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BURY ST. EDMUNDS. 



BURY ST. EDMUNDS. 



202 



several smaller ones, and manufactories of hats and other articles. 

 The market-day according to the charter is Thursday, but Saturday 

 has been adopted in practice. The market is well attended. Three 

 or four fairs are held in the course of the year. A branch of the 

 Manchester, Bolton, and Bury Canal accommodates Bury. The East 

 Lancashire railway and the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway both 

 pass through Bury. 



BURY ST. EDMUNDS, the chief town of West Suffolk, a 

 borough and market-town hi the hundred of Thingoe, stands on the 

 banks of the river Larke, in 52 16' N. lat, 43' E. long. ; distant 

 26 miles N.W. by W. from Ipswich, 71 miles N.E. by N. from 

 London by road, ami 94 J miles by the Eastern Counties and Eastern 

 Union railways. The parishes of St. James and St. Mary, which 

 compose the borough, are also united for poor-law pm-poses under 

 a board of guardian*, but are not under the operation of the Poor- 

 Law -Amendment Act. The town is governed by 6 aldermen, 

 one of whom w mayor, and 18 councillors; an 1 returns two 

 members to the Imperial Parliament. The population of the 

 municipal and the parliamentary borough, which are coextensive, waa 

 13,900 in 1851. The livings are perpetual curacies in the arch- 

 deaconry of Sudbury and diocesj of Ely. 



The origin of Bury St. Edmunds, o"r St. Edmunds Bury, as it is 

 called by old writers, has been a subject of much discussion. Some 

 suppose it to be the Villa Faustina of the ' Itinerary of Antoninus.' 

 Numerous Roman antiquities have been dug up in the neighbour- 

 hood. At the time of the dissolution of the Heptarchy the manor 

 belonged to Beodric, and was hence called Beodric's-worthc, or 

 Beoderici-corti?, the 'villa or mansion of Beodric.' Beodric bequeathed 

 it to Edmund the King and Martyr, after whom it was called 

 St. Edmund* Bury -bury, like burh, burg, burgh, Ac., being the 

 Saxon word for a castle or strong town. Edmund, having succeeded 

 to the throne of East Anglin, was crowned at Bury oa Christmas- 

 day, 856. In 870 he was taken prisoner and put to death by the 

 Danes. Soon after the death and canoni'.itiou of King Edmund, six 

 priests devoted themselves to a monastic life under the patronage 

 of the royal saint, and founded a monastery, which, in after ages, 

 by it* magnificence and splendour, and it* valuable immunities and 

 privileges, surpassed every other ecclesiastical establishment in Great 

 Britain, Olastonbury alone excepted. In 1020 Ailwin ejected all the 

 secular clergy from Bury, and established twelve Benedictine monks 

 from the monastery of Hulme in the abbey, exempted them from all 

 episcopal authority, and laid the foundation of a church, which was 

 consecrated in 1032. The first three churches were built of wood, 

 but in the year 1065 another was erected of hewn stone, under the 

 auspices of Abbot Baldwyn. It took twelve years building, and was 

 embellished with numerous ornaments brought from Caen in 

 Normandy. It was 505 feet in length ; the transepts were 212 feet, 

 and the western front was 240 feet in breadth ; altogether it contained 

 12 chapels. Portions of the ruins of the western front still remain. 

 The circular rubble wall of the southern tower which seems to bid 

 defiance to time and weather, is now used as a shop ; and the three 

 arches, which once formed the entrance to the three aisles of the 

 church, have been filled up with modern brickwork, and now form 

 convenient dwelling houses. 



There appear to have been four grand gates to the abbey, and its 

 lofty embattled walls inclosed within their vast circumference the 

 body of the monastery, the abbot's palace, garden, &c., chapter- 

 house, towers, cloisters, infirmaries, the magnificent monasterial 

 church, an extensive churchyard, three smaller churches, and several 

 chapels. The abbey contained 80 monks, 16 chaplains, and 111 

 servants. The abbot, who was a spiritual parliamentary baron, 

 held a synod in his own chapter-house, and appointed the parochial 

 clergy of the place. He inflicted capital punishment, and had the 

 power to try by his steward all causes within the liberty of Bury. 

 Beyond the circuit of the abbey-walls were several hospitals and 

 chapels under the patronage and protection of the monks. Edward 

 the Confessor granted to the abbot the liberty of coining; and 

 Edward I. and Edward II. both had mints here. It was at Bury 

 that John was first met by- the refractory barons, before he was 

 compelled to sign Mngna Charta. In 1272 Henry III. held a parlia- 

 ment here. A parliament was also held at Bury by Edward I. in 

 1296, when all the goods and chattels and all the revenues of the 

 monastery were forfeited to the king, upon the monks refusing to 

 pay a subsidy that was demanded from them ; but on their after- 

 wards complying, their goods were restored. In 1446 another 

 parliament was convened at Bury. Henry VII. and Elizabeth both 

 visited Bury, and were entertained with considerable pomp and 

 magnificence. This celebrated monastery was 519 years in the 

 possession of the Benedictine monks, and during that time had 33 

 abbots. At the dissolution of monasteries it was valued by the 

 commissioners at 23tt'il. Hit., but that must have been considerably 

 under its real value, for the commissioners, in their report, say, " We 

 have taken in tho syd monastery in golde and sylver 5000 marks, 

 besydes as well a rich cross with emerelds as also dyvers stones 

 of great value, and yet we have left the church, abbot, and con- 

 vent, very well furnished with plate of sylver necessary for the 

 same." Al' "iily rclin of the magnificence of this monastic 



establishment is the western, n-r.v rUlo-l the abbey, gate. It wai 



erected in 1327, after the old gate was pulled down by the mob. 

 It is a specimen of the decorated style of gothie architecture. It 

 has been roofed over by Lord Bristol, whose property it now is, and 

 is generally in a state of good preservation. Its height is 62 feet, 

 its length 50 feet, and breadth 41 feet. The ' terrepleiue ' of the 

 wall forms a terrace all round, and over each angle there formerly 

 was a tower. The eastern side of this gate, although not so splendid 

 as the west side, is the more elegant. The internal walls are beau- 

 tifully decorated, and amongst other carved work are the arms of 

 King Edward the Confessor. In digging up an old foundation there 

 were found, with various other antiquities, four antique heads, cut 

 out of blocks of freestone of gigantic dimensions, and probably 

 representing some heathen deities. 



Fragments of the ruins of various religious and charitable 

 institutions connected with the abbey aro still visible. The follow- 

 ing are mentioned hi Dugdale's ' Monasticon :' The Hospital of 

 St. John or Ood's-house without the south gate, probably the chapel, 

 or as it is sometimes called the Hospital of St. Petronilla, was con- 

 nected with this house; St. Nicholas' Hospital without the east 

 f;ate, now a farm-house ; St. Peter's Hospital and Chapel, founded by 

 Abbot Anselm in the time of Heury I., now belonging to the trustees 

 of the Free Grammar school ; St. Saviour's Hospital, founded by 

 Abbot Sampson in the reign of King John ; St. Stephen's Hospital, 

 Jesus College and Guild, erected by King Edward VI. in 1481, now 

 occupied as a workhouse ; and the convent of Gray Friars at Babwell 

 or North Gate, established in 1256. 



The Norman Tower, or Church Gate, was the grand portal into the 

 churchyard opposite to the western entrance of the abbey church. 

 At the dissolution it was converted into a belfry for St. James's 

 church, " and to this circumstance," says Mr. Yatea, " most probably 

 the antiquarian is indebted for the gratification of now surveying this 

 venerable relic of ancient piety and taste." It is considered one of 

 the finest specimens of its. class in existence of Norman architecture. 

 It is a quadrangular building 80 feet high, and is remarkable for its 

 strength and simplicity. The date of its erection is unknown. The 

 stone of which it is built abounds with small shells. The interior of 

 the arch presents some grotesque figures. The tower has been 

 thoroughly restored of late years under the direction of Mr. Cotting- 

 hain. The structure h is been strengthened by three parallel series 

 of iron braces, and the ashlar-work has been repaired and reset. 



St. Mary's church, erected about 1430, is 130 feet long (exclusive 

 of th; chancel) and 67 J feet wide. The chancel is 74 fuel by 68 feet. 

 There are three aisles, which are divided by two rows of elegant 

 columns. The height of the middle aisle is 60 feet. The roof, which 

 is elaborately and beautifully carved, is supposed to have been 

 brought from Caen in Normandy. On the north side of the com- 

 munion-table is a marble slab erected to the memory of Mary Tudor, 

 third daughter of King Henry VII. of England, who first married 

 Louis XII. of France, and subsequently Charles Brandon, duke of 

 Suffolk. On each side of the chancel is a handsome altar-tomb : one 

 to Sir W. Carew, who died in 1501, and his wife who died in 1525 ; 

 and the other to Sir Robert Drury. The tower is of an earlier data 

 than the church itself. The edifice was thoroughly repaired and 

 restored a few years back under the direction of the late Mr. 

 Cottingham. 



St. James's church, like St. Mary's, is built of freestone, and is a 

 very handsome building. It was not completed till the Reformation, 

 when Edward VI. gave 2001. towards its completion. It is 137 feet 

 long by 69 feet broad, and contains some handsome monuments. 

 The churchyard is of considerable dimensions, and has a beautiful 

 avenue of lofty lime-trees. It contains the two churches (St. Mary's 

 and St. James's), the Saxon tower, abbey ruins, Clopton's hospital, the 

 shire-house, and the mausoleum ; the latter was formerly ' the Chapel 

 of the Charnel,' where it is said Lydgate the poet resided. Not many 

 years since it formed the residence and workshop of a blacksmith. St. 

 John's church, erected in 1841 at a cost of 6000A, has 850 sittings, 

 of which half are free. The Independents and Baptists have each 

 two chapels in Bury : there are also places of worship for Methodists, 

 Quakers, Unitarians, and Roman Catholics. The Free Grammar 

 school, founded by Edward VI., has an income from endowment of 

 upwards of 6001. a year ; it is under the care of a head master and 

 five other teachers : the number of scholars in 1852 was 80. The 

 school possesses 13 exhibitions for Oxford or Cambridge. Under a 

 decree of the Court of Chancery there have been recently established 

 out of the rents of the Guildhall Feoffment a Commercial school for 

 150 boys, who pay 6. a quarter; a Poor Hoys' school for 300 boys, 

 who pay 1 . a quarter; and a Poor Girls' school for 150 girls, who 

 pay Is. a quarter. There are in Bury National schools for boys and 

 girls, Infant schools, and a Female School of Industry. 



Bury is a borough by prescription, and its prescriptive rights were 

 first confirmed by James I. in the fourth year of his reign. A sessions 

 court is now held quarterly under the recorder ; the assizes are held 

 in Hury in March ; the summer assizes being held in Ipswich. A 

 county court is held in Bury. Bury first sent representatives to 

 Parliament in the 30th year of the reign of Edward I., but made no 

 subsequent return till the 4th of James I., since which time it has 

 continued to return two members. 



at part nf the town was burnt down in 1608, but vmt nnnrtly 



