Cavendish, Suffolk

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Cavendish
Cavendish High Street, seen from the green
Cavendish shown within Suffolk
OS grid reference	TL805464
District	St Edmundsbury
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SUDBURY
Postcode district	CO10
Dialling code	01787
Police	Suffolk
Fire	Suffolk
Ambulance	East of England
European Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	South Suffolk
List of places: UK • England • Suffolk

Coordinates: 52°05′12″N 0°37′59″E / 52.08664, 0.63313

Cavendish is a village and civil parish in the Stour Valley in Suffolk, England. It is 18 km from Bury St Edmunds and 23 km from Newmarket.

The Pink Cottages and St. Mary's Church, from the village green

An old view of Cavendish green

It is believed that Cavendish is called so because a man called Cafa used to own a pasture or 'edisc' there, and it therefore became known as Cafa's Edisc and eventually Cavendish.^{[citation needed]} It was home to Sir John Cavendish, the ancestor of the Dukes of Devonshire who was involved in the Peasants' Revolt. In 1381 his son had put to death Wat Tyler, the peasants' leader. As a result, John Cavendish tried to flee from the pursuing peasants, and he hung on to the handle of the door of St Mary's Church, Cavendish, to plead sanctuary.^[1] His plea was in vain, and he was taken to Bury St Edmunds and beheaded by a mob headed by Jack Straw.^{[citation needed]} He is buried in Bury St Edmunds. St. Mary's Church had a bequest from Sir John, and its chancel was restored.^{[citation needed]}

The village has a United Reformed Church, where Catholic services are also held, and three pubs - the Five Bells, the George and the Bull. Leonard Cheshire and his wife Sue Ryder are buried in Cavendish, and the village's Sue Ryder Foundation Museum contains exhibits from World War II, including some from Nazi extermination camps.^[1]