Acton, Suffolk

Acton

All Saints church, Acton
Acton
 Acton shown within Suffolk
Population 1,811 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceTL893449
DistrictBabergh
Shire countySuffolk
RegionEast
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town SUDBURY
Postcode district CO10
Dialling code 01787
Police Suffolk
Fire Suffolk
Ambulance East of England
EU Parliament East of England
UK ParliamentSouth Suffolk
List of places
UK
England
Suffolk

Coordinates: 52°04′15″N 0°45′40″E / 52.07071°N 0.76102°E / 52.07071; 0.76102

Acton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. The parish also includes the hamlets of Cuckoo Tye and Newman's Green.

Etymology

According to Eilert Ekwall the meaning of the name is Village by the Oaks.

History

The Domesday Book records the population of Acton in 1086 to be 83. All Saints is the local church. There are five bells that hang in the church with the heaviest weighing 8-1-4 cwt [2]

Newman's Green

Newman's Green is a hamlet in the parish of Acton, in the Babergh District, in the county of Suffolk. Nearby settlements include the town of Sudbury and the villages of Acton, Great Waldingfield, Long Melford and the hamlet of Cuckoo Tye.[3]

Industry

Between 2001 and 2002 the Reliant Robin was produced in the village's industrial estate.

Notable former residents

William Jennens was known as "William the Miser" and the "Acton Miser." Jennens made his money loaning money to gamblers and was Britain's richest man at the time of his death in 1798, but aged 97 he had outlived the nominated executors and beneficiaries under his will. According to the BBC QI series, Jennens vs Jennens commenced in 1798 and was abandoned in 1915 (117 years later) when the legal fees had exhausted the Jennens estate of funds (worth c. £2 million).[4][5] The case of Jennens v Jennens formed part of the inspiration for the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case at the centre of the plot of Bleak House by Charles Dickens.[6]

Another Acton resident, Catherine Foster, was believed to be the last woman to be hanged at Bury St Edmunds, in 1847. At the age of 17 she poisoned her husband by putting arsenic in his dumplings. The propriety of this case was discussed in the House of Lords and reported in Hansard.[7]

Population change

Population growth in Acton from 1801 to 1891
Year 1801 1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1881 1891
Population 461 470 555 565 555 539 579 619
Source: A Vision of Britain Through Time[8]
Population growth in Acton from 1901 to 2011
Year 1901 1911 1921 1931 1951 1961 2001 2011
Population 593 541 447 496 673 603 1,800 1,811
Source: A Vision of Britain Through Time[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  2. ↑ Dove's Guide, Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  3. ↑ pagemost.com
  4. ↑ BBC QI 8 Dec 2012, Series J, Episode 12 - Justice
  5. ↑ The Guidott / Guidotti family, Acton Place, Summary of William Jennens
  6. ↑ "All Saints, Acton". www.suffolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  7. ↑ HANSARD 1803–2005, 1840s, 1847, April 1847, 23 April 1847, Lords Sitting. THE EXECUTION OF CATHERINE FOSTER. (HL Deb 23 April 1847 vol 91 cc1240-1)
  8. 1 2 "A Vision of Britain Through Time". University of Portsmouth & others. Retrieved 2011-02-22.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 2/21/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.