Sotterley, originally ''Southern-lea'' from its situation south of the river, Suckling, A.I., (1846). 'Sotterley', in ''The History and Antiquities of the County of Suffolk'', 2 vols (W.S. Cowell, Ipswich 1846), I
pp. 81–96
(British History Online). Retrieved 2011-04-06. 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the East Suffolk district, in the

English county The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, located approximately south-east of

Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is located along the A145 r ...

and east of

Willingham St Mary Willingham St Mary, also known simply as Willingham, is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk located about south of Beccles in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district. At the 2011 United Kingdom census it had a ...

and Shadingfield. The parish is primarily agricultural with a dispersed population of 113 at the 2011 census.Village profile: Sotterley

East Suffolk District Council East Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England. The largest town is Lowestoft, which contains Ness Point, the easternmost point of the United Kingdom. The second largest town is Felixstowe, which has the country's largest con ...

, 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-10.'Sotterley and Benacre plateau'
''Waveney District landscape character assessment'' pp.191–195, Waveney District Council, April 2008. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
Archived
2011-07-19.)''A profile of Waveney''
Waveney District Council, February 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-18. The parish council operates to administer jointly the parishes of Shadingfield, Willingham St Mary, Sotterley and

Ellough Ellough is a civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk, located approximately south-east of Beccles. The area is sparsely populated with a mid-2005 population estimate of 40. The parish, ...

.Shadingfield, Sotterley, Willingham and Ellough Parish Council Website
2021. Retrieved 2021-02-10. Sotterley Hall remains at the centre of the parish which now has very few basic services.Shadingfield, Sotterley, Willingham & Ellough
Healthy Suffolk,

Suffolk County Council Suffolk County Council is the upper-tier Local government in England, local authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 75 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions. It is a member of the East of England Local Governme ...

, 2016. Retrieved 2020-02-10. A saw mill operates in the village,The Sawmill
Sotterley Estate. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
Archived
2012-03-22.) often making use of wood from the of mixed woodland managed by the Sotterley estate.Woodlands
Sotterley Estate. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
Archived
2012-03-22.)

History

At the

Domesday Survey 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

in 1086 Sotterley was known as Soterlega and was part of the estate of Earl Hugh of Chester in

Wangford Hundred Wangford was a hundred (subdivision), hundred of Suffolk, England, consisting of . Wangford Hundred was an area of around from west to east and five across. The River Waveney formed its northern border separating it from Norfolk. To the east la ...

.Sotterley
The Domesday Book online. Retrieved 2011-04-18. The village had a population of about 21 households and was held by Mundred the Sheriff who also held the lost village of Croscroft in Wangford Hundred.Sotterley
Open Domesday. Retrieved 2021-02-19.Croscroft
Open Domesday. Retrieved 2021-02-10. Sotterley was held by Roger de Soterley in 1242Page, A. (1844). 'Satterley Parish', ''Topographical and genealogical, The County of Suffolk''.

Retrieved 2011-04-06.) and continued in the family until about 1470 when it was confiscated due to the family's involvement in a rebellion led by the

Earl of Warwick Earl of Warwick is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom which has been created four times in English history. The name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick. Overview The first creation came in 1088, and the title was held b ...

during the Wars of the Roses.

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

then gave the manor to Thomas Playters. A stained glass window in Sotterley Church commemorated the death of Thomas Playters in 1479. A descendant, also called Thomas, was

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 1606 at which time the estate was valued at £2000 per annum and was the last Baron created by King James I in August 1623. In 1642 Playters' son, Sir William Playters was Member of Parliament for

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and Vice Admiral of Suffolk. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Sir Lionel Playters was rector of

Uggeshall Uggeshall is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England, located approximately 6 miles (10 km) south of Beccles and 4 miles (6km) north east of Halesworth close to the A145. The mid-2005 pop ...

and Sotterley. John Walker in chronicling the sufferings of the clergy records that when 'rebels brake open the stable doors and stole two horses' from the parsonage he challenged them, whereupon one said 'Pistoll the Parson' and two pistols were discharged at him. In 1744 Sotterley manor was sold to Miles Barne, the son of a London merchant, who rebuilt Sotterley Hall following a fire. The parish was enclosed in 1796 leaving his son Miles Barne, with , as the largest landholder. The Barne family still owns the house.Lake work benefits Beccles newts
BBC news website, 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2011-04-06. Notable members of the Barne family to have lived at Sotterley include Frederick Barne, M.P. for the rotten borough of

Dunwich Dunwich () is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is in the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape around north-east of London, south of Southwold and north of Leiston, on the North Sea coast. In the Anglo-Saxon ...

at the time of the 1832 Reform Act,Watson J (1815) ''The treble almanack for the year 1815'' Dublin: Authority.
Available online
Retrieved 2011-04-06.) his son Frederick St John Newdigate Barne, M.P. for East Suffolk from 1876 to 1885 and his son

Michael Barne Michael Barne (15 October 1877 – 31 May 1961) was an officer of the 1901-04 Discovery Expedition. Early life Barne was born at Sotterley Park, Suffolk, the son of Frederick Barne and his wife, Lady Constance Adelaide Seymour, daughter of ...

, Royal Navy officer and the last surviving member of the 1901–04 Discovery Expedition to Antarctica.

Geography

Sotterley lies on an area of clay plateau in a wider area averaging between 20 and 25 metres above sea level. The underlying rock is crag-sand with overlying glacial till deposits and clay soils. The landscape is mainly arable with Sotterley Park and its associated woodland providing the main variation. The village is dispersed around a crossroads with a road pattern of unlit lanes which is largely unchanged from that seen on Hodgkinson's map of 1783. The census of 1801 records Sotterley had a population of 254 inhabitants.Sotterley CP/AP: Historical statistics – Population
Vision of Britain. Retrieved 2011-04-18. The population remained reasonably steady throughout the 19th century and stood at 221 in 1901, at which time the village school had an average attendance of 80 children. From the 1920s onwards, the population began to decline more quickly and stood at 142 by the census of 1961. The 2011 census recorded the population of the parish as 113, a reduction of seven since the census of 2001. The village has very limited basic services today. The public house, the Falcon, closed during the 20th century.Sotterley: Falcon
Suffolk Pubs,

Campaign for Real Ale The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. History The organisation was founded on 16 ...

. Retrieved 2011-04-18. Regional Cycle Route 31, from Reedham to Southwold, passes through the village.Beccles and Southwold linked by new cycle route
''Eastern Daily Press'', 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2011-05-22. Sotterley school, which was built in 1873 to replace a parochial school built in 1840 and supported by charitable contributions, closed in 1971.White W (1855) 'Sotterley', ''History, Gazetteer & Directory of Suffolk, 1855'', pp.673–674. Sheffield: Robert Leader.'Sotterley', ''Kelly's Directory of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, 1892'', p.1208. London: Kelly and Co.'Sotterley', ''The post office directory of Cambridge, Norfolk and Suffolk, 1869'', p.898. London: Kelly and Co.Unseen archive
Archant Newspapers Children now attend primary school in

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

and high school in

Sotterley Hall and estate

Sotterley Estate is centred on a Georgian mansion house built in 1744, Sotterley Hall, overlooking a lake. The hall is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

and is H-shaped with two wings and a central facade with nine windows.Sotterley Hall
British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2011-04-06. A number of associated buildings close to the hall, including stables, a water tower and cowsheds, are grade II listed buildings.Listed Buildings in Sotterley, Suffolk, England
British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2011-04-18. The estate surrounding the house,

Sotterley Park Sotterley Park is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Sotterley in Suffolk. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I. This park was laid out in the eighteenth century, but it goes back at least to the early medieval peri ...

, was laid out in the 18th century and includes some ancient semi-natural woodland including pollarded oak trees and trees of significant size and age.Sotterley Park: SSSI citation
Natural England. Retrieved 2011-04-17.South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands
Natural England. Retrieved 2011-04-17. It is believed to have previously been a medieval deer park. The majority of the estate is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest 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 . The park is particularly important in that the trees "support the richest epiphytic Lichen flora in East Anglia" with 92 species of

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

and 14 of

bryophytes Bryophytes () are a group of land plants ( embryophytes), sometimes treated as a taxonomic division referred to as Bryophyta '' sensu lato'', that contains three groups of non-vascular land plants: the liverworts, hornworts, and mosses. In t ...

. The estate is managed with a mixture of agricultural, woodland and

field sports Field sports are outdoor sports that take place in the wilderness or sparsely populated rural areas, where there are vast areas of uninhabited greenfields. The term specifically refers to activities that mandate sufficiently large open spaces ...

use. A horse trail is available on land around the estate and village.Equestrian
Sotterley Estate. Retrieved 2011-04-18. The estate has been used as a film and TV location.Film/TV Location
Sotterley Estate. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
Archived
2012-03-22.)

Churches

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

, a Grade I listed building with many medieval elements,Church of St Margaret, Sotterley
British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2011-04-06. is located on the Sotterley estate and is dedicated to

St Margaret Saint Margaret, St. Margarets, or St. Margaret's may refer to: People In chronological order: * Saint Margaret the Virgin of Antioch (died 304) * Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045–1093) * Saint Margaret of England (died 1192) * Saint Margaret ...

. Access by vehicle is limited to the times of services.St Margaret, Sotterley
The Suffolk Churches site. Retrieved 2009-04-19Sotterley
Hundred River Benefice. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
Archived
2012-03-22.) The church has more

monumental brass A monumental brass is a type of engraved church monument, sepulchral memorial once found through Western Europe, which in the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional church monument, monuments and effigy, effigies carve ...

es than any other in Suffolk, as well as medieval glassworkSt Margaret's Church
Sotterley Estate. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
Archived
2012-03-22) and a carved oak

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

. Kelly's directory of 1900 notes that the church register held at the time dated from 1547.'Sotterley', ''Kelly's directory of Suffolk, 1900'', p. 306. London: Kelly's Directories Limited. The roll of honour in the church records that 15 men from Sotterley died during World War I, including two Barnes. The parish was consolidated in 1873 with the neighbouring parish of Willingham St Mary which had lacked a church for many years. An unusual octagonal cemetery chapel and cemetery were established outside the estate in about 1883.Sotterley Chapel
Parish Council Website, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-19.Sotterley Cemetery Memorial Chapel, Sotterley
British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2011-04-06. The brick-built chapel is a Grade II listed building which may have been designed by

Sir Arthur Blomfield Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...

. Each face of the building has a gothic window. The chapel was threatened with demolition but is now owned by the parish council and restoration was begun in 2007 by the Sotterley Chapel Preservation Trust.

References

External links

Sotterley Estate
{{authority control Villages in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk Waveney District