Poslingford 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 authority ...

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 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 ...

in eastern England, near to a stream that feeds the into the Chilton stream and then the Suffolk Stour. The main part of the village follows the line of The Street (the main road through to the village of Stansfield), rising approximately 40 metres in height above sea level from south to north.

Church

The Church of St Mary, near the centre of the village, is part of the Stour Valley Group of churches, and services are held there on a rotational basis. The Parish council meeting takes place in the church foyer as it is the only public place available in the village for such meetings to be held. The church holds a stone coffin and bell recovered from the site of

Chipley Priory Chipley Priory was a small Augustine religious house, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, located about north-west of the village of Poslingford in the English county of Suffolk.Page.W (1975) 'Houses of Austin canons: Priory of Chipley', ''A History ...

about north-west of the village.Chipley Priory - Pastscape
English Heritage. Retrieved 2011-05-03. Both the priory and the church became part of the holdings of the

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

Stoke-by-Clare Stoke-by-Clare is a small village and civil parish in Suffolk located in the valley of the River Stour, about two miles west of Clare. In 1124 Richard de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford, moved the Benedictine Priory that had been established at h ...

.Page.W (1975) 'Houses of Austin canons: Priory of Chipley', ''A History of the County of Suffolk: Volume 2'', p. 99
available online
. Retrieved 2011-05-03.

Poslingford Hall Manor

The Golding family were for several hundred years one of the principal families of the parish. As early as 1573 George and Henry Golding had been called upon to show by what title they held the Rectory of the church, and probably the manor was already in the family at that date. In 1635 Thomas Golding held the manor and the advowson. The family appear to have mostly resided in New House, which, despite its name, is a very old property – referred to in 1572 as "a messuage newly built called the Newhowse". Even then, it was not totally new because it was built on the site of the manor of Bustalmynes, named after John Burstemyn who was living in 1327. The property was further enhanced in the early 18th century by the Golding family, who constructed a garden canal and avenues within their small park there. The Goldings presented virtually every new Vicar to Poslingford church from 1563 to 1804. Several of this family are buried within the church. In the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, on the West Wall is a monument to them. Mary (d.1699), daughter of Thomas Golding of New House, was married to Sir George Villiers, 2nd Bt., (1620 - 1682) a renowned

Cavalier The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...

and nephew of

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, 28 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and possibly also a lover of King James I of England. Buckingham remained at the ...

, the favorite of King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. Her tomb is in the floor of the church

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

.Waters, Robert Edmond Chester, B.A., Barrister of the Inner Temple, ''Genealogical Memoirs of the Extinct Family of Chester of Chicheley'', London, 1878, p.591-2.

Today

The village was once self-sufficient, having a school, post office, small shop, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

and a

public house 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 ...

, The Shepherd and Dog. These have all long closed and today most of the 200 or so residents travel to nearby towns for their requirements.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk Borough of St Edmundsbury