Rickinghall Inferior
| Rickinghall Inferior | |
|---|---|
 St. Mary's Rickinghall Inferior |
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 Rickinghall Inferior
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| Rickinghall Inferior shown within Suffolk | |
| Population | 449 |
| Civil parish |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Rickinghall Inferior is a civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.According to the 2011 census there were 233 males and 216 females in this civil parish, for a total population of 449. It includes the western part of the village of Rickinghall and is adjacent to the village and parish of Wattisfield. The road from the market town of Bury. St Edmunds to the city of Norwich passes through the village.
The parishes name Rickinghall Inferior means " The nook of Rica's People ". The term " Inferior" means lower and refers to the fact that the parish is the lower counterpart of Rickinghall Superior. The parish appears in 2 entries in the Little Domesday Book under the name "Richingehella" in the year 1086 the Domesday Book recorded "2 villagers. 7 smallholders. 2 slaves. 22 freemen. 2 free men." in the parish. The church appears in a series titled " A Series of Etchings Illustrative of the Architectural Antiquities of Suffolk", which is a British Museum collection it was acquired by the museum in 1870. However the work is not currently on display.
In 1868 The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland described the parish of "Rickinghall Inferior, a parish in the hundred of Blackbourn, county Suffolk, 7 miles S.W. of Diss, 5 W. of Mellis railway station, and a quarter of a mile S.W. of Botesdale, its post town. The village, which is of small extent, is wholly agricultural. The road from Bury St. Edmund's to Norwich runs through the village. The tithes of the two parishes, Inferior and Superior, have been commuted for a rent-charge of £1,040; and the glebe contains 24 acres. The living is a rectory* consolidated with that of Rickinghall-Superior, in the diocese of Norwich, joint value £850. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is an ancient edifice with a circular tower, the upper part of which is octagonal. The parochial charities produce about £33 per annum. There is a National school. The Baptists and Wesleyans have each a place of worship. G. H. Wilson, Esq., is lord of the manor."
St. Mary's Rickinghall Inferior is one of the few dozen extant round-tower churches in Suffolk. According to the 1870–72 Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, the church is "early decorated English" in style. The church has a tower which is circular below and octagonal above. It is a Grade I listed building. The Church is home to panels of Flemish glass, most likely from the 18th century which depict the disciples at the Last Supper. As part of the millennium the church was given a new stained glass window, an image of Christ the Saviour of the World. In 2013 a guide to the church called " St Mary's Church Rickinghall Inferior" written by former churchwarden Jean Sheehan was published. The book has been published by 'Quatrefoil' a village group funded by the National Lottery established to specifically publish books about the history of the villages of Botesdale , Redgrave and The Rickinghalls.
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