Hitcham, Suffolk

Hitcham is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Located on the B1115 between Hadleigh and Stowmarket, it is part of Babergh district. The parish contains the hamlets of Bird Street, Cook's Green and Cross Green. In 2001 the population was 596.

History

Proof of settlement as early as the Bronze Age has been discovered in the area, and there have been several discoveries of Roman artefacts in the village. In the Domesday Book the village was listed as Hecham.Turner, D. [http://www.hitchamsuffolk.org.uk/history.asp?Category=History A short history of Hitcham] ]

Until 1559 the Bishop of Ely served as the local Lord of the Manor. Despite being relatively prosperous in medieval times, by the 1840s the village was described as being "one of the most poverty stricken parishes in pauperised Suffolk". A recovery in agriculture industry in the 1850s improved the situation somewhat, but another downturn during the 1870s led to local labourers forming a union in a bid to increase their pay. Following the "Farm Lock-out" of 1874 and several disturbances, the labourers emerged victorious.

Today the parish contains Bloxhall Grove, Home Wood and Parker's Wood, all classified as Ancient Woodland, Home Wood also serving as a wildlife site. There are also numerous listed buildings.

Notable inhabitants

*John Stevens Henslow, mentor to Charles Darwin, who secured Darwin's passage on HMS Beagle, was Rector of Hitcham from 1839-1861 and founder of the parish school in 1841.
*William Burkitt, noted biblical expositor, was born in Hitcham in 1650.

References

External links

* [http://www.hitchamsuffolk.org.uk/ Village website]

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