Bardwell 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 West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.

Location

Bardwell is located about ten miles north-east of Bury St Edmunds between the villages of

Ixworth Ixworth is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, north-east of Bury St Edmunds on the A143 road to Diss and south-east of Thetford. The parish had a population of 2,365 at the 2011 Census. History I ...

, Stanton and Honington.

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 Bardwell in 1086 to be 86. The River Blackbourne passes about half a mile west of the village. According to Eilert Ekwall the meaning of the village name is "Bearda's Spring" or brim/bank of

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

. Until the 20th century there were two working mills in Bardwell, a

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

and a

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...

. The watermill has been converted into a house whilst the windmill which is a tower mill, built in 1829 was in the process of restoration to a working mill again which has recently been completed.

Church

Bardwell has many old buildings including its

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

. In the churchyard is the grave of

Henry Addison Henry Addison, VC (February 1821 – 18 June 1887) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. A sold ...

, born in Bardwell in 1821 he joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and won the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for his heroic actions in the Indian Mutiny. He returned safely to Bardwell and died in 1887 aged 66 years. There are eight bells that hang the church of St Peter and Paul, contrary the pub name of the six bells in the village, with the largest weighing 11cwt – 2qr – 27lb.Dove's Guide
Retrieved 2013-04-14. The oldest bell, being the 7th, was cast in 1713 by Thomas Newman. They were restored and two new bells added in 2009 by Hayward Mills.Suffolk Guild of Ringers
Retrieved 2013-04-14.

Amenities

Amenities within the village of Bardwell include a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

and two

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s (the Dun Cow and the Six Bells). As in many village communities volunteer groups manage Bardwell Playing Field and the

Tithe Barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious orga ...

which is the

village hall A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as: United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...

both are used for village events. An engineering company, a marketing company and two equine centres are based in Bardwell. There is a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

, Bardwell

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

VC Primary School located in School Lane.

Notable residents

* Henry Addison VC *

John Cavell John Caldicott Cavell (12 January 1813 – 5 February 1887) was a department store proprietor and mayor of Oxford, England. John Cavell was born in Bardwell, Suffolk, the son of Charles and Sarah Cavell, He married Sarah Elliston of Summertown ...

Richard FitzLewis Sir Richard FitzLewis or FitzLowys (by 1453 – 1528), of Bardwell, Suffolk and West Horndon, Essex, was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Maldon in 1487 and 1510, and for Essex Essex () is a Cer ...

* Sir Bassingbourne Gawdy *

Kenneth Carlisle Sir Kenneth Melville Carlisle (born 25 March 1941) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Lincoln from 1979 to 1997. Early life Born in Hiraethog, Denbighshire, Wales, he is the son of Kenneth ...

* Frank Heilgers

References

External links

Photos of Bardwell and surrounding area on geographBardwell Village HistoryBardwell CEVC Primary School
* {{authority control Villages in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk Borough of St Edmundsbury