Corton, Suffolk

History

Corton is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Caretuna or Karetuna, a name probably derived from the Viking name Kari. It formed part of the Half Hundred of Lothingland, had a population of around 21 households and formed part of the King's holdings. This included the village of Newton which was lost to coastal erosion during the medieval period. This land was transferred from Corton to Hopton, which was also in Suffolk at the time, as part of county reorganisation in 1974, at which point Hopton was renamed Hopton-on-Sea, as it then gained a coastline.

During the 19th-century, the manor of Corton was owned by Samuel Morton Peto, a railway developer who owned the nearby Somerleyton Hall.

In the early 1870s, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Corton as:

A lightvessel operated 6 mi off the coast at Corton from the 1860s until the 20th-century protecting shipping from an area of sandbanks. One of the vessels was sunk by a submarine mine in 1916 during World War I. Corton railway station closed in 1970 and the station building is now used as a private residence.

Culture and community

Corton is a seaside holiday centre, with two holiday centres and a long sandy beach. The beach a little to the south of the village, under Corton Cliffs, was designated a naturist beach in 1979, but was de-designated in 2009 alongside revoking a byelaw prohibiting naturists elsewhere; so the previous practice has continued.

The parish church is dedicated to St Bartholomew, and is a partial ruin, with only the chancel roofed. It lies north of the village in an isolated position. The church was built in the medieval period, with some 14th-century stonework remaining, and may have been founded by John de Dersham, the abbot of Leiston Abbey.

The village has a primary school and a public house, the White Horse. Three more pubs used to operate in the village, the Corton Hut closing in 2018.

Governance

Corton is part of the electoral ward called Gunton and Corton. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 4,400.

References

References

1. [https://www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/assets/Planning/Neighbourhood-Planning/Town-and-village-profiles/Corton-Village-Profile.pdf Village profile: Corton], [[East Suffolk District Council]], 2019. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
2. [https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/media/pdfs/corton.pdf Corton], Suffolk Heritage Explorer, [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
3. [http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/suffolk2.html#corton Corton], Domesday Book Online. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
4. [https://opendomesday.org/place/TM5497/corton/ Corton], Open Domesday. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
5. The remaining narrow strip of land was attached to Corton in 1515.[https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/Monument/MSF13903 Monument record COR 073 - Church of St Mary; Newton; The Gate. Formerly recorded as COR Misc], Suffolk Heritage Explorer, [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
6. Soanes M [http://corton.onesuffolk.net A Short History of Corton], Corton Parish Council. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
7. [[Alfred Suckling. Suckling AI]] (1846) 'Corton ', in ''The History and Antiquities of the County of Suffolk: Volume 1'', pp.340–348. Ipswich: WS Crowell. ([http://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/suffolk-history-antiquities/vol1/pp340-348 Available online] at British History Online. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
8. Clapham L (2014) [https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/graphic-the-day-six-suffolk-villages-moved-into-norfolk-and-651046 The day six Suffolk villages moved into Norfolk – and it definitely wasn't an April Fools' joke], ''[[Eastern Daily Press]]'', 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
9. [[John Marius Wilson
10. [https://suffolk.camra.org.uk/place/77 Corton], Suffolk Pubs, Suffolk [[Campaign for Real Ale]]. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
11. (23 February 2025). "Naturists' anger at council attempt to ban 'lewd' naked sunbathing". The Daily Telegraph.
12. (3 May 2020). "Gunton Sands (Corton Beach)".
13. "Corton Sands - near Lowesoft".
14. It was largely derelict by the 17th century and was restored, with the chancel re-roofed, starting in the 1840s. It features a 15th-century tower and a 14th-century carved cross. The building is a Grade II* listed building.Knott S (2010) [http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/corton.html St Bartholomew, Corton], Suffolk Churches. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
15. [https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1352637 Church of St Bartholomew], List entry, [[Historic England]]. Retrieved 2021-03-13.