Nacton 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 of

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 ...

, England. The parish is bounded by the neighbouring parishes of

Levington Levington is a small village in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. The population of the parish including Stratton Hall at the 2011 Census was 259. It was located in Colneis Hundred.John Blatchly, ''John Kirby's Suffolk: His Maps ...

to the east and

Bucklesham Bucklesham is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, a few miles east of Ipswich. History Bucklesham is derived from the old English meaning Buccel's homestead or village. The village is recorded in the D ...

in the north. It is located between the towns of

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

and

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, containe ...

. Nacton abuts the

River Orwell The River Orwell flows through the county of Suffolk in England from Ipswich to Felixstowe. Above Ipswich, the river is known as the River Gipping, but its name changes to the Orwell at Stoke Bridge, about half a mile below where the river beco ...

opposite the village of

Pin Mill A pin mill is a mill that comminutes materials by the action of pins that repeatedly move past each other. Much like a kitchen blender, it breaks up substances through repeated impact. The mill is a type of vertical shaft impactor mill and consi ...

. Riverside features covered by this parish are (from east to west) Buttermans Bay, Potter's Point, Downham Reach, Mulberry Middle and Pond Oose. Nacton parish is the mother for the villages of

and

and was sufficiently large to have a

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

, on the remains of which a substantial house was built. This was used by Amberfield School as its main building until it closed in 2011. The more adventurous explorer can find the old burial ground opposite the entrance to a lane leading down to the school. The site of Alnesbourne Priory is close to Nacton.Wilson J. M. (1872) 'Nacton', ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales''
available online
. Retrieved 2011-04-30. The village contains one of the few remaining active wildfowl

decoy A decoy (derived from the Dutch ''de'' ''kooi'', literally "the cage" or possibly ''eenden kooi'', " duck cage") is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to ...

s left in

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

History

The name means Hnaki or Nokkvi's homestead. In 1010 Ulfcytel, Ealdorman of East Anglia, fought the Danes in the area now called Seven Hills (there were more than seven barrows at one time) which is now mostly under junction 58 of the A14. A country house in the parish, Broke Hall, was the seat of the Broke family, including Admiral Sir Philip Broke. A former public house, the Anchor, appears to have been closed in controversial circumstances during the late 19th century. From 1877 to 1959 the village was served by the Orwell station.

Notable inhabitants

Margaret Catchpole Margaret Catchpole (14 March 1762 – 13 May 1819) was an English servant girl, chronicler, and Convicts in Australia, deportee to Australia. Born in Suffolk, she worked as a servant in various houses before being convicted of stealing a horse ...

, who became legendary in the 19th century after the publication of 'The History of Margaret Catchpole: A Suffolk Girl' by

Richard Cobbold Richard Cobbold (1797 – 5 January 1877) was a British writer. Life Richard Cobbold was born in 1797 in the Suffolk town of Ipswich, to John Cobbold (1746–1835), John (1746–1835) and the poet and writer Elizabeth Cobbold, Elizabeth (née ...

in 1845. It is a classic story of young girl falling in love with a villain (a smuggler called Will Laud) and suffering the consequences. She stole her employer's horse and rode to London to be with Laud. She was convicted of theft and sentenced to death, but managed to escape. She was recaptured and transported to Australia for life. *

Edward Vernon Admiral Edward Vernon (12 November 1684 – 30 October 1757) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He had a long and distinguished career, rising to the rank of admiral after 46 years service. As a vice admiral during the War of Jenkins' E ...

, a naval hero. * George Tomline, a politician

Governance

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

in the same name exists. This ward stretches north east to Waldringfield and at the 2011 census had a population of 4,602.

Orwell Park Observatory

An observatory, which had been commissioned at

Orwell Park Orwell Park was an estate in the village of Nacton in Suffolk developed by Edward Vernon, who lived there from 1725 until he died in the mansion on 30 October 1757. It was further developed by George Tomline (politician), George Tomline during t ...

by Colonel George Tomline (1813-1889) has been in use as the base of the Orwell Astronomical Society, Ipswich (OASI) from the 1960s.

In popular culture

Nacton's name was used as a word coined by

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author, humorist, and screenwriter, best known as the creator of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the ...

to describe the letter 'N' when inserted between two other words as an abbreviation for 'and', as in ''rock 'n' roll'' and ''fish 'n' chips''.Nacton
at The Suffolk Real Ale Guide. Accessed 21 February 2014

References

External links

Reference on www.british-history.ac.ukLocation and picture at www.geograph.org.ukAccount of Nacton workhouse and riots
at EASF radical history site {{authority control Villages in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk