Acton is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
in the English county of
Suffolk. The parish also includes the hamlets of
Cuckoo Tye and Newman's Green.
Etymology
According to
Eilert Ekwall the meaning of the name is "''Village by the Oaks''".
History
The
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...
records the population of Acton in 1086 to be 83 households along with 50 acres for farming, wood for 40 pigs, 1 mill, 11 horses at hall, 31 cattle, 160 pigs, 423 sheep, and 7 beehives. The land was held by
Ranulf Peverel, before the
Norman Conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...
, the village was held by
Siward Barn.
All Saints is the local church. Five bells are hung in the tower for
change ringing with the heaviest weighing 8
cwt-1qr-4lb (928 lb), and the oldest dating from 1659 cast by
Miles Graye III, the tower is affiliated to the
Suffolk Guild of Ringers.
[Dove's Guide](_blank)
Retrieved 2012-03-21.
Historical writings
In 1870–72,
John Marius Wilson
John Marius Wilson (c. 1805–1885) was a British writer and an editor, most notable for his gazetteer
A gazetteer is a geographical index or directory used in conjunction with a map or atlas.Aurousseau, 61. It typically contains informati ...
's
Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described the village as:
In 1887,
John Bartholomew also wrote an entry on Acton in the Gazetteer of the British Isles with a much shorter description:
Industry
Between 2001 and 2002 the
Reliant Robin
The Reliant Robin is a small three-wheeled car produced by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. It was offered in several versions (Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3) over a period of 30 years. It is the second-most popular fibreglass car in history ...
was produced in the village's industrial estate.
Governance
Acton is part of the Suffolk County Council electoral division of Sudbury East and Waldingfield, and is represented by Philip Faircloth-Mutton (Conservative).
It is also part of the Babergh District Council
electoral ward called Long Melford, and is represented by Councillors Elisabeth Malvisi (Independent) and John Nunn (Independent).
Notable former residents
William Jennens
William Jennens (possibly Jennings) (1701–1798), also known as William the Miser, William the Rich, and The Miser of Acton, was a reclusive financier who lived at Acton Place in the village of Acton, Suffolk, England. He was described as the ...
was known as "William the Miser" and the "Acton Miser". Jennens made his money through business in London and loaning money to gamblers, and was Britain's richest man at the time of his death in 1798, but aged 97 he had outlived the nominated executors and beneficiaries under his will. According to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
series, ''Jennens vs Jennens'' commenced in 1798 and was abandoned in 1915 (117 years later) when the legal fees had exhausted the Jennens estate of funds (worth c. £2 million). The case of ''Jennens v Jennens'' formed part of the inspiration for the ''
.
, in 1847. At the age of 17 she
s. The propriety of this case was discussed in the
.