bunincga-haye', signifying the land belonging to the tribe of Bonna, a Saxon chieftain. Due to its high position, protected by the River Waveney
River Waveney
The Waveney is a river which forms the border between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads.-Course:The source of the River Waveney is a ditch on the east side of the B1113 road between the villages of Redgrave, Suffolk and South Lopham, Norfolk...
and marshes, the site was in a good defensive position and attracted settlers from early times. Roman artifacts have been found in the region.
Bungay Castle
Bungay Castle
Bungay Castle is in the town of Bungay, Suffolk by the River Waveney.-Details:Originally this was a Norman castle built by Roger Bigod, around 1100, which took advantage of the protection given by the curve of the River Waveney...
was built by the Normans
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...
, but was later rebuilt by Roger Bigod
Roger Bigod
Roger Bigod may refer to:*Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk , Norman knight who came to England with William the Conqueror*Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk *Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk , Marshal of England...
and his family, who also owned Framlingham Castle
Framlingham Castle
Framlingham Castle is a castle in the market town of Framlingham in Suffolk in England. An early motte and bailey or ringwork Norman castle was built on the Framlingham site by 1148, but this was destroyed by Henry II of England in the aftermath of the revolt of 1173-4...
. Bungay's village sign
Village sign
A village sign in some areas of England is a symbol of a village's history, heritage, or culture. They differ from regular road signs in that they are decorative, with the designs usually depicting some aspect of the history of the village...
shows the castle. The Church of St. Mary
St Mary's Church, Bungay
St Mary's Church, Bungay, is a redundant Anglican church in the town of Bungay, Suffolk, England. The church and the ruins of the adjacent priory have been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and are under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust...
was once the church of the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Priory
Bungay Priory
Bungay Priory was a Benedictine nunnery in the town of Bungay in the English county of Suffolk. It was founded in about 1160 by Roger de Glanville and his wife the Countess Gundreda and dissolved in about 1536 during the dissolution of the monasteries at which time it consisted of a prioress and 11...
, founded by Gundreda, wife of Roger de Glanville. It was here that one of the most famous episodes in Bungay's history occurred:
Black Shuck
On Sunday August 4, 1577 at St Mary's Church during a service, the ghostly hound Black ShuckBlack Shuck
Black Shuck, Old Shuck, Old Shock or simply Shuck is the name given to a ghostly black dog which is said to roam the coastline and countryside of East Anglia...
, also known as 'The Black Dog of Bungay' is said to have killed two and left another injured. The dog was later believed to have visited the Cathedral of the Marshes at Blythburgh
Blythburgh
Blythburgh is a small English village in an area known as the Sandlings, part of the Suffolk heritage coast. Located close to an area of flooded marshland and mud-flats, in 2007 its population was estimated to be 300. Blythburgh is best known for its church, Holy Trinity, internationally known as...
(Holy Trinity Church) during the same thunderstorm within an hour of the appearance at Bungay. In that appearance the hound, after charging down the aisle, fled through the North door of the church. Large black scorched gouges can still be seen on the door.
The legend of Black Shuck has inspired several of the town's sporting events. An annual marathon "The Black Dog Marathon" begins in Bungay, and follows the course of the River Waveney and the town's football club is nicknamed the "Black Dogs". Black Shuck was also the subject of a song by The Darkness.
Later History
Buttercross
A buttercross, also known as butter cross, is a type of market cross associated with English market towns and dating from medieval times. Its name originates from the fact that they were located at the market place, where people from neighbouring villages would gather to buy locally produced...
was constructed in 1689 and was the place where local farmers displayed their butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
and other farm produce for sale. Until 1810, there was also a Corn
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
Cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
, but this was taken down and replaced by a pump
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
.
The railway arrived with the Harleston to Bungay section of the Waveney Valley Line
Waveney Valley Line
The Waveney Valley Line was a branch line running from in Norfolk to Beccles in Suffolk connecting the Great Eastern Main Line at Tivetshall with the East Suffolk Line at . It provided services to Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Ipswich and many other smaller towns in Suffolk with additional...
opening in November 1860 and the Bungay to Beccles section in March 1863. Bungay had its own railway station
Bungay railway station
Bungay railway station was opened as part of the now disused Waveney Valley Line. The station was closed in 1953 and the buildings eventually demolished to make way for the A143 road. It was one of two stations in Suffolk on the line, which curved across the county boundary then back into...
near Clays printers. The station closed to passengers in 1953 and freight in 1964.
Modern Bungay
Bungay has an unusually large number of hairdressers, antique shops, food outlets and pubs and a wide range of specialist shops. Local firms also include the printers, Clays, and St. Peter's BrewerySt. Peter's Brewery
St. Peter's is an independent brewery founded in 1996 by John Murphy in former agricultural buildings adjacent to St. Peter’s Hall in Bungay, Suffolk, England.-Brief details:...
, which is based at St. Peter's Hall. Bungay is often seen as a 'poor relation' of the larger neighbouring town of Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
.
Sports
The local football club, Bungay TownBungay Town F.C.
Bungay Town F.C. is an English football club based in Bungay, Suffolk. The club are currently members of Anglian Combination Division Two and play at the Maltings Meadow Sports Ground.-History:...
, currently play in the Anglian Combination
Anglian Combination
The Anglian Combination Football League is an English football league that operates in the East Anglia area. The league specifically covers Norfolk and northern Suffolk and is also known as the Dolphin Autos Anglian Combination Football League after its principal sponsor...
, having previously been members of the Eastern Counties League
Eastern Counties Football League
The Eastern Counties Football League is an English football league at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It currently contains clubs from Norfolk, Suffolk, northern Essex and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is a feeder to the regional divisions of the Isthmian League and Southern...
.
Godric Cycling Club is based in Bungay. It organises a number of events each year, including weekly 'club runs'.
Past
Bungay was home to several literary figures. Thomas MillerThomas Miller (bookseller)
-Origins and early life:Miller was born at Norwich on 14 August 1731, the son of Thomas Miller, a pavior. He was apprenticed to a grocer, but when he commenced business for himself in 1755 his fondness for reading induced him to combine bookselling with his other trade.-Bookseller and...
(1731–1804), the bookseller and antiquarian, settled in the village. His publisher son, William Miller
William Miller (British publisher)
William Richard Beckford Miller was one of the leading English publishers of the early 19th century.-Origins and early life:William Miller was born at Bungay, Suffolk, on 25 March 1769, the son of Thomas Miller , a bookseller and antiquarian, and Sally Kingsbury of Waveney House, Bungay...
(1769–1844), was born there. The Strickland family, which according to the Canadian Dictionary of Biography was as prolific as the Brontës
Brontes
Brontes may refer to:* Brontes, a cyclops of Greek mythology, whose name means 'thunder.'* Brontë family; notably:** Charlotte Brontë** Emily Brontë** Anne Brontë....
, Edgeworths, and Trollopes, settled in the village 1802-1808. Its daughters included Agnes
Agnes Strickland
Agnes Strickland was an English historical writer and poet.-Biography:The daughter of Thomas Strickland of Reydon Hall, Suffolk, Agnes was educated by her father, and began her literary career with a poem, Worcester Field, followed by The Seven Ages of Woman and Demetrius...
, a historian;
Catharine Parr Traill
Catharine Parr Traill
Catharine Parr Traill, born Strickland was an English-Canadian author who wrote about life as a settler in Canada.-Biography:...
, who concentrated on children's literature; and Susanna Moodie
Susanna Moodie
Susanna Moodie, born Strickland , was an English-born Canadian author who wrote about her experiences as a settler in Canada, which was a British colony at the time.-Biography:...
, who emigrated to Canada and wrote Roughing it in the Bush (1852) as a warning to others. The novelist Sir H. Rider Haggard
H. Rider Haggard
Sir Henry Rider Haggard, KBE was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a founder of the Lost World literary genre. He was also involved in agricultural reform around the British Empire...
(1856–1925) was born nearby in Bradenham
Bradenham, Norfolk
Bradenham is a village and civil parish, a conglomeration of East & West Bradenham, in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some south-west of the town of East Dereham and west of the city of Norwich....
and presented St. Mary's Church with a wooden panel, displayed behind the altar. Religious writer Margaret Barber
Margaret Barber
Margaret Fairless Barber , pseudonym Michael Fairless, was an English Christian writer whose book of meditations, The Roadmender achieved huge popularity in its time.-Life:...
(1869–1901), author of the posthumously published best-selling book of meditations, The Roadmender
The Roadmender
The Roadmender is a 1902 Christian spiritual book by Margaret Barber, writing under the pseudonym Michael Fairless. The book was enormously popular in its time, running through 31 editions in 10 years....
, settled in Bungay. More recently the family of sucessfull Songwriters Tom Baxter
Tom Baxter
Tom Baxter is an English singer-songwriter based in London. He was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, and grew up in Cornwall with his sister Vashti Anna, two brothers, Jo Spencer and Charlie Winston, and parents Jeff and Julie Gleave...
Charlie Winston
Charlie Winston
Charlie Winston is an English singer-songwriter.-Music Career:Early Career...
& Vashti Anna spent a portion of their childhood in Bungay where their father Papa G - Geoff Gleave still lives.
Present
- Julian AssangeJulian AssangeJulian Paul Assange is an Australian publisher, journalist, writer, computer programmer and Internet activist. He is the editor in chief of WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website and conduit for worldwide news leaks with the stated purpose of creating open governments.WikiLeaks has published material...
(Internet activist, confined largely to Ellingham Hall, NorfolkEllingham Hall, Norfolk-External links:* *...
) - Elizabeth Jane HowardElizabeth Jane HowardElizabeth Jane Howard, CBE is an English novelist. She was previously an actress and a model.In 1951 she won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for her first novel, The Beautiful Visit...
(author) - Louis de BernieresLouis de BernièresLouis de Bernières is a British novelist most famous for his fourth novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a promotion in Granta magazine...
(author)
Jaik Mickleburgh, Essex County Cricketer
Sean (Moley) Payne, Manchester United Supporter of the Millenium