Pakenham, Suffolk

History

Pacca was the founder of a settlement on the hill where Pakenham church now sits, on an area higher than the waters of Pakenham Fen. The discovery of many Anglo-Saxon remains, notably that of a bone-toothed comb in the old school garden (near the church) in the 1950s, testify to the authenticity of the site. The village was therefore named Pacca's Ham, i.e. the home of Pacca.

This name eventually became Pakenham (pronounced locally with a long "a" sound). The Anglo-Saxon family name later became "de Pakenham". Pacca's descendants continued to farm here until the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The village has contained several manor houses, such as Pakenham Hall the family seat of the Spring family, but has now been demolished. Nether Hall was the original home of the de Pakenham family, and later seat of the Greene baronets. Newe House was built by Sir Robert Bright before becoming the dower house of the Spring family. Several members of the Spring family are buried in the parish church of St Mary which dates from ca. 1100.

Folklore

Towards the end of the nineteenth century 'a house near Pakenham was said to be persistently disturbed by strange noises and the sound of footsteps.' Lady Gurdon gives, in 1893, meanwhile, an account of a local carter encountering a phantom funeral procession.

Notable residents

• Hamon L'Estrange (1605 – 1660), writer on history, theology and liturgy who is buried at Pakenham.
• Joanne Jennings (1969- ), high jumper who competed for Great Britain twice at the Summer Olympics and won silver at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
• Thomas Thornhill (1837-1900), baronet, High Sheriff of Suffolk in 1860, Conservative politician, and Member of Parliament (MP) for the Western division of Suffolk at a by-election in October 1875, and held the seat until the constituency was abolished at the 1885 general election.

Gallery

File:Pakenham Watermill - geograph.org.uk - 1996889.jpg|The Watermill from Mill Road File:St Mary's church Pakenham Suffolk (504144975).jpg|View of St Mary's Church File:Pakenham Fen - geograph.org.uk - 243340.jpg|Footbridge over Pakenham Fen File:The Street, Pakenham - geograph.org.uk - 907919.jpg|View of the main street File:Pakenham Tower Mill - geograph.org.uk - 1996572.jpg|Pakenham tower windmill across the field File:CS p4.288 - Nether Hall, Suffolk - Morris's County Seats, 1879.jpg|Nether Hall by Francis Orpen Morris (1866) File:St Mary's church Pakenham Suffolk (504144895).jpg|St Mary's Church inside File:Micklemere, Ixworth - geograph.org.uk - 768176.jpg|The mere viewed from the watermill File:Newe House, Pakenham - geograph.org.uk - 238734.jpg|Newe House File:Pakenham Church Suffolk by Henry Davy.jpg|Pakenham Church by Henry Davy (1827) File:Pakenham village sign - geograph.org.uk - 1281648.jpg|Village sign File:Spider in Suffolk - geograph.org.uk - 1130285.jpg|Topiaries by a local artist File:The Black Bourn at Bull Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 238737.jpg|River Black Bourn at Bull Bridge File:Looking across Ixworth water meadows towards Pakenham windmill - geograph.org.uk - 777133.jpg|Windmill as seen from Micklemere

References

References

1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Office for National Statistics.
2. "Pakenham Water Mill".
3. "Pakenham St Mary {{!}} National Churches Trust".
4. Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson, ''The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England's Legends, from Spring-Heeled Jack to the Witches of Warboy'' (London: Penguin Books, 2005), 703.