Stoke Ash

Stoke Ash is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located around six miles south of Diss, in 2011 its population was 314.[1] The village shares a parish council with neighbouring Thwaite. It is located on the A140 road from Norwich to Ipswich[2] The name 'Stoke', comes from 'stoc', which means a place or a secondary settlement in old English. The word 'Ash', comes from the Anglian word 'æsc', which means ash-tree. The name Ash was added to the name Stoke in the sixteenth century.[3] In 1086 Stoke Ash was known as Stoches Stotas.[4]

Stoke Ash

All Saints Church, Stoke Ash
Stoke Ash
Location within Suffolk
Population314 (2011)[1]
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townEye
Postcode districtIP23
PoliceSuffolk
FireSuffolk
AmbulanceEast of England

Early history

There is evidence of Roman settlement in Stoke Ash.[5] A collection of Roman coins and pottery pieces have been found in the area. There is a small Roman site located "on the Colchester to Caistor Roman road".[5] There are Roman tiles in the wall of the tower over the doorway in the All Saints Church.[6] Some military items and pieces of overseas household articles have also been found.[4]

History

In 1801, the population was divided into "those 'chiefly employed in agriculture', those 'chiefly employed in trade, manufacturers or handicraft', and others."[7] In 1831, 56 percent of the population were labourers and servants. Twenty percent were the middle class and 15 percent were employers and professionals. Only 2 percent was classed as 'other'.[8] Kelly's Directory of Suffolk (1900), described the soil as being mixed, consisting of subsoil and clay. The chief crops were wheat, barley and beans.[9] The area was said to be 1,200 acres.[9] The Parish School, which included both girls and boys, consisted of 50 children, with an average attendance of 47.[9] The pie chart shows the social status of men above the age of 20 in the year 1831. The "middle sorts" are a combination of farmers who do not pay for labourers and masters and skilled workers in urban manufacturing and handicrafts.[10]

Present Day

2011 employment statistics

The village consists of a church called All Saints, a village hall and green, a post office, a public house and a boarding kennels and cattery called Quiet Acres .[4] The A140 splits the village into two. To the east of the A140 are most of the houses, the church, village halls and post office, making this area the main part of the village. The Baptist church and six more homes are situated to the north of the village.[4] The primary school and the White Horse Inn are located on the west side of the A140.[4]

The average population is older than the national average of the UK and also that of Suffolk.[11] According to the UK 2011 Census, Stoke Ash does not have a large immigrant population as it has a low rate of inhabitants born in other EU countries or outside the EU. It has a higher level of residents born in the UK than the national average.[11] The residents stating their health as 'very good' in the 2011 UK census was higher than the national average. The residents stating their health as 'very bad' was lower than the national average which suggests that people in Stoke Ash are generally more satisfied with their health than the average person in the UK.[11] Stoke Ash has a higher rate of home ownership, either completely or on contract compared to the national average, which suggests that Stoke Ash is a relatively wealthy place.[11] The pie chart shows the occupational statistics of 2011. Almost all the main jobs in 2011 have an equal number of people working in those sectors. This shows social structure has improved drastically because in 1831 most people were servants.

All Saints Church

All Saints is a medieval church located on Church Lane in Stoke Ash. It was founded in 1538 and includes a cemetery.[12] It was intensely renewed in 1868. It is a Norman building made of flint and stone, consisting of S porch, chancel, nave and a square embattled western tower.[13] The late fourteenth century square tower has a defensive wall and the roof is made of concrete brick tiles.[14] The western tower accommodates four bells.[9] The church has a Tudor red-brick porch.[15] The west doorway and the tower stair doorway are both the original doors. The Arms of William IV (1836) are located above the south doorway.[14] There are around 150 seats in the Church.[9] The benches are from the year 1868.[14] The register dates back from the year 1550.[9]

The White Horse Inn

The White Horse Inn

The White Horse Inn is a bed and breakfast which is situated on the A140 close to the town of Eye in Suffolk, midway between Ipswich and Norwich. It dates back to 17th century when it was a Coaching Inn.[16] It was built during the reign of Charles the 1st ruled.

References

  1. "Stoke Ash (Mid Suffolk): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  2. McFarlane, David. "Stoke Ash". Genuki Uk and Ireland Genealogy. charitable trust GENUKI. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  3. "Stoke Ash". Key to English place names. The institute of Name-Studies. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  4. "Stoke Ash". Onesuffolk. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  5. "Stoke Ash Roman Settlement". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  6. "Stoke Ash, Suffolk". Churches and Family Tree. churchaholic. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  7. Wilson, John Marius (1870–72). Gazetteer of England and Whales (1st ed.). Edinburgh: A. Fullarton & Co. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  8. "Social status based on 1831 occupational statistics". A vision of Britain through time. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  9. "Historical Description". Forebear. Kelly's Directory of Suffolk (1900). Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  10. "Definition and source information stoke ash". A vision of britain through time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  11. "Stoke Ash, Suffolk". iLiveHere. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  12. "All Saints, Stoke Ash- Church of England". GENUKI UK and Ireland Genealogy. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  13. "Stoke Ash, Suffolk Description". UK Genealogy Archives. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  14. "Listed building description all saints church". gohistoric. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  15. Pye, Adrian. "Stoke Ash All Saints Church". geograph. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  16. "17th century coaching inn". The White Horse Inn. Retrieved 17 March 2014.

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