Wissett

History

Wissett manor was held by Ralph the Staller, Baron of Gael in Brittany before the Norman Conquest. Ralph was created Earl of East Anglia in 1067, but his son lost the title and the manor passed to Count Alan of Brittany and Richmond in 1075.

The artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and Grant's lover the writer David Garnett, lived in Wissett for the summer of 1916. Bell's sister, Virginia Woolf, wrote after visiting them that: "Wissett seems to lull asleep all ambition. Don't you think they have discovered the secret of life? I thought it wonderfully harmonious."

Culture and community

The parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew. It is one of around 40 round-tower churches in Suffolk{{efn|The exact number of round-tower churches in the county is a matter of debate. Some sources list 38, others cite between 40 and 43. They almost all date from the late Anglo-Saxon or early Norman periods and were mostly built between the 11th and 14th-centuries. There are around 183 round-tower churches in England, most of them in Norfolk, which has around 124, and Suffolk.

The carved wooden statue of St Andrew was crafted from driftwood in 2006 by Peter Eugene Ball.

The village has a village hall and a public house, The Plough Inn, which also operates as a village shop. whilst Manor Farmhouse dates from the 16th century and The Grange from the 14th; both are Grade II* listed buildings. The Old Chapel, a former dissenters' chapel, is now a private dwelling.

The parish council operates a regular newsletter, The Wissett Web.

Education

The Wissett School Board was formed in 1878, and the village school opened the following year, 1879. It operated as a board school until 1902, when it became a local authority primary school under the provisions of the Education Act 1902. The school continued to operate until 1961, when it closed due to the small size of its roll. Children now attend primary school in Halesworth and secondary school at Bungay High School.

The Wissett Hoards

Early in 2011 two hoards of Bronze Age axe heads and spears, together with a single rapier blade, were discovered in Wissett by two metal detectorists. The hoards were found about nine metres apart. The second hoard was excavated fully by the County Archaeological Team, and expert examination of the objects has shown them to be over 3,000 years old, dating to the Middle Bronze Age.

It is considered unusual to find two hoards so close together. From the identical alloy used in both hoards, it has been suggested that they are contemporary with each other. Several of the items are of a type that have never previously been found together.

In all, fifteen objects were authenticated by the British Museum, and were valued at £4,300. They were purchased by the Halesworth and District Museum.

Notes

References

References

1. [https://www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/assets/Planning/Neighbourhood-Planning/Town-and-village-profiles/Wisset-Village-Profile.pdf Village profile: Wissett], [[East Suffolk District Council]], 2019. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
2. [https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/media/pdfs/wissett.pdf Wissett], Suffolk Heritage Explorer, [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
3. The village is spread along the Halesworth road with the [[East Suffolk Line
4. [https://www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/assets/Planning/Design-and-Conservation/Conservation-Area-Appraisals/Wissett-CAA-Feb-20.pdf Wissett Conservation Area Appraisal], [[East Suffolk District Council]], 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
5. The [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 records that Wissett was then combined with [[Rumburgh]]; the site of [[Rumburgh Priory]] which had 12 [[Benedictine]] monks. It had four [[carucate]]s of land and a population of 97 families. The village chapel was a cell of the priory.Page W (1975) 'Houses of Benedictine monks: Priory of Rumburgh' in ''A History of the County of Suffolk: Volume 2'', pp. 77–79. ([http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=37885 Available online] at British History Online. Retrieved 2011-05-02.)
6. [https://opendomesday.org/place/TM3679/wissett/ Wissett], Open Domesday. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
7. [https://spartacus-educational.com/JbellV.htm Vanessa Bell], Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
8. [https://thetempletrail.com/round-tower-churches-map/ Round Tower Churches Map], The Temple Trail. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
9. [https://wealdanddownlandchurches.co.uk/suffolk-churches/ Suffolk Churches], Weald and Downland Churches. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
10. [http://greatenglishchurches.co.uk/html/norfolk_round_tower_churches.html Norfolk Round Tower Churches], Great English Churches. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
11. Hart S (2019) [https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/roundtower/roundtower.htm Round Tower Churches], Building Conservation, Cathedral Communications. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
12. Knott S [http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/abround.htm Suffolk churches with round towers], Suffolk Churches. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
13. [https://www.roundtowers.org.uk Welcome to the Round Tower Churches Society], The Round Tower Churches Society. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
14. Four of the churches now in Norfolk were previously in Suffolk before [[Local Government Act 1972|boundary changes in 1974]].}} and dates from the 11th century. The tower has a floor partly dated to the 12th century, one of the oldest recorded church tower floors in the United Kingdom. The church was built as a chapel to [[Rumburgh Priory]]. Two doors and the tower arch are the remaining elements of [[Norman architecture]]. The church is a Grade I [[listed building]].Knott S (2019) [http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/wissett.htm St Andrew, Wissett], Suffolk Churches. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
15. [https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1199160 Church of St Andrew], List entry, [[Historic England]]. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
16. Kiddy M (1997) ''St Andrew's, Wissett: A Guide''. Wissett: St Andrew's church.
17. The parish is now one of fourteen which together form the Blyth Valley Team Ministry in the [[Diocese of Saint Edmundsbury and Ipswich]].[https://www.blythvalleychurches.org.uk/our-churches Churches in the Blyth Valley Team Ministry], Blyth Valley Team Ministry. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
18. Wissett Hall is a red-brick manor house dating from the 17th century,[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1352575 Wissett Hall], List entry, [[Historic England]]. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
19. [https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1352575 Manor Farmhouse], List entry, [[Historic England]]. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
20. [https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1199370 The Grange], List entry, [[Historic England]]. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
21. [http://halesworthmuseum.org.uk/wpress/the-wissett-hoards/ The Wissett Hoards], Halesworth Museum. Retrieved 2021-03-04.