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Mildenhall (St. Mary)

MILDENHALL (St. Mary), a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Lackford, W. division of Suffolk, 38½ miles (N. W.) from Ipswich, and 70 (N. N. E.) from London; containing, with the hamlets of Beck-Row, Holywell-Row, High-Town, and West-Row, 3731 inhabitants. This place is situated on a tributary of the river Ouse, called the Lark, which is navigable along the south and west borders of the parish; and the road from London to Norwich, through Newmarket, runs on the east. The railway from London to Brandon and Norwich passes a few miles to the north. The town includes, besides one principal and several smaller streets, others of considerable extent forming detached portions, reaching towards the fens on the north-west; the inhabitants are plentifully supplied with water from wells and springs. In 1567 a great part of the town was consumed by fire. There is a small spinning-mill for raw silk, which affords employment chiefly for children; the main branch of business is the exportation of grain and other commodities. A market is held on Friday, which is well supplied with fish, wild-fowl, and provisions in general; and there is a fair on Oct. 10th, for toys, pedlery, &c. The powers of the county debt-court of Mildenhall, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of Mildenhall. The parish comprises by computation 16,000 acres. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £22. 8. 1½.; net income, £369; patron and impropriator, Sir H. E. Bunbury, Bart.: the tithes were commuted for land and money payments in 1807. The church is a large handsome structure, with a lofty tower; the entrance is through a highly-finished porch: the ceiling is of wood-work, richly carved, and there are several ancient monuments, particularly of the family of North. Here are places of worship for Baptists, the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, and Wesleyans. Some British and Roman antiquities were discovered in 1833.

Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858.

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