Ampton

Ampton is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk District of Suffolk, England, about five miles north of Bury St Edmunds.

Ampton

Church of St Peter & St Paul
Ampton
Location within Suffolk
Area14.15 km2 (5.46 sq mi)
Population171 (2011) including Little Livermere & Timworth[1]
• Density12/km2 (31/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTL8671
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBury St Edmunds
Postcode districtIP31
PoliceSuffolk
FireSuffolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
Alms houses in Ampton.

According to Eilert Ekwall the meaning of the village name is Amma's homestead. The Domesday Book records the population of Ampton in 1086 to be 23 households.[2] According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 63, including Little Livermere and Timworth also increasing to 171 at the 2011 Census.

The parish is grouped with Little Livermere and Timworth to form a parish council.[3]

Ampton currently has 13 listed structures within it, 12 of them Grade II listed and SS Peter & Paul's church being Grade I listed.[4]

At the church hangs four bells with the heaviest weighing 8-1 cwt and dating from 1405 [5]

Most of the village was designated as a conservation area on 5 March 1987.[6]

The village's racecourse hosts the South Suffolk Show, an annual one day agricultural show which was first organised in 1888.[7]

Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy FRS, the scientist who achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, was born in the village. He also coined the phrase ‘Weather Forecast’ when he founded the predecessor to the Meteorological Office.[8]

Historical Writings

In 1870–72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described the village as:

AMPTON, a parish in Thingoe district, Suffolk; 5 miles N of Bury St. Edmunds r. station. It has a post office under Bury St. Edmunds. Acres, 736. Real property, £910. Pop., 131. Houses, 28. Ampton Hall, the seat of H. Rodwell, Esq., is a large brick edifice, in a spacious park. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely. Value, £172.* Patron, Hun. Rodwell, Esq. The church is a plain brick building, with a stone tower, and has a brass. Charities, Calthorpes' school, almshouses., £440.[9]

In 1887, John Bartholomew also wrote an entry on Amptonin the Gazetteer of the British Isles with a much shorter description:

Ampton, par. and seat, W. Suffolk, 5 miles N. of Bury St Edmunds, 736 ac., pop. 97; P.O.[10]

Notable residents

References
  1. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Ampton Parish (E04009285)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  2. "Ampton Parish History" (PDF). Suffolk Heritage Explorer.
  3. "Parish council - Ampton, Little Livermere & Timworth Parish Meeting". democracy.westsuffolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  4. "Listed Buildings in Ampton, St Edmundsbury, Suffolk". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  5. Dove's Guide, Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  6. "Conservation areas and appraisals". www.westsuffolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  7. "South Suffolk Show | Suffolk Agricultural Show | Ampton Race Course | Ingham | Bury St. Edmunds". Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  8. Mellersh, H. E. L. (1968). FitzRoy of the Beagle. London: Hart-Davis. ISBN 0246974524. OCLC 30625.
  9. "History of Ampton, in St Edmundsbury and Suffolk | Map and description". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  10. "Ampton | As described in John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 27 November 2019.


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