Long MELFORD is the largest village in extent and population in Suffolk, and acquired the affix Long by reason of it consisting mainly of one street almost a mile long.

The name Melford was derived from the Mill ford, the site of which was where the main bridge now stands, the mill being one of the water-mills mentioned in the survey of the parish in Domesday Book. Melford in Saxon times formed part of the great possession of Earl Alfric, the son of Withgar or Wisgar as the name appears in the Great Survey, or Widgar as it appears in the Abbot's Chartulary. This Thane, who was styled the " famous Earl," had the custody for Queen Emma, mother of the Confessor, of the franchise of the eight hundreds and a half later known as the Liberty of St. Edmund. The Manor of Melford was given by Earl Alfric to the Abbey of St. Edmund in the time of Leofstan, who was the Abbot of that monastery from 1044 to 1065. The Chartulary of Abbot John de Norwold made in 1287 recites this grant as follows :

"Earl Alfric, son of Widgar, presented Melford to St. Edmunds as stated in the Register S.P. fol. 32 in these words: ' In the time of St. Edmund King and Confessor, and of Leofstam the Abbot, Alfric the son of Witgar the famous Earl gave Melford to St. Edmund and gave a manor to this church and to St. Edmund, and to Leofstan the Abbot : and he conveyed to them the induction of this church in perpetuity and bound his son Withgar to the same, so that their charter then came into the hands of the monks.' ' This Alfric the Thane was an important character in the time of the Confessor. He was the kinsman of Alfar and of Leofgion, a noble lady, as appears by her Testament written in Anglo-Saxon. The Collegiate Church of St. John the Baptist at Clare, afterwards removed to Stoke by Clare, was founded by him with the consent of his son Withgar. The Honor of Clare was composed chiefly of the great possessions of this Thane in Suffolk and Essex.

In Saxon times the lordship was held by the Abbot of St. Edmunds with 12 carucates of land.

In the Confessor's time 40 acres of this land were held by Walter of the Abbot, and there were 37 villeins, 25 bordars, 8 ploughteams in demesne, 20 belonging to the men, 16 slaves, 50 acres of meadow, wood for 60 hogs, 2 mills, 30 beasts, 140 hogs, and 2 socmen with 80 acres of land. By the time of the Great Survey there were but 10 bordars and 2 of the ploughteams in demesne, and 7 of those belonging to the men had disappeared; but on the other hand there were 3 rounceys, 300 sheep, 12 hives of bees and 40 forest mares additional. The above Walter also held of the Abbot one (sic) with 40 acres and 2 ploughteams. Over them the Abbot had commendation and sac and soc and all customs, nor could they ever give or sell these lands without the Abbot's consent. There was also a church living with 2 carucates of land, 4 villeins, 9 bordars, 2 ploughteams belonging to the Church and 2 to the men.

In Saxon times this manor was valued at 20 pounds, but at the time of the Domesday Survey at 30. It was 18 quarantenes long and I league broad, and paid in a gelt, whoever might be the holder, 20^.' In a survey

This web page is based on the text of the Church guide, prepared by The Revd. Canon Christopher Sansbury with the help of Bill Fox and David Dymond.

We suggest you start your tour standing in front of the shop at the west end (i.e. on your left as you come in). Look down towards the altar and note the size of the church. When it was rebuilt in its present form (a process lasting many years and completed in 1484) most of the country was in a state of economic decline, but there was a growing prosperity among the cloth merchants, not least in East Anglia. Long Melford is a 'wool church' (perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a 'cloth church'), built by men who used their wealth to build great churches to the glory of God rather than spend it on private status symbols for themselves.

Housing the congregation was in many ways a secondary aim; the cloth merchants would never have thought of restricting the size of the church to the size of the expected congregation.

The church as you see was completed in 1484, the Lady Chapel in 1496, and the Clopton Chapel is from about the same date. The only part of the structure older than that is the five bays of the arcading at the west end of the nave, which are considered on architectural grounds to be about a century earlier, and perhaps the porch (of which more later). The only modern part of the structure is the tower, which dates from 1903 and was built as Long Melford's commemoration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. By any standards it is a great improvement on the brick tower built in 1725. That tower replaced the original, which was destroyed by lightning around 1710, and the present tower was built round it.

Melford Hall has a long and varied history. Once the home of Benedictine monks, it was later owned by different generations of the Hyde Parker family. Discover the fascinating story of the Hall, from its royal connections to the times it was visited by children's author Beatrix Potter.

Melford Hall in Elizabethan times Sir William Cordell acquired Melford Hall after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and entertained Queen Elizabeth I at Melford in 1578. Of all Melford Hall’s visitors, Queen Elizabeth I was the most famous. Sir William didn't make himself popular with other Suffolk great houses, as his lavish reception for the Queen here in 1578 ‘did light such a candle to the rest of the shire, that they were glad...to follow the same example’.

The stained-glass panel of Elizabeth I in the Gallery was made about 200 years after her reign, possibly to evoke national pride at a time when Britain was again facing a naval invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Stuart connection
A lawyer, initially at the court of James I and later Charles I, Savage was appointed Chancellor of the Household to Queen Henrietta Maria. His wife Elizabeth also served as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen.

Savage set about completely refurbishing the house in the style of the time. He also made extensive alterations, possibly to accommodate his large family. The house was extensively plundered during the Civil War.

In 1649, Melford was purchased by Robert Cordell, MP for Sudbury and Sheriff of the county, who set about repairing and refurbishing the house. Cordell was succeeded by a son and grandson. They lived quietly at Melford for the rest of the century.

Kentwell Hall is a stately home in Long Melford, Suffolk, England. It includes the hall, outbuildings, a rare-breeds farm and gardens. Most of the current building facade dates from the mid-16th century, but the origins of Kentwell are much earlier, with references in the Domesday Book of 1086.