Saxmundham

Saxmundham
St.John the Baptist Church, Saxmundham
Saxmundham Saxmundham shown within Suffolk
Population	3,644 (2011 Census)^[1]
OS grid reference	TM381632
District	Suffolk Coastal
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SAXMUNDHAM
Postcode district	IP17
Dialling code	01728
Police	Suffolk
Fire	Suffolk
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Suffolk Coastal
List of places UK England Suffolk

Coordinates: 52°12′54″N 1°29′13″E / 52.215°N 1.487°E / 52.215; 1.487

Saxmundham (/ˈsæksməndəm/) is a small market town in Suffolk, England. It is set in the valley of the River Fromus, a tributary of the River Alde, approximately 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Ipswich and 5 miles (8.0 km) west of the coast at Sizewell. The town is bypassed by the A12 and is served by Saxmundham railway station on the East Suffolk Line.

Governance

An electoral ward in the same name exists. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 4,913.^[2]

Origin

The town's name allegedly derives from the Saxon "Seizmond's Home". The earliest recorded mention of Saxmundham is in the Domesday Book of 1086 which mentions three churches. It has had a market charter since at least 1272 AD and carries on the tradition to this day.

Notable residents

Ray Allen, NBA All-Star spent some of his childhood in Saxmundham^[3]
Henry Bright, painter
Jerome Bright (1770–1846), clockmaker
Herbert Heyner, baritone, died there
Sam Miller, television director
Richard Shaw, best-selling author
Thomas Stopher (b. 1825), master craftsman in wood
Thomas Thurlow (1813–1899), sculptor
Hamlet Watling, painter and schoolmaster

In fiction

Brother Eadulf has become Saxmundham's most famous international fictional character. He appears in the best-selling Sister Fidelma mysteries written by Peter Tremayne (nom de plume of the Celtic scholar and author Peter Beresford Ellis). Brother Eadulf is companion and assistant to Sister Fidelma and often plays a crucial part in resolving the mystery. He is introduced as originally the hereditary gerefa (magistrate) of "Seaxmund's Ham in the land of the South Folk." He attends the famous Synod of Whitby in 664 AD and joins Sister Fidelma in solving a murder of one of the delegates (Absolution by Murder, 1994). He has since appeared in most of the novels and some of the short stories although the Saxmundham area has been used as a setting in only one of the novels; The Haunted Abbot (2002). Tremayne chose Saxmundham as Eadulf's place of origin because of local connections, the nearness of the town to an ancient royal burial site of the East Angles as well as the East Anglian historic connections with Irish Christian missionaries. He has appeared in all but two of the Sister Fidelma series of mystery novels, set in 7th century Ireland.

References

↑ "Town population 2011". Retrieved 17 September 2015.
↑ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 17 September 2015.
↑ http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Allen/Allen_bio.html

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Saxmundham.

Ceremonial county of Suffolk

Boroughs or districts	Babergh Forest Heath Ipswich Mid Suffolk St Edmundsbury Suffolk Coastal Waveney

Major settlements	Aldeburgh Beccles Brandon Bungay Bury St Edmunds Carlton Colville Clare Eye Felixstowe Framlingham Hadleigh Halesworth Haverhill Kesgrave Leiston Lowestoft Mildenhall Needham Market Newmarket Orford Saxmundham Southwold Stowmarket Sudbury Woodbridge See also: List of civil parishes in Suffolk

Topics	Parliamentary constituencies Places Places of interest Population of major settlements SSSIs Country houses Grade I listed buildings Grade II* listed buildings History Lord Lieutenants High Sheriffs Schools Museums Windmills

Suffolk Coastal

Towns	Aldeburgh Felixstowe Leiston Orford Saxmundham Woodbridge

Civil parishes	Alderton Aldringham cum Thorpe Badingham Bawdsey Benhall Blaxhall Blythburgh Boulge Boyton Bramfield Brandeston Bredfield Brightwell Bromeswell Bruisyard Bucklesham Burgh Butley Campsea Ashe Capel St Andrew Charsfield Chediston Chillesford Clopton Cookley Cransford Cratfield Cretingham Culpho Dallinghoo Darsham Debach Dennington Dunwich Earl Soham Easton Eyke Falkenham Farnham Foxhall Framlingham Friston Gedgrave Great Bealings Great Glemham Grundisburgh Hacheston Hasketon Hemley Heveningham Hollesley Hoo Huntingfield Iken Kelsale cum Carlton Kesgrave Kettleburgh Kirton Knodishall Letheringham Levington Linstead Magna Linstead Parva Little Bealings Little Glemham Marlesford Martlesham Melton Middleton Monewden Nacton Newbourne Otley Parham Peasenhall Pettistree Playford Purdis Farm Ramsholt Rendham Rendlesham Rushmere St Andrew Saxtead Shottisham Sibton Snape Sternfield Stratford St Andrew Stratton Hall Sudbourne Sutton Sweffling Swilland Theberton Thorington Trimley St Martin Trimley St Mary Tuddenham St Martin Tunstall Ubbeston Ufford Walberswick Waldringfield Walpole Wantisden Wenhaston with Mells Hamlet Westerfield Westleton Wickham Market Witnesham Yoxford

Other settlements	Aldringham Sizewell Thorpeness Walton

See also: Listed buildings Local elections

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