" Liston is bounded on the east by the river Stour, extending westward to the parish of Foxearth; and from Borley, on its southern extremity, to Pentlow on the north. Its circumference does not exceed four miles; the low grounds watered by the river are light and sandy, and the whole district abundantly productive.

The name, variously written in records, Lyston, Leyston, and Lisson, has been supposed to be from the Saxon List , a border, but this may be considered a doubtful etymology. "

" It was in the possession of several freemen in the time of Edward the Confessor; and, at the Domesday survey, had become the property of Hugh de Gurnai, Ilbodo, * and Roger Bigot ; Geofrey Talabot being under tenant to Gurnai. "

" These different proprietors having each his distinct portions, occasioned the division of these lands into the three manors of Liston Overhall, Liston Netherhall, and Liston Weston; but the whole having been subsequently united when in possession of the Liston family, and also by other proprietors, nearly the whole has been generally considered included in the manor of Liston. Hugh de Gurnai, the ancient owner of Liston Hall, was one of the Conqueror's military favourites, and, previous to the expedition against this country, had distinguished himself in a celebrated battle against Henry the First, of France. * In the decline of life he became a monk in the abbey of Bec, in Normandy, to which he had been a benefactor; and, on his decease there, left , by his wife Basilia , daughter of Girald Fleitell, two sons, Girald and Hugh. "

" Girald, with his wife Editha, sister of William, earl of Warren, accompanied Robert Curthose to the Holy Land, and died there, leaving Hugh , his son and successor, who was taken under the patronage of King Henry the First, and carefully educated in the learning of that age, and trained to military exercises , g with as much care and attention as if he had been his own son; but he proved ungrateful , and joined in a rebellion against his benefactor . On his decease in 1188 , he left , by his wife Maud , sister of Ralph de Peronne , count of Ver mandois , a son named Hugh, who was with King Richard the First at the siege of Acon , in the Holy Land ; and , on the taking of that city , was made governor of the part belonging to the English king . || Joining the barons against King John , he was deprived of his possessions , but , after his decease in 1221 , they were restored to his son Hugh , by King Henry the Third . This Hugh pursuing the same course of dis loyalty and contempt of the royal authority , had all his lands and other possessions taken from him , as forfeited to the crown . He died in 1237 , leaving , by Lucy his wife , daughter of Robert de Berkley , an only daughter , named Juliana , who was mar ried to William Bardulph . I "

" This estate, in the time of Henry the Second, was in possession of a family surnamed Liston family. De Liston, who held it by the grand sergeancy of making , and placing before the king , five wafers on the day of his coronation . ** Geofrey , or Godfrey de Liston , held lands by this tenure in 1226 , and also lands in Witham, by the sergeancy of carrying flour to make the king's wafers , at Christmas , wherever he shall be at that time in England. He died in 1267 : John de Liston was his son ; whose son and successor was Sir John de Liston , on whose decease , in 1332 , he left his successor , John , by his wife Maud ; and this John de Liston marrying Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Carbonell , had by her a son , who receiving his father's name , succeeded to this inheritance in 1349 . He died in 1359 , and was succeeded by his uncle , William de Liston , whose widow , named Joan , held the estate after his death . She died in 1367 , and left a son named Thomas , * who disposed of this estate to Richard Lyons , a wine - merchant and lapidary , created sheriff of London in 1374 ; and , in 1381 , beheaded by the insurgents , under Wat Tyler , who had formerly been his servant , as appears from his epitaph in the church of St. James , on Garlick Hill , where he was buried . He held the manor of Overhall , in Liston , by the same tenure as his predecessors had done ; but , a con siderable time before his death , he had conveyed Netherhall , in Liston , and lands and tenements called Westones and Carbonells , with appurtenances in Liston and Borley, Foxearth , and Pentlow , to Lady Alice Neville .

Netherhall was holden of the Earl of March, by the service of twelve shillings a year; and Westons was holden of Thomas Munchensy, for one pound of pepper.
He had also the manor of Gosfield. On his violent death, his estates escheated to the crown; and, in 1383, King Richard the Second granted the manor of Liston Overhall to Sir Hugh de Segrave in fee, by the former service of the wafers.

From official writings of the year 1400 and upwards, it appears that several estates in this parish were conveyed to William Venour, Elizabeth Mabil Venour, and John Stapulforde; and, in 1461, John Venour died, holding the manor of Liston Overhall by the ancient tenure: he also held the manors of Liston Weston, Liston Netherhall, with the advowson of the church of Liston Netherhall, of Ralph Bokby, by fealty ; and also a messuage and lands in Pentlow.

His heirs were successively , John Bluet , son of Agnes , sister of Elizabeth , and mother of William Venour ; John Wroughton , son of John , son of Margaret , another sister ; and William Harwell , son of Roger , son of a third sister of Elizabeth . Sir John Say, of an ancient family of Hertfordshire , was the next proprietor of this estate , in which he was succeeded by his son Thomas , by his first wife Elizabeth , daughter of Edward Cheney , Esq . of Cambridgeshire . On his death , in 1497 , he left William , his son and heir , who died under age ; and his two sisters , Anne , mar ried to Robert Husey , Esq . , and Elizabeth to William Clopton , Esq . , second son of Sir William Clopton, of Melford and Lutons , in Suffolk , were his co - heiresses . * The ancient family of Clopton are of Clopton in the hundred of Carleford , in Suf- Clopton family . folk . William de Clopton resided there in the reign of King Henry the First ; and Sir William , of the same family , in 1346 , bought Newnham Hall , in Ashdon , in this county , where he and his posterity were seated for many generations . Sir Thomas de Clopton was the brother of Sir William , and marrying Katharine , daughter and co - heiress of William Mylde , Esq . of Clare , had with her Kentwell Hall , in Melford , which became the family residence of his descendants .

William de Clopton, his son, had Newnham Hall, the gift of his cousin Edward; and another William , of the same family , was seated at Castelyns , in the parish of Groton , in Suffolk . William Clopton , Esq . who came to the possession of this estate by marriage with Elizabeth Say , was the second son of Sir William Clopton , of Kentwell Hall , in Mel ford ; his two sons were William and Francis.t . At the time of his death , in 1537 , he held the capital manor of this parish of the king , by the ancient tenure of sergeancy ; and had also half of the manors of Liston Weston , and Liston Netherhall , and the advowson of the church , with other possessions in Pentlow and Foxearth . William , his eldest son , succeeded to this inheritance , and , on his decease in 1568 , left a son , also named William , who , in the post mortem record , is said to have only the capital manor of Liston Overhall , with appurtenances in Liston Foxearth , and Pentlow . He married Anne , daughter of Sir Thomas Barnardiston , knt. , by whom he had William and Francis, and Anne , married to George Parys, of Dublynton, Esq. and Mary, to William Smyth, Esq. of Thorndon, in Suffolk.

William Clopton, Esq. of Liston Hall , married Anne , only daughter and heiress of John Wiseman , Esq . of Stisted Hall, by his first wife Elizabeth , daughter of John Glascock , of Roxwell . This heiress brought to her husband a considerable estate in Stisted , called Rayne Hatch and Boltwoods : by her , he was the father of Thomas , William , and John . The eldest son , Thomas , married Elizabeth , daughter of Martin Sparrow, of Finchingfield, by whom he had William Clopton, Esq . of Liston Hall , who married Elizabeth , daughter of Sir William Poley , of Boxted , in Suffolk , by whom he had William , who married Anne , daughter of Edward Crisp , of Bury St. Edmund's . * In 1745 , these estates had become the property of Dr. Clopton , from whom they passed to a gentleman of the name of Rieussett , who sold them to William Campbell , Esq . brother to the Duke of Argyll. This gentleman erected an elegant modern building on the site of the ancient manor house , with a park , and surrounding gardens and pleasure grounds . This seat is delightfully situated on the borders of Suffolk , with varied and beautiful prospects over a richly luxuriant country . Sir Hyde Parker , bart . of Melford Hall , in Suffolk , is the present owner of the capital manor of Liston , and also of the estates of Harts and Buckles , formerly the property of Sir Mordaunt Martin.

The church consists of a nave and chancel, with a square tower containing three bells. Coats of arms of the ancient families of Mylde , Clopton , Cheney , and Roydon , are painted in the windows of this church, and on the south side of the chancel there is an elegant marble monument , with the following inscription:

On the day that the Kent insurgents were encamped at Blackheath and the Essex men were at Mile End a previous vicar of Ringsfield, near Beccles in Suffolk, gave the signal for the revolt in East Anglia.

John Wrawe was the former priest and he put in his first appearance at Liston near Long Melford with a band of of rebels drawn mostly from Essex. Liston is only three miles from from Wrawe's native town of Sudbury and it was to Sudbury that messages were dispatched with a proclamation that Wrawe was come"to right the grievances of all men". All that is known of Wrawe is that he was discontented, ambitious and poor. He showed by his acts in the following days that he was also cruel, greedy and a coward. He filled his own pockets during his short period of command but when it was all over and he was captured he turned King's evidence and provided information which was to hang many of his own lieutenants in the uprising.