Burgate is a small 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 authority ...

in the

Mid Suffolk Mid Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Needham Market until late 2017, and is currently sharing offices with the Suffolk County Council in Ipswich. The largest town of Mid Suffolk is Stowmarket. ...

district of

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, England, about south-west of Diss in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. The church, dedicated to St Mary and dating from the 14th century, was restored in 1864 and is a Grade II* listed building. The parish includes the villages of Little Green (south of Burgate) and Great Green (north). Burgate Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest

SSSI A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

. Its are particularly good example of the type of oak-hornbeam woodland characteristic of this part of north Suffolk. It is ancient, with a coppice-with-standards structure and continues to support entirely semi-natural stands. Many giant coppiced stools are present which indicate its great antiquity. The ground flora is diverse and includes several species that are indicators of ancient woodland, including one rarity. The ground flora contains much Dog's Mercury (''

Mercurialis perennis ''Mercurialis perennis'', commonly known as dog's mercury, is a poisonous woodland plant found in much of Europe as well as in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland.Primula vulgaris ''Primula vulgaris'', the common primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and parts of southwest Asia.''Flora Europaea'Primula vulgaris''/ref> The common name ...

''), Enchanter's Nightshade (''

Circaea lutetiana ''Circaea lutetiana'', known as broad-leaved enchanter's nightshade, is a plant in the evening primrose family, Onagraceae. The genus name comes from the enchantress Circe of Greek mythology and the specific designation is derived from Lutetia, ...

''), Sanicle (''

Sanicula europaea ''Sanicula europaea'', the sanicle or wood sanicle, is a perennial plant of the family Apiaceae. It has traditionally been a favoured ingredient of many herbal remedies, and of it was said "he who has sanicle and self-heal needs neither physi ...

'') and Water Avens (''

Geum rivale ''Geum rivale'', the water avens, is a flowering plant in the genus ''Geum'' within the family Rosaceae. Other names for the plant are nodding avens, drooping avens, cure-all, water flower and Indian chocolate. It is native to the temperate regi ...

''). A number of uncommon species are present including Herb Paris (''

Paris quadrifolia ''Paris quadrifolia'', the herb Paris or true lover's knot, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It occurs in temperate and cool areas throughout Eurasia, from Spain to Yakutia, and from Iceland to Mongolia. It prefers ...

''), Yellow Archangel (''

Lamiastrum galeobdolon ''Lamium galeobdolon'', commonly known as yellow archangel, artillery plant, aluminium plant, or yellow weasel-snout, is a widespread wildflower in Europe, and has been introduced elsewhere as a garden plant. It displays the zygomorphic flower mo ...

''), Hairy Woodrush (''

Luzula pilosa ''Luzula pilosa'' is a species of flowering plant in the rush family Juncaceae with the common name hairy wood-rush. The plant is native to northern Europe and western Asia. Description ''Luzula pilosa'' is a short, tufted, grass-like perennia ...

'') and the rare Lungwort (''

Pulmonaria officinalis ''Pulmonaria officinalis'', common names lungwort, common lungwort, Mary's tears or Our Lady's milk drops, is a herbaceous rhizomatous evergreen perennial plant of the genus ''Pulmonaria'', belonging to the family Boraginaceae. Etymology The ge ...

''). The wood west of the church contains earthwork remains of a

ringwork A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles without the motte. Defences were usually earthworks in the form of a ditch and bank surrounding the site. ...

, thought to be the site of a medieval

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

. There have been associated finds of pottery dated as Late Saxon to Medieval, i.e. 1001 AD to 1154 AD.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Suffolk Mid Suffolk District Civil parishes in Suffolk