Stambourne
| Stambourne | |
| Essex | |
|---|---|
 St Peter and St Thomas Becket church | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 52°1’10"N, 0°30’3"E |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Halstead |
| Postcode: | CO9 |
| Dialling code: | 01787 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Braintree |
Stambourne is a village and parish in the Hinckford Hundred in northernmost Essex, two and a half miles south of the River Stour which marks the border of Suffolk to the north.
The civil parish population at the 2011 Census was 409. Stambourne's closest neighbouring villages are Ridgewell, Toppesfield, Cornish Hall End and Great Yeldham.
The parish church of St Peter and St Thomas Becket dates from the 11th century and is a Grade I listed building.[1]
The grand house of the village, Stambourne Hall, stands beghind the church. It was built in the 15th century and is a Grade II listed building.[2]
The name 'Stambourne' is from the Old English stan burna. meaning 'stony brook'.
History
In 1663, a local spinster, Sarah Houghton of Stambourne, was accused of witchcraft and charged by the authorities with causing John Smyth to become "consumed and made infirme." A jury found Houghton guilty, and she was ordered to be hanged. She was reprieved after the jury had rendered their judgment.[3]
==Events Every year a bonfire and fireworks display is held in the village playing field. The event attracts people from surrounding areas.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Stambourne) |
- Stambourne.com: community and history
- St Peter & St Thomas Church, Stambourne: Upper Colne Valley Parishes
References
- ↑ National Heritage List 1317130: Parish Church of St Peter and St Thomas (Grade I listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1338338: Stambourne Hall (Grade II listing)
- ↑ Witchcraft in Tudor and Stuart England, Alan Macfarlane, James Anthony Sharpe, published by Routledge, 1999 ISBN 0-415-19612-4 ISBN 978-0-415-19612-3