Ixworth, Suffolk

Historical Description

Ixworth, a small town and a parish in Suffolk. The town stands on the river Thet, on the line of the old Icknield Street, or Icenild, doubtless so called from its traversing the territory of the great British tribe of the Iceni (Ickworth, Ixworth, and Icklingham are probably all derived from the same). It is 3½ miles N from Thurston station on the G.E.R., and 6½ NE from Bury St Edmunds; consists chiefly of two neat and well-built streets; was once a market-town; has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Bury St Edmunds, and a police station; and is a seat of petty sessions. The parish comprises 2304 acres; population, 951. The manor, with Ixworth Abbey, belonged formerly to the Nortons, and belongs now to the Cartwrights. An Augustinian priory was founded here about 1100 by Gilbert Ie Blund, and given at the dissolution to the Codingtons. Ixworth Abbey is a handsome brick mansion, and includes some portions of the priory buildings. Several stone coffins and other antiquities have been exhumed from the grounds. Roman coins and other Roman relics also have been found. There are chalk pits. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Ely; net value, £117 with residence. The church is a fine building of flint in the Decorated, Floriated, and Perpendicular styles, dating from the 15th century. There are Primitive Methodist and Wesleyan chapels, and several useful charities. A stock show is held in June, and an agricultural festival in October.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Ixworth from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Ixworth (St. Mary))

Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Suffolk is available to browse.

Maps

Online maps of Ixworth are available from a number of sites:

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)

Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Suffolk papers online:

• The Ipswich Journal
• East Suffolk Mercury and Lowestoft Weekly News
• Bury and Norwich Post
• Bury Free Press