Pakenham 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 West Suffolk may refer to the following places in Suffolk, England: * West Suffolk (county), a county until 1974 * West Suffolk District, a local government district established in 2019 * West Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency), an electoral dist ...

district of Suffolk in eastern England. Its name can be linked to Anglo-Saxon roots, Pacca being the founder of a settlement on the hill surrounding Pakenham church. The village describes itself as the "Village of Two Mills", as it has a

water mill 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 ...

which claims to be the only working example in the county. The Pakenham windmill no longer works. The village sits to the east of

Bury St. Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton A ...

and is administered as part of the

borough of St Edmundsbury St Edmundsbury was a local government district and borough in Suffolk, England. It was named after its main town, Bury St Edmunds. The second town in the district was Haverhill. The population of the district was 111,008 at the 2011 Census. ...

. Prior to the local government reorganisation of 1974 it was part of Thingoe Rural District.

History

Pacca was the founder of a

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

on the hill where Pakenham

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

now sits, on an area higher than the waters of Pakenham Fen. The discovery of many Anglo-Saxon remains, notably that of a bone-toothed comb in the old school garden (near the church) in the 1950s, testify to the authenticity of the site. The village was therefore named Pacca's Ham, i.e. the home of Pacca. This name eventually became Pakenham, (pronounced locally with a long "a" sound.) The Anglo-Saxon family name later became "de Pakenham". Pacca's descendants continued to farm here until the Norman Conquest of 1066. The village has contained several

manor houses 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 wi ...

, such as Pakenham Hall the

family seat A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families ...

of the

Spring family The Spring family is a Suffolk gentry family that has been involved in the politics and economy of East Anglia since the 15th century, as well as holding large estates in Ireland from the 16th century.Joseph Jackson Howard, ‘Spring’, ‘’ ...

, but has now been demolished. Nether Hall was the original home of the de Pakenham family, and later seat of the Greene baronets. Newe House was built by Sir Robert Bright before becoming the

dower house A dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the previous owner of an English, Scottish or Welsh estate. The widow, often known as the "dowager", usually moves into the dower house from the larger family ...

of the Spring family. Several members of the Spring family are buried in the parish church.

Notable residents

Hamon L'Estrange Hamon L'Estrange (1605–1660) was an English writer on history, theology and liturgy, of Calvinist views, loyal both to Charles I and the Church of England. Along with Edward Stephens (d. 1706), he contributed to the seventeenth-century reviva ...

(1605 – 1660), writer on history, theology and liturgy who is buried at Pakenham. * Joanne Jennings (1969- ),

high jumper The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

who competed for Great Britain twice at the Summer Olympics and won silver at the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''( Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unpreceden ...

. * Thomas Thornhill (1837-1900),

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

High Sheriff of Suffolk This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Suffolk. The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually (in March) by the Crown. The Sheriff was originally the principal law enforcement officer in the county a ...

in 1860,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician, and

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for the Western division of Suffolk at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

in October 1875, and held the seat until the constituency was abolished at the 1885 general election.

Gallery

File:Pakenham Watermill - geograph.org.uk - 1996889.jpg, The Watermill from Mill Road File:St Mary's church Pakenham Suffolk (504144975).jpg, View of St Mary's Church File:Pakenham Fen - geograph.org.uk - 243340.jpg,

Footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

over Pakenham Fen File:The Street, Pakenham - geograph.org.uk - 907919.jpg, View of the main street File:Pakenham Tower Mill - geograph.org.uk - 1996572.jpg, Pakenham tower windmill across the field File:CS p4.288 - Nether Hall, Suffolk - Morris's County Seats, 1879.jpg, Nether Hall by Francis Orpen Morris (1866) File:St Mary's church Pakenham Suffolk (504144895).jpg, St Mary's Church inside File:Micklemere, Ixworth - geograph.org.uk - 768176.jpg, The mere viewed from the watermill File:Newe House, Pakenham - geograph.org.uk - 238734.jpg, Newe House File:Pakenham Church Suffolk by Henry Davy.jpg, Pakenham Church by Henry Davy (1827) File:Pakenham village sign - geograph.org.uk - 1281648.jpg, Village sign File:Spider in Suffolk - geograph.org.uk - 1130285.jpg, Topiaries by a local artist File:The Black Bourn at Bull Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 238737.jpg, River Black Bourn at Bull Bridge File:Looking across Ixworth water meadows towards Pakenham windmill - geograph.org.uk - 777133.jpg, Windmill as seen from Micklemere

References

External links

Village websiteVillage Hall website
{{authority control Villages in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk Borough of St Edmundsbury Thedwastre Hundred

History

Notable residents

Gallery

See also

References

External links