Introduction
Sudbury is a pleasant market town situated on the River Stour in South Suffolk on the borders with Essex. There is easy access to London from its train station.
It is famous for being the birthplace, in 1727, of Thomas Gainsborough the artist with a museum and statue dedicated to him. Many years ago silk was the main industry and is still produced here today.
In 1381 Simon Theobald, Lord Chancellor of England was beheaded during the Peasants' Revolt and his head placed upon a spike in London. His mummified head was returned to his home town and now rests in the vestry of St Gregory Church. Next to the church there is a statue of Bishop Aelfhun, Bishop of Dunwich who, according to the Saxon Chronicle, died whilst visiting the town in AD 798.
The water meadow, with cows grazing in the summer months, is another feature of Sudbury. The surrounding area encompasses some of the most pretty and famous villages in Suffolk.
Long Melford, Lavenham and Kersey are all within 10 miles whilst the famous Constable Country lies some 15 miles to the east.
Our Group
The Sudbury & District Group, founded in 1995, meets at :
Long Melford Village Hall
Hall Street (opposite the Bull Hotel)
CO10 9JQ
Plenty of parking is available and there is disabled access.
The meeting starts at 2.30 pm usually on the last Tuesday of each month.
Entry is £2.50 for SFHS members and £3.00 for non-members.
You will be warmly welcomed by a member of our committee and, following an interesting talk, tea and coffee are served.
We are a lively group who enjoy a good laugh as well as a chance to discuss Family History interests. If you need help please feel free to ask. We usually have a newsletter but due to Covid will currently not have one available at the meeting.
We have a very active Monumental Inscription project group who meet to record the local headstones once a fortnight, when weather permits. If you would like to help with this project please contact us.
Contact
Sheila by Email: sudbury@suffolkfhs.org.uk
Last Modified on 12/08/2021 by H C Richardson
News
Research Day
Posted by H C Richardson on Mon, 2nd Oct 2023
We are holding a Research Day in Sudbury Library on Sunday 22nd October 11.00 - 3.00.
If you need help starting your family tree search or are stuck and could do with a bit of advise please come and talk to us.
Sudbury Museum Trust - Huguenots
Posted by H C Richardson on Sat, 12th Mar 2022
Sudbury Museum Trust is researching the Huguenots who came to England as refugees in the 17th century and ultimately moved from Spitalfields to Sudbury and Long melford where they had a profound effect on our indigenous weaving industry.
If anyone has Huguenots in their family trees we would very much like to hear from them for a project for the Sudbury Heritage Centre to commemorate the influence these skilled French weavers had on the local industry. Your cooperation would be very much appreciated.
The project is being led by our secretary David Burnett who can be reached at:
david.burnett4@icloud.com or 01787 371880
Kindest regards
Val Herbert
Trustee SMT
Do You Need Help?
Posted by H C Richardson on Sat, 24th Oct 2015
If you need help with your Family History research please talk to any of the committee members.
We don’t always have access to our research material which we store at the Village Hall but if you would like to look at anything in particular let us know and we will try and get it out or have it ready for the next meeting.
Events
| Date | Details | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 31/10/2023 | Talk of the Town (An armchair 'stroll' of the streets of Bury St Edmunds, mixing fact, legend and entertainment) | John Saunders |
| 28/11/2023 | Cobbold and Kin (Life Stories from an East Anglian Family) | Katherine Dunstan |
| 26/12/2023 | December - No meeting | |
| 30/01/2024 | Life & Death in a Victorian Gaol | Mike Wabe |
| 27/02/2024 | Girls That Could Swing an Axe - The Women's Timber Corps | Nicky Reynolds |
| 26/03/2024 | Harvest Time & Horsemen's Memories - Rural Life in 1900 | Ashley Cooper |
| 30/04/2024 | Through the Baize Green Door - A Butler's Story | Brian Thurlow |
| 28/05/2024 | AGM - Followed by - Early Motoring in Suffolk | Chris Turland |
| 25/06/2024 | QUIZ - General Questions - Teams of 6 - Refreshments - Raffle - ALL WELCOME | |
| 30/07/2024 | Voices from the Workhouse | Janette Robinson |
| 27/08/2024 | August - No meeting | |
| 24/09/2024 | Witchcraft in Suffolk | Alison Rowlands |
| 29/10/2024 | A Millenium of Mills and Milling on the Stour | Robin Drury |
| 26/11/2024 | Great War Huts - An Accidental First World War Heritage Project | Taff Gillingham |
| 31/12/2024 | December - No Meeting |
Contact
For further details on the programme you should contact
Sheila by Email: sudbury@suffolkfhs.org.uk
Group Contact
Sheila by Email: sudbury@suffolkfhs.org.uk
