Bungay | |
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The windmill |
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Bungay shown within Suffolk | |
Population | 5,127 (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | TM342891 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BUNGAY |
Postcode district | NR35 |
Dialling code | 01986 |
Police | Suffolk |
Fire | Suffolk |
Ambulance | East of England |
EU Parliament | East of England |
UK Parliament | |
Bungay /ˈbʌŋɡi/ is a market town and electoral ward in the English county of Suffolk. It lies in the Waveney valley, 5.5 miles (9 km) west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at the neck of a meander of the River Waveney.
The origin of the name of Bungay is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon title Bunincga-haye, signifying the land belonging to the tribe of Bonna, a Saxon chieftain. Due to its high position, protected by the River Waveney and marshes, the site was in a good defensive position and attracted settlers from early times. Roman artefacts have been found in the region.
Bungay Castle was built by the Normans but was later rebuilt by Roger Bigod, 5th Earl of Norfolk and his family, who also owned Framlingham Castle. Bungay's village sign shows the castle. The Church of St. Mary was once the church of the Benedictine Bungay Priory, founded by Gundreda, wife of Roger de Glanville. The 13th-century Franciscan friar Thomas Bungay later enjoyed a popular reputation as a magician, appearing as Roger Bacon's sidekick in Robert Greene's Elizabethan comedy Frier Bacon and Frier Bongay.