Polstead

Polstead
Church of St Mary, Polstead
Polstead Polstead shown within Suffolk
Population	851 (2011)^[1]
OS grid reference	TL991374
Civil parish	Polstead
District	Babergh
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	COLCHESTER
Postcode district	CO6
Dialling code	01206
Police	Suffolk
Fire	Suffolk
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	South Suffolk
List of places UK England Suffolk

Coordinates: 52°00′25″N 0°54′07″E / 52.007°N 0.902°E / 52.007; 0.902

Memorial to Maria Marten

Polstead is a small village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England. The village lies 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Nayland, 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Hadleigh and 9 miles (14 km) north of Colchester. It is situated on a small tributary stream of the River Stour.

History

The name Polstead is derived from "Place by a pool"^[2] There are still two large ponds in the village.

The village is noted for being the site of the Red Barn Murder in 1827. The victim Maria Marten, once found, was re-buried in the churchyard of St Mary's Church, but her gravestone was eventually chipped away to nothing by souvenir hunters. Only a sign on the shed wall now marks the approximate place where it stood,^[3] although her name is given to Marten's Lane which adjoins Water Lane and Mill Street.

The church, situated at the bottom of Polstead Hill, close to Polstead Pond, dates from the 12th century and contains some of what may be the earliest bricks made in England. The tower, which is 14th century, is the only one in Suffolk which still has its original spire. The tower at one time contained six bells. The interior of the church contains two brasses, one of which is of a priest and bears a date of 1460.^[4]^[5]

Next to the churchyard is Polstead Hall, rebuilt in the Georgian style in about 1819. In the grounds of the hall are the remains of the "Gospel Oak", which collapsed in 1953, but which was said to have been more than 1,000 years old. A small oak tree now grows next to the place it once stood.^[3]

Features

The main village is situated around Polstead Green and the Hill, although Polstead also comprises several hamlets including Polstead Heath, Hadleigh Heath, Bower House Tye, Bell's Corner, Mill Street and White Street Green.

The village has one remaining pub, the 17th century Cock Inn, a community shop and post office and a playing field. The playing field, known locally as the pitch, hosts an annual music festival around the summer solstice called "Polstice", with local punk, folk and rock bands playing. In the 19th century a fair, lasting for two days, was held on Polstead Green on the Wednesday following 16 July.^[4]

Polstead is famous for its cherries and lends its name to a variety, the Polstead Black.^[3] In recent years more Polstead Black cherry trees have been planted in and around the village, as these trees had declined in numbers.^[6]

The Cock Inn, scene of the inquest after the 1827 Red Barn Murder

Notable resident

The cricketer and academic R. P. Keigwin lived in the village and died there in 1972.

References

↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 12 September 2015.
↑ Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, OUP, Fourth Edition (1960)
1 2 3 "Polstead" at beautifulengland.net
1 2 Polstead at genuki
↑ Nikolaus Pevsner (1961), Buildings_of_England: Suffolk, Penguin, Polstead. Pevsner says the spire is later than its tower.
↑

External links

Media related to Polstead at Wikimedia Commons

Babergh

Towns	Sudbury Hadleigh

Civil parishes	Acton Aldham Alpheton Arwarton Assington Belstead Bentley Bildeston Boxford Boxted Brantham Brent Eleigh Brettenham Bures St Mary Burstall Capel St Mary Chattisham Chelmondiston Chelsworth Chilton Cockfield Copdock and Washbrook East Bergholt Edwardstone Elmsett Freston Glemsford Great Cornard Great Waldingfield Groton Hadleigh (town) Harkstead Hartest Higham Hintlesham Hitcham Holbrook Holton St Mary Kersey Kettlebaston Lavenham Lawshall Layham Leavenheath Lindsey Little Cornard Little Waldingfield Long Melford Milden Monks Eleigh Nayland with Wissington Nedging with Naughton Newton Pinewood Polstead Preston St Mary Raydon Semer Shelley Shimpling Shotley Somerton Sproughton Stanstead Stoke by Nayland Stratford St Mary Stutton Sudbury (town) Tattingstone Thorpe Morieux Wattisham Wenham Magna Wenham Parva Whatfield Wherstead Woolverstone

Other settlements	Ash Street Audley End Bower House Tye Bridge Street Broad Street Burstallhill Bury Road, Lawshall Calais Street Castling's Heath Chelsworth Common Cock Street Cornard Tye Cuckoo Tye Drakestone Green East End Fenstead End Gipsy Row Gosling Green Hadleigh Heath Hanningfield Green Harrow Green Hart's Green Hibb's Green Honey Tye Horner's Green Humble Green Kersey Tye Kersey Upland Lambs Lane, Lawshall Lawshall Green Lindsey Tye Lower Holbrook Lower Raydon Mill Green Naughton Nayland Nedging Nedging Tye Newman's Green Parliament Heath Polstead Heath Priory Green Rooksey Green Rose Green, Lindsey Round Maple Sackers Green Scotland Street Smithwood Green Swingleton Green Sherbourne Street Shop Corner Stackyard Green Stone Street Tattingstone White Horse The Street, Lawshall Thorington Street Upper Somerton Washmere Green Whelp Street Whitestreet Green Wicker Street Green William's Green Wissington Washbrook Washbrook Street White Street Green Withermarsh Green Workhouse Green

Buildings	Abbas Hall All Saints Church Lawshall Coldham Cottage Flatford Mill Kentwell Hall Lawshall Hall Melford Hall Milden Castle St James's Chapel Wattisham Strict Baptist Chapel Willy Lott's Cottage Woolverstone Hall

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