Hadleigh
Encyclopedia
Hadleigh is an ancient market town
in Suffolk
, East Anglia
, England. Guthrum
, King of the Danes, is said to be buried in the grounds of St. Mary Church in the town. He was defeated by King Alfred
in the 9th century.
Hadleigh was one of the East Anglian towns that derived its prosperity from its wool
and cloth industries. It has a 15th century timber-framed Guildhall and many fine examples of timber and brick listed buildings, some with highly detailed 17th century plasterwork or "pargeting
". Most of these buildings can be found in the High Street, Benton Street, and the immediate area of these streets. The deanery, which is next to the church, is a highly distinctive brick building. The Oxford Movement
was said to have been founded in 1833 following a meeting in the deanery. Like its near-neighbour, East Bergholt
, Hadleigh was also known during the 16th century for its Protestant radicalism, Rowland Taylor
, a noted preacher from the town (and his curate, Richard Yeoman), was martyred during the reign of Queen Mary I
. The town to this day supports a United Reformed Church
, a Baptist
chapel and a Salvation Army
congregation, as well as the Church of England
church and a Roman Catholic church.
The Hadleigh Show, first held in 1840 and also known as 'the May Show', is one of the oldest and most popular agricultural shows in East Anglia
.
The town's bowls
and cricket
clubs are among the oldest in Suffolk.
The noted 20th century painter and plantsman Cedric Morris
moved to Hadleigh in the 1930s, establishing the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing
at Benton End, a rambling farmhouse on the edge of the town.
The town is the location for the headquarters of Babergh
District Council.
In April 2011 the historic clock bell at the parish church of St Mary The Virgin Church, was silenced by a pair of nesting jackdaws
.
was filmed in part in Hadleigh for its first two series.
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 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...
, 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...
, England. Guthrum
Guthrum
The name Guthrum corresponds to Norwegian Guttom and to Danish Gorm.The name Guthrum may refer to these kings:* Guthrum, who fought against Alfred the Great* Gorm the Old of Denmark and Norway* Guthrum II, a king of doubtful historicity...
, King of the Danes, is said to be buried in the grounds of St. Mary Church in the town. He was defeated by King Alfred
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
in the 9th century.
Hadleigh was one of the East Anglian towns that derived its prosperity from its wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and cloth industries. It has a 15th century timber-framed Guildhall and many fine examples of timber and brick listed buildings, some with highly detailed 17th century plasterwork or "pargeting
Pargeting
Pargeting is a decorative plastering applied to building walls.Pargeting derives from the word 'parget', a Middle English term that is probably derived from the Old French 'pargeter' / 'parjeter', to throw about, or 'porgeter', to roughcast a wall...
". Most of these buildings can be found in the High Street, Benton Street, and the immediate area of these streets. The deanery, which is next to the church, is a highly distinctive brick building. The Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
was said to have been founded in 1833 following a meeting in the deanery. Like its near-neighbour, East Bergholt
East Bergholt
East Bergholt is a village in the south of Suffolk, England, just north of the Essex border. It is "twinned" with the village of Barbizon, France....
, Hadleigh was also known during the 16th century for its Protestant radicalism, Rowland Taylor
Rowland Taylor
Rowland Taylor was an English Protestant martyr during the Marian Persecutions....
, a noted preacher from the town (and his curate, Richard Yeoman), was martyred during the reign of Queen Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
. The town to this day supports a United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
, a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
chapel and a Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
congregation, as well as the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church and a Roman Catholic church.
The Hadleigh Show, first held in 1840 and also known as 'the May Show', is one of the oldest and most popular agricultural shows in 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...
.
The town's bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
clubs are among the oldest in Suffolk.
The noted 20th century painter and plantsman Cedric Morris
Cedric Morris
Sir Cedric Lockwood Morris, 9th Baronet was a British artist, art teacher and plantsman. He was born in Swansea but worked mainly in East Anglia...
moved to Hadleigh in the 1930s, establishing the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing
East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing
The East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing was an art learning environment established by Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines in East Anglia in 1937. It was run on very idiosyncratic lines based upon the "free rein" approach that was then current in French academies...
at Benton End, a rambling farmhouse on the edge of the town.
The town is the location for the headquarters 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...
District Council.
In April 2011 the historic clock bell at the parish church of St Mary The Virgin Church, was silenced by a pair of nesting jackdaws
Jackdaw
The Jackdaw , sometimes known as the Eurasian Jackdaw, European Jackdaw or Western Jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa, it is mostly sedentary, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in winter. Four subspecies are...
.
Notable people
- Patrick NewellPatrick NewellPatrick David Newell was a British actor known for his large size. It is reputed he gained weight as a deliberate attempt to boost his career, marking him out for some niche roles...
, the British actor who played spy-master "Mother" in the TV series The AvengersThe Avengers (TV series)The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
, was born in Hadleigh. - The town is the home of the noted English poet Pauline StainerPauline StainerPauline Stainer is an acclaimed English poet. She was born in the industrial district of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. She later left the city to attend St Anne's College, Oxford, where she took a degree in English...
. - British extreme metal band Cradle of FilthCradle of FilthCradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
were formed in Hadleigh. - The artist Maggi HamblingMaggi HamblingMaggi 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...
was raised in Hadleigh. - The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's architecture critic, journalist Jonathan GlanceyJonathan GlanceyJonathan Glancey is an architectural critic and writer who is the architecture and design editor at The Guardian, a position he has held since 1997. He previously held the same post at The Independent. He also has been involved with the architecture magazines Building Design, Architectural Review,...
lives in Hadleigh. - Caryn FranklinCaryn FranklinCaryn Franklin is a British fashion expert. She was former Fashion Editor and Co-Editor of i-D Magazine in the '80s and has been a fashion commentator for 29 years....
, the fashion designer, also lives in Hadleigh.
TV
The BBC TV series LovejoyLovejoy
Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant...
was filmed in part in Hadleigh for its first two series.