| Bungay | |
|---|---|
 Bungay Buttercross | |
  Bungay Location withinSuffolk | |
| Area | 11 km2 (4.2 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 5,127 (2011)[1] |
| • Density | 466/km2 (1,210/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TM336898 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bungay |
| Postcode district | NR35 |
| Dialling code | 01986 |
| UK Parliament | |
| 52°27′22″N1°26′13″E / 52.456°N 1.437°E /52.456; 1.437 | |
Bungay (/ˈbʌŋɡi/)[2] is amarket town,civil parish andelectoral ward in theEast Suffolk district ofSuffolk, England.[3] It lies in the Waveney Valley,5+1⁄2 miles (9 kilometres) west ofBeccles on the edge ofThe Broads, and at the neck of ameander of theRiver Waveney. In 2011 it had a population of 5,127.
The origin of the name of Bungay is thought to derive from theAnglo-Saxon titleBunincga-haye, signifying the land belonging to the tribe of Bonna, a Saxon chieftain. Due to its high position, protected by theRiver Waveney and marshes, the site was in a good defensive position and attracted settlers from early times. Roman artefacts have been found in the region.
Bungay Castle, which is shown on Bungay'stown sign, was originally built by theNormans but was later rebuilt byRoger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk and his family, who also ownedFramlingham Castle. The castle contains a unique surviving example of mining galleries, dating to the siege of the castle in 1174. They were intended toundermine and thus collapse the castle's tower andkeep.
TheChurch of St. Mary was once the church of theBenedictineBungay Priory, founded by Gundreda, wife of Roger de Glanville.[4] The 13th-centuryFranciscanfriarThomas Bungay later enjoyed a popular reputation as a magician, appearing asRoger Bacon's sidekick inRobert Greene'sElizabethan comedyFriar Bacon and Friar Bungay.
The 11th-century church of Holy Trinity, with its round tower, lies southeast of St. Mary's churchyard, while the 19th-century red brickRoman Catholic church ofSt. Edmund is immediately south of St Mary's churchyard.
The town was almost destroyed by a great fire in 1688. The centralButtercross was constructed in 1689 and was the place where local farmers displayed their butter and other farm produce for sale. Until 1810, there was also aCornCross, but this was taken down and replaced by a pump.
Bungay was important for the printing and paper manufacture industries. Joseph Hooper, a wealthyHarvard University graduate who fledMassachusetts when his lands were seized after theAmerican Revolution, rented a mill at Bungay in 1783 and converted it for paper manufacture.[5] Charles Brightly established a printing and stereotype foundry in 1795. Then in partnership withJohn Filby Childs, the business became Brightly & Childs in 1808 and later Messrs. Childs and Son.[6] Charles Childs (1807–1876) succeeded his father as the head of the firm of John Childs & Son.[7] The business was further expanded after 1876 as R. Clay and Sons, Ltd.[8]
The railway arrived with the Harleston to Bungay section of theWaveney Valley Line opening in November 1860 and the Bungay to Beccles section in March 1863. Bungay had itsown railway station near Clay's Printers. The station closed to passengers in 1953 and freight in 1964.
In 1910 Bungay became anurban district in the administrative county ofEast Suffolk, the district contained the parish of Bungay.[9] On 1 April 1974 the district and parish were abolished and became part ofWaveney district in thenon-metropolitan county of Suffolk.[10] Asuccessor parish was formed covering the same area as the former district and its parish.[11] In 2019 it became part of East Suffolk district.
Local firms includeSt. Peter's Brewery, based at St. Peter's Hall to the south of the town.
In 2008, Bungay became Suffolk's firstTransition Town and part of a global network of communities that have started projects in the areas of food, transport, energy, education, housing and waste as small-scale local responses to the global challenges of climate change, economic hardship and limited cheap energy.
Bungay is the only town in the United Kingdom still to have atown reeve,[12] though there are survivingportreeves inLaugharne andAshburton.[13] The reeve runs the town trust, from which each reeve selects the following reeve.[12][14][15]
St Mary's Church was struck by lightning on Sunday 4 August 1577. According to legend,[16] an apparition appeared during the thunderstorm, consisting of a blackHell Hound which dashed around the church, attacking members of the congregation. It then suddenly disappeared and re-appeared inHoly Trinity Church, Blythburgh 12 miles (19 km) away, injuring members of the congregation there. The dog has been associated withBlack Shuck, a dog haunting the coasts ofNorfolk, Suffolk, andEssex.[17]
An image of the Black Dog has been incorporated in thecoat of arms of Bungay and has been used in the titles of various enterprises associated with Bungay as well as several of the town's sporting events. An annual race, The Black Dog Marathon, begins in Bungay and follows the course of the River Waveney, and the town's football club is nicknamed the "Black Dogs". Black Shuck was also the subject of a song byThe Darkness.
The local football club,Bungay Town, play in theAnglian Combination, having previously been members of theEastern Counties League. The team plays its home games at the Maltings Meadow Sports Ground.
Godric Cycling Club is based in Bungay.[18] It organises a number of events each year, including weekly club runs.
Bungay was home to several literary figures.Thomas Miller (1731–1804), the bookseller and antiquarian, settled in the village. His publisher son,William Miller (1769–1844), was born there. The authorElizabeth Bonhôte, née Mapes, (1744–1818) was born and grew up there, marrying Daniel Bonhôte and writing the notable bookBungay Castle, a gothic romance. Bonhôte even once owned Bungay Castle. The Strickland family which, according to theCanadian Dictionary of Biography, was as prolific as theBrontës,Edgeworths andTrollopes, settled in the village 1802–08. Their daughters includedAgnes Strickland, a historian.
The noted French writer, politician, diplomat and historian,François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand while exiled from France, 1792 – 1800, during the Revolution spent a period living at the Music House, No. 34 Bridge Street. This is recorded on a blue plaque.[19]
Others wereCatharine Parr Traill, who concentrated on children's literature, andSusanna Moodie, who emigrated to Canada and wroteRoughing it in the Bush (1852) as a warning to others. The novelist SirH. Rider Haggard (1856–1925) was born nearby inBradenham and presented St. Mary's Church with a wooden panel, displayed behind the altar. Religious writerMargaret Barber (1869–1901), author of the posthumously published best-selling book of meditations,The Roadmender, settled in Bungay. In 1954, the electrical industry pioneerCaroline Haslett retired to the town to live with her sister Rosalind Messenger.[20]
More recently, Formula 1 motor racing presidentBernie Ecclestone was brought up in Bungay and internet activistJulian Assange was confined to nearbyEllingham Hall, Norfolk in 2010–11. AuthorsElizabeth Jane Howard[21] andLouis de Bernières[22] have lived in the town. ArtistMichael Fell lived in the town in the 1980s and 1990s.[23] Blind artistSargy Mann moved to Bungay in 1990 and lived there until his death in 2015.[24] PoetLuke Wright has lived in Bungay since 2010.[25] Children's author and illustratorJames Mayhew lives in Bungay.[26]
Darts professionalAndrew Gilding lives in Bungay. Gilding won thePDC'sUK Open tournament in 2023, defeating Michael van Gerwen 11-10 in the final at Butlin's Minehead Resort.
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