Bures St. Mary

Bures St Mary
Chapel of St Stephen
Bures St Mary Bures St Mary shown within Suffolk
Population	918 (211)^[1]
OS grid reference	TL908340
District	Babergh
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BURES
Postcode district	CO8
Dialling code	01787
Police	Suffolk
Fire	Suffolk
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	South Suffolk
List of places UK England Suffolk

Coordinates: 51°58′18″N 0°46′38″E / 51.97177°N 0.77728°E / 51.97177; 0.77728

Bures St Mary is a civil parish in the Babergh district of the English county of Suffolk. In 2005 it had a population of 940, reducing to 918 at the 2011 Census.^[1] The parish covers the eastern part of the village of Bures, the western part being in the Bures Hamlet parish in Essex divided by the River Stour.

The village is sometimes known as Bures and is on the border between South Suffolk and North Essex, in the heart of Constable Country and in the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

History

On Christmas Day 855, Bishop Humbert of Elmham anointed a 14-year-old boy as King of the East Angles. The boy was Edmund, the chosen heir of King Offa, and his coronation was documented at `Burva`. The chronicler Galfridus de Fontibus also described the coronation as having taken place at "Bures", which is an ancient royal hill.

In the Domesday records, the village is referred to as "Bura" or "Bure", it's documented having a church with 18 acres (73,000 m²) of free land. The name "Bures" could be derived from either an Old English word "bur", meaning a cottage or bower, or from a Celtic word meaning a "boundary". If the village was not named until after the Norman Conquest, (circa 1066) it could have been called after a French village of the same name, of which there are at least eight: (Bures en Bray, Bures sur Dives, Bures Les Monts, Bures (orne), Bures (Yvelines), Bures Sur Yvette, Bures, Les Bures.

One of the oldest buildings is St Stephens Chapel which dates back to 1218 when it was dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It predates St Mary's Church in the village centre, by some 150 years. In 1659 the village was also known as "Bewers" before it gained its modern title of Bures.

During the Victorian era, Bures was an Industrial village with its own tannery, maltings, brickworks, abattoir, gas Works, electricity generator and many other small industries as well as at least 8 public houses.

Before the coming of the railway in 1849 the transportation of heavy goods manufactured in the village, such as bricks and malt were undertaken by barge (lighter) along the River Stour to Mistley. Following the growth of the railway river traffic fell into decline and stopped in the early 1900s. The rail line in its prime, connected Marks Tey to Sudbury and onward to Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds.

The centre of the village has many old historic buildings, including with around 75 listed buildings across the parish. Smallbridge Hall, once an Elizabethan Manor House, stands at the edge of the village on the bank of the River Stour.

Governance

An electoral ward of the same name exists. This ward stretches north to Newton with a total population of 1,699.^[2]

Geography

The population of Bures (2001 census) numbers around 1800, with 659 in Bures Hamlet and 728 in Bures St Mary. Bures can offer two Nature Reserves, Arger Fen a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the adjacent Spouses Vale owned by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

The village only currently supports three retailers and a Post Office.

References

1 2 "Civil Population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
↑ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 11 September 2015.

External links

Babergh

Towns	Sudbury Hadleigh

Civil parishes	Acton Aldham Alpheton Arwarton Assington Belstead Bentley Bildeston Boxford Boxted Brantham Brent Eleigh Brettenham Bures St Mary Burstall Capel St Mary Chattisham Chelmondiston Chelsworth Chilton Cockfield Copdock and Washbrook East Bergholt Edwardstone Elmsett Freston Glemsford Great Cornard Great Waldingfield Groton Hadleigh (town) Harkstead Hartest Higham Hintlesham Hitcham Holbrook Holton St Mary Kersey Kettlebaston Lavenham Lawshall Layham Leavenheath Lindsey Little Cornard Little Waldingfield Long Melford Milden Monks Eleigh Nayland with Wissington Nedging with Naughton Newton Pinewood Polstead Preston St Mary Raydon Semer Shelley Shimpling Shotley Somerton Sproughton Stanstead Stoke by Nayland Stratford St Mary Stutton Sudbury (town) Tattingstone Thorpe Morieux Wattisham Wenham Magna Wenham Parva Whatfield Wherstead Woolverstone

Other settlements	Ash Street Audley End Bower House Tye Bridge Street Broad Street Burstallhill Bury Road, Lawshall Calais Street Castling's Heath Chelsworth Common Cock Street Cornard Tye Cuckoo Tye Drakestone Green East End Fenstead End Gipsy Row Gosling Green Hadleigh Heath Hanningfield Green Harrow Green Hart's Green Hibb's Green Honey Tye Horner's Green Humble Green Kersey Tye Kersey Upland Lambs Lane, Lawshall Lawshall Green Lindsey Tye Lower Holbrook Lower Raydon Mill Green Naughton Nayland Nedging Nedging Tye Newman's Green Parliament Heath Polstead Heath Priory Green Rooksey Green Rose Green, Lindsey Round Maple Sackers Green Scotland Street Smithwood Green Swingleton Green Sherbourne Street Shop Corner Stackyard Green Stone Street Tattingstone White Horse The Street, Lawshall Thorington Street Upper Somerton Washmere Green Whelp Street Whitestreet Green Wicker Street Green William's Green Wissington Washbrook Washbrook Street White Street Green Withermarsh Green Workhouse Green

Buildings	Abbas Hall All Saints Church Lawshall Coldham Cottage Flatford Mill Kentwell Hall Lawshall Hall Melford Hall Milden Castle St James's Chapel Wattisham Strict Baptist Chapel Willy Lott's Cottage Woolverstone Hall

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