Withersfield
| Withersfield | |
|---|---|
 St. Mary's church, Withersfield |
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 Withersfield
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| Withersfield shown within Suffolk | |
| Population | 450 (2011) |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Haverhill |
| Postcode district | CB9 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Withersfield is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. In 2011 its population was 450. The village has a public house and a town hall. Withersfield centres on the parish church, St Mary the Virgin. The village is set in a rural location, surrounded by farmland, yet is also only a mile north from the busy market town of Haverhill. Surrounding villages include Great Wratting, West Wickham and Great Thurlow.
In 1870, the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Withersfield as:
The name Withersfield directly translates in Old English to 'Wether open land' which means an area where rams roam. With the village being set in the middle of the countryside, traditionally most of the population worked in the agriculture industry. in 1881, 100 out of the 133 male population worked in agriculture.
Withersfield appears in the Domesday book in the Risbridge hundred of Suffolk. It was made up of 2 villagers, 13 smallholders, 3 slaves and 2 free men. It held 3 lord’s plough teams and 2 men’s plough teams. It had a meadow of 3 acres and 20 woodland pigs. In 1066 the lords were Alwin, Leofwaru and Wulfmer. In 1086 they were Lord Godard, Lord Payne and Lord Widelard or Balliol.
Withersfield has undergone many boundary changes. It was part of the Risbridge registration district until 1938 when the district was abolished to become the Braintree and Newmarket districts. Withersfield joined the Newmarket registration district until 1989 when the district was abolished with all of its remaining parishes joining Bury St Edmunds. This is the registration district that Withersfield remained in until 2010 when the district size expanded. Withersfield can now be found in the Suffolk registration district.
The earliest census statistics for Withersfield dates back to 1801. At this time, the population of Withersfield was 424. The highest recorded population for the parish of Withersfield was in 1871, with a population of 670. After 1871, the population decreased until 1961 where the lowest population on record for Withersfield was logged as 345. Ever since, the population count has been steadily increasing and at the 2011 census stood at 450.
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