Bentley Homepage
The History of Bentley
extracted from
A Survey of Suffolk Parish History
by
Suffolk County Council
1. Parish: BENTLEY Meaning: Clearing overgrown with bent grass (EKWALL) County: Suffolk 2. Hundred: SAMFORD Deanery: Samford Union: Samford RDC/UDC: Samford R.D.(- 1974), Babergh D.C. (1974 -) Other administration details: Samford Petty Sessional Division Ipswich County Court District 3. Area: 2,875 acres (1912) 4. Soils: Mixed: a) Deep well drained fine loam, course loam and sandy soils, locally flinty and in places over gravel. b) Deep often stoneless coarse loam. Some slowly permeable seasonally waterlogged coarse and fine loam over clay. 5. Types of farming: 1086 12 acres meadow, woodland for 42 pigs, 8 cattle, 7 pigs, 42 sheep,1 mill at Dodnash 1500-1640 THIRSK: Sheep-corn region where sheep are main fertilizing agent, bred for fattening. Barley main cash crop. Also has some similarities with wood-pasture region with pasture, meadow, dairying and some pig-keeping. 1818 MARSHALL: Wide variations of crop and management techniques including summer fallow in preparation for corn and rotation of turnip, barley, clover, wheat on lighter lands 1937 Main crops: Wheat and barley 1969 TRIST: More intensive cereal growing and sugar beet. 6. Enclosure: 7. Settlement: 1953 Section of Roman Road forms N.W. boundary. Railway crosses parish S - E with junction travelling W. Settlement well spaced with no obvious centre of development. Church isolated. Scattered farms Inhabited houses: 1674 - 39, 1801 - 55, 1851 - 94, 1871 - 94 1901 - 96, 1951 - 157, 1981 - 3098. Communications: Roads: Roads to East Bergholt and Belstead 1891 Carrier passes through to Ipswich Tuesday and Friday. Rail: 1891 Railway station. Bentley - Hadleigh line opened (1847) Closed for passengers (1932), closed for goods (1965) Colchester - Ipswich line, opened (1849), closed for passengers (1966), closed for goods (1964) 9. Population: 1086 - 31 recorded 1831 - 363 inhabitants 1327 - 16 taxpayers paid £1. 12s. 8d. 1851 - 434 1524 - 21 taxpayers paid £2. 2s. 1871 - 433 1603 - 141 adults 1901 - 451 1674 - 39 households 1931 - 403 1676 - not listed 1951 - 483 1801 - 337 inhabitants 1971 - 808 1981 - 840 10. Benifice: VICARAGE (1831) DISCHARGED VICARAGE (1844) 1254 Valued £10 1291 Valued £10 1535 Valued £6. 2s. 11d. 1831 1 curate, stipend £71 p.a. Glebe house unfit for occupation. Gross income £182 p.a. Tithes commuted - yearly modeses awarded to lay impropriators of £361. 5s. to Mr. Keene and £85 to Mrs. Deane (18348) 1844 20 acres glebe. £190. 15s. p.a. in lieu of tithes Old vicarage house exchanged for mansion near church (1843) 1912 Net value £133 p.a. 15 acres glebe, good residence. PATRONS: Lionell Talmach (1603), B. Keene (1831), C.E.R. Keene (1844) Rev. B. Ruck-Keene (1891) DODNASH PRIORY 1524 Valued £42. 18s. 8d.11. Church: ST.MARY (Chancel, nave, N. aisle, S. porch, W. tower) 1086 1 church + 30 acres free land Norman S. doorway 14th cent. Chancel and nave 15th cent. Tower 1856/1858 Restoration (N. aisle added) 1883/1884 Chancel restored and refitted Seats: 350 (1831) 11a. Other Religious Institutions: DODNASH PRIORY DEDICATED TO ST. MARY Founded circa 1188 by Baldwin de Toeni and his mother Alda for Augustinian Canons Patronage with the Earls of Norfolk from (1272) till the dissolution (1525) Endowed with tithe of barley in Falkenham, 320 acres in Burstall, Bramford and others, a house and 39 acres in East Bergholt and Free warren, rents and lands in 15 parishes 1291 Interests valued £19. 19s. 5d. Consisted of Prior and canons (5 canons in 1381) 1524 Suppressed and granted to Cardinal Wolsey as part endowment for college at Ipswich. Nett income at that time - £44 Used as farmhouse (19th century) 12. Nonconformity etc.: 1603 1 woman recusant 1606 2 recusants refusing to attend church13. Manorial: Pre 1066 Estate held by Earl Gyrth Post 1066 Estate added to manor of East Bergholt as outlier of 2 carucates belonging to Earl Ralph the Constable 1086 Estate of 2 carucates belonging to the King 1066 Manor of 40 acres held by Edmund 1086 Manor of 40 acres belonging to Count Alan 1066 Manor or 40 acres held by Thurstan 1O86 Manor or 40 acres belonging to Count Alan DODNASH 1066 Manor of 1 carucate held by Edwin under patronage of Edeva 1086 Manor of 1 carucate belonging to Count Alan BENTLEY HALL 13th cent. Held by Hugh Talmache by serjeanty. Extent of manor shows 200 acres arable land, worth 34s. 4p., 4 acres meadow, 30 acres heathland, 10 score acres of woodland and pasture. 1571 Linked to Stowmarket, Caprl St. Mary, Copdock and Hintlesham (Sir Lionel Tollemache ) 1668 John Cudworth owns 1895 Hon. Stanhops Tollemache owns SUB-MANORS OLD HALL BENTLEY/CHURCH HOUSE 1086 Believed to have been lands belonging to Count Alan. 15th cent. Linked to Levington, Nacton, Holbrook and Holton St. Mary (Fastolf family) circa 1532 Annexed to main manor (Lional Talmach) 1662 Sir Philip Meadow owns 1798 Benjamin Keene owns and with which family the manor remains. BENTLEY FASTOLFS l086 Also believed to have been lands belonging to Count Alan 13th cent. Linked to Nacton, Walton and Holbrook (Richard de Holbroke) 14th cent. Links at some point with Old Hall Bentley (Sir John Fastolf) 1529 Sir Richard Broke died seised 1662 Absorbed by Old Hall (Sir Philip Meadow) DODNASH 1292 William Charles owns 14/15th cent. Dodnash Priory 1525 Links with Falkenham, Felixstowe, Nacton, Burstall, Chattisham, Hintlesham, Wherstead (Cardinal Wolsey who made it part of foundation of his college at Ipswich) 1530 Annexed to main manor (Lional Tollemache) 1662 Absorbed by Old Hall (Sir Philip Meadow) 14. Market/Fairs: 15· Real property: 1844 £3,320 rental value 1891 £4,515 rateable value 1912 £8,552 rateable value 16. Land ownership: 1844 A.W.J. Deane and J. Gosnall, principal owners 1891/1912 Land sub-divided 17. Resident gentry: 1679 Sir Philip Meadows 1844 Rev. W. Brooke, MA18. Occupations: 1500-1549 2 husbandmen 1550-1599 1 yeoman, 2 husbandmen, 1 miller, 1 labourer 1600-1649 9 yeomen 4 husbandmen, 1 tailor 1650-1699 6 yeomen 1 malster, 1 husbandmen, 1 clerk, 1 brick striker, 1 labourer, 2 blacksmiths 1831 77 in agriculture, 19 in retail trade, 17 in domestic service. 1844 2 shopkeepers, 2 corn millers, victualler, 7 farmers 1912 Sub-postmaster, schoolmistress, station master, farm bailiff, 8 farmers, 3 publicans, 2 gardeners, blacksmith/wheelwright, shopkeeper, malsters 19. Education: 1818 1 Sunday school (65 attend) 1833 1 Sunday school (40 attend) National school built (1854/1856) for 123 children (70 attend - 1891), enlarged (1904), average attendance (1912)- 78. 20. Poor relief: 1776 £120. spent on poor relief 1803 £260. 14s. - ditto - 1818 £449. - ditto - 1830 £300. - ditto - 1832 £3OO. - ditto - 1834 £240 - ditto - 21. Charities: DUKE'S CHARITY: 1716 by will of Tolmach Duke: £2 p.a. to be distributed in bread annually22. Other institutions: Guild has no land, ready money = 40s. Fraternity of Holy Trinity (1458) 1803 Friendly Society (20 members) 23. Recreation: 1844 'THE CASE IS ALTERED' public house 1891/1912 3 public houses (THE RAILWAY TAVERN, THE CASE IS ALTERED and THE TANKARD) 24. Personal: 'The Tollemaches of Bentley' by Mrs. C. Roundell (PSIA Vol. XII p.97) Couplet said to have been carved in manor house at Bentley: 'Before the Normans into England came, Bentley was my seat and Tollemache was my name' 25. Other information: Great Barn at Bentley Hall believed to be one of the largest historic barn in Britain. Outbuilding of unknown origin beside Bentley hall is restored with funding by Historic Building Council (1977). Described as late period open hearth barn. Won award for restoration work (1979) Village sign erected (1980) 26. Archaeological sites: Site of Dodnash Priory Traces of field system Linear ditch system Stray finds: Mes. tranchet axes BA axe hammer Rom. sestertius IA urn