Yoxford is a village in East Suffolk, England, close to the Heritage Coast, Minsmere Reserve (RSPB),

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the English county, county of Suffolk, England, north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the comp ...

and

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the North Sea, in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth, Suffolk, River Blyth in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths ...

. It is known for its antique shops and (as "Loxford") for providing the setting for a

Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

opera. The name 'Yoxford' comes from

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''geoc-ford'' meaning "yoke ford", probably indicating that the

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

was wide enough for a

yoke A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, used in dif ...

oxen An ox (: oxen), also known as a bullock (in BrE, British, AusE, Australian, and IndE, Indian English), is a large bovine, trained and used as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castration, castrated adult male cattle, because castration i ...

to pass through.

Location and governance

Yoxford, some north-east of London and north-east of Ipswich, is surrounded by the parkland of three country houses, in an area known as the Garden of Suffolk. It takes its name from a

across the nearby

River Yox The River Yox is a river in the English county of Suffolk. It flows from the west of Peasenhall through Sibton and Yoxford where it becomes the Minsmere River.Storey N R (2013) ''The Little Book of Suffolk'', History pressAvailable online r ...

, where

could pass. The village includes the junction of the A12 trunk road and the A1120. Before 1 April 2019, its

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 Suffolk Coastal district bore the same name, but the village is now within the enlarged ward of Yoxford and Kelsale, in the

East Suffolk district East Suffolk is a Non-metropolitan district, 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 t ...

. At the 2011 census, the previous ward's population was 1901.

Facilities and sights

The Church of St Peter has a 15th-century Perpendicular-style exterior, but is mainly Victorian inside. However, it possesses a number of 15th–17th-century

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, which are displayed on the walls. The finely carved font dates from the early 15th century and the pulpit from the 17th century. The church parish belongs to the

Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich The Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich is a Church of England diocese based in Ipswich, covering Suffolk (excluding Lowestoft). The cathedral is St Edmundsbury Cathedral, and the bishop is the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. It is part ...

. Up to about 1830, the village came under the

Blything Hundred Blything was a hundred of eastern Suffolk, and with an area of was the largest of Suffolk's 21 hundreds. The origins of the hundred centre on the ancient royal estate of Blythburgh, whose hall housed the hundred's central meeting place. List ...

On the edge of the village is

Cockfield Hall Cockfield Hall in Yoxford in Suffolk, England is a Grade I listed private house standing in of historic parkland, partly dating from the 16th century. Cockfield Hall takes its name from the Cokefeud Family, established there at the beginning of ...

, once the old home of the

Blois family The Blois family (formerly spelled, and usually pronounced, Bloyse) have been substantial landowners in Suffolk for several centuries. Until recently the family home was at Cockfield Hall in Yoxford, Suffolk, a Grade 1 listed private house standin ...

. The village is known for its antique shops. It also has a general store, a restaurant and a village hall.

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

and librettist

Eric Crozier Eric Crozier OBE (14 November 19147 September 1994) was a British theatre director, theatrical director, opera librettist and producer, long associated with Benjamin Britten. Early life and career Crozier was born in London and studied at the Ro ...

are believed to have adapted the name of Yoxford to create the fictional town of Loxford, which provides the setting for Britten's opera, ''

Albert Herring ''Albert Herring'', Op. 39, is a chamber opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten. Composed in the winter of 1946 and the spring of 1947, this comic opera was a successor to his serious opera '' The Rape of Lucretia''. The libretto, by Eric Cro ...

''.

Education

Yoxford and Peasenhall Primary School caters for children aged 3–11. The school has an Early Year Centre, purpose-built for pupils aged from 3–6. The school works in partnership with Middleton Primary School in

Middleton, Suffolk Middleton is a village in the east of the English county of Suffolk. It is located approximately north-west of Leiston, north east of Saxmundham and from the Suffolk coast.

and Southwold Primary School in

Southwold, Suffolk Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the North Sea, in the East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, south ...

, the three making up Yox Valley Partnership of Schools.

Hospitality

Yoxford's two pubs are the ''Griffin Inn'', a medieval house that reopened in 2013, and ''The King's Head''. The ''Griffin Inn'' offers accommodation, as does the 18th-century Satis House. This is sometimes described wrongly as the original for the Satis House in

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

's ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...

''. In fact the book describes

Restoration House Restoration House in Rochester, Kent in England, is a fine example of an Elizabethan mansion. It is so named after the visit of King Charles II on the eve of his restoration. Charles had landed in Dover on 25 May 1660 and by the evening of ...

Rochester, Kent Rochester ( ) is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, in Kent, England. It is at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway, about east-southeast of London. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Kent, Chatham, ...

, referred to as ''satis'' by Queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

. Yoxford's Satis House was known as plain Yoxford House until well after the novel appeared, as old

Ordnance Survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...

maps confirm. Every year on the first Sunday after Easter, a competition is held for eating brawn, known locally as pork cheese. A Brawn Queen is picked from the village and her first ceremonial task as Queen is to cut the cheese.

Public transport

The village is served by Darsham railway station on the East Suffolk Line, one mile (1.6 km) away. The line offers hourly weekday services (two-hourly on Sundays) between

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, ...

, with connections to London, and

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...

, with connections to Norwich. It is also served by four weekday buses a day between

and

Halesworth Halesworth is a market town, civil parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in north-eastern Suffolk, England. The population stood at 4,726 in the 2011 Census. It lies south-west of Lowestoft, on a tribut ...

and a once-daily Monday-to-Friday service between

Leiston Leiston ( ) is a town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is close to Saxmundham and Aldeburgh, north-east of Ipswich and north-east of London. The town had a population of 5,508 at th ...

and

Framlingham Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Of Anglo-Saxon origin, it appears in the 1086 Domesday Book and was part of Loes Hundred. The parish had a population of 3,342 at the 2011 census and an estimated 4,016 in 20 ...

. There is also demand-responsive transport for disabled passengers.Bus time
Retrieved 30 August 2020.
/ref>

Notable residents

In order of birth: * Arthur Hopton (1488–1555), knight, landowner,

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

, and Member of Parliament for

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 ...

Owen Hopton Sir Owen Hopton (c. 1519 – 1595) was an English provincial landowner, administrator and MP, and was Lieutenant of the Tower of London from c. 1570 to 1590. Early career Owen Hopton was the eldest son and heir of Sir Arthur Hopton of Cockf ...

(c. 1519–1595), provincial landowner, Member of Parliament for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, and

Arundel Arundel ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Arun District of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. The much-conserved town has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much la ...

, and

Lieutenant of the Tower of London The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like t ...

from c. 1570 to 1590 *

Lady Katherine Grey Katherine Seymour, Countess of Hertford ( Lady Katherine Grey; 25 August 1540 – 26 January 1568) was a younger sister of Lady Jane Grey. A granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister Mary, she emerged as a prospective successor to her cousin, Eliz ...

(1540–1568), granddaughter of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

's sister Mary Tudor, she emerged as a prospective successor to her cousin,

. * Robert Hopton (died 1590),

Knight Marshal The Knight Marshal is a former office in the British Royal Household established by Henry III in 1236. The position later became a Deputy to the Earl Marshal from the reign of Henry VIII until the office was abolished in 1846. The Knight Marsha ...

of the Household, and English Member of Parliament for Mitchell * Robert Brooke (1572–1646), landowner, magistrate, commissioner and Member of Parliament for

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 ...

Elizabeth Brooke Elizabeth Brooke may refer to: * Elizabeth Brooke (1503–1560), alleged mistress of Henry VIII and estranged wife of the poet Thomas Wyatt * Elizabeth Brooke (writer) (1601–1683), English religious writer * Elizabeth Brooke (1562–1597), wife o ...

(1601–1683), religious writer and landowner *

John Eachard John Eachard (1636?7 July 1697) was an English divine and satirist, noted for his humorous descriptions of the contemporary clergy. From Yoxford in Suffolk, he was educated at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, of which he became master in 1675 ...

(c. 1636–1697),

divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

and

satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Early satirical authors *Aes ...

* Robert Brooke (1637–1669), landowner, magistrate, commissioner, military officer, knight and Member of Parliament for

Sir Charles Blois, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Blois, 1st Baronet (14 September 1657 – 9 April 1738), of Grundisburgh Hall and Cockfield Hall, Yoxford, Suffolk, was a British Tory politician who sat in the English House of Commons and the House of Commons of Great Britain b ...

(1657–1738), politician, landowner and Member of Parliament for

and

Ann Candler Ann Candler (1740–1814) was a poet, known as "The Suffolk Cottager", whose works appeared in the ''Ipswich Journal'' and a volume published toward the end of her life. Life Ann More was born at Yoxford, Suffolk, 18 November 1740, one of the ch ...

(1740–1814), poet known as "The Suffolk Cottager" * David Elisha Davy (1769–1851), antiquary and collector * James Allen Ransome (1806–1875), agricultural tool-maker and writer * Sir Arthur Birch (1837–1914),

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Governor of Ceylon {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The governor of Ceylon can refer to historical vice-regal representatives of three colonial powers: Portuguese Ceylon * List of captains of Portuguese Ceylon (1518–1551) * List of captain-majors of Portugue ...

, Colonial Secretary for Ceylon and acting Lieutenant Governor of Penang and

Province Wellesley A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provin ...

* William R. Symonds (1851–1934), painter * Samuel Lomax (1855–1915), British Army officer who commanded the 1st Division as

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

* Day Joyce (1905–1975), nurse and prisoner of war * Flavia Blois (1914–1980), landscape artist

References

{{authority control Villages in Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk