Coney Weston
| Coney Weston | |
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 Church of St Mary |
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 Coney Weston
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| Coney Weston shown within Suffolk | |
| Population | 394 (2011) |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bury St Edmunds |
| Postcode district | IP31 |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Coney Weston is a village in Suffolk, within the St. Edmundsbury district. It is a primarily rural residential town that has dormitory town status. It is 5 miles (8 km) north of Ixworth and 12 miles (19 km) from Bury St. Edmunds
Coney Weston has a different meaning to other towns with the name : it is not a true Weston (where the origin is from Old English west-tun "western farm, village or estate") but is a hybrid name, from Old Norse konungr "king" (cognate with Old English cyning "king") and Old English tun "farm". The name was recorded as Cunungestuna in the Domesday Book in 1086.
Peddars Way passes through the parish which also contains several 17th-century buildings. Coney Weston was recorded in Domesday as "Cunegestuna".
RAF Knettishall was built close to Coney Weston from late 1942 by W&G French and occupied by the USAF 388th Bomb Group from June 1943 until April 1945. Flying B17 (Flying Fortress) aircraft they completed 306 missions, losing almost 180 aircraft to enemy action and other causes. Perhaps their most famous aircraft was called Thomas Paine (named after a son of nearby Thetford). Named at a civic ceremony in honour of Paine’s subsequent contribution to the young American colony’s quest for independence. This aircraft survived many missions until it overshot the runway and ended up in a field. Despite repairs it was subsequently retired from active service.
Coney Weston is stretched along two roads, Thetford Road (going from the north west to south-east) and The Street (heading east).
In 1988 the population of the village was doubled by a boundary change which officially incorporated the Swan end of Barningham into Coney Weston. At present there are 323 people on the electoral roll living in around 150 houses.
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Wikipedia