Stambourne
| Stambourne | |
|---|---|
 Parish church of St Peter and St Thomas Becket | |
  Stambourne Location within Essex | |
| Population | 421 (Parish, 2021)[1] |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HALSTEAD |
| Postcode district | CO9 |
Stambourne is a village and civil parish in the Braintree District in north Essex, England. It lies 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Halstead, its post town. Stambourne's closest neighbouring villages are Ridgewell, Toppesfield, Cornish Hall End and Great Yeldham. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 421.
History
[edit]The name Stambourne derives from the Old English term for 'stony brook'.[2]
A part of the British 17th-century witchcraft trials, the spinster Sarah Houghton of Stambourne, in 1663, was charged by the authorities with causing John Smyth to become "consumed and made infirme." A jury, including John Levett and Matthew Butcher, found Houghton guilty, and she was ordered to be hanged. She was reprieved after the jury had rendered their judgment.[3]
Dame Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, a stage actress of the early- and mid-20th century, lived in Stambourne in later life, dying in 1992 at the age of 101.[citation needed]
Community
[edit]The parish church of St Peter and St Thomas Becket dates from the 11th century and is a Grade I listed building.[4]
Every year a bonfire and fireworks display is held in the village playing field. The event attracts people from surrounding areas (including Great Yeldham, Hedingham and Halstead).[citation needed]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "2021 Census Parish Profiles". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 31 March 2025. (To get individual parish data, use the query function on table PP002.)
- ^ "Stambourne". Key to English Place-Names. University of Nottingham. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ^ 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
- ^ Historic England. "PARISH CHURCH OF ST PETER AND ST THOMAS (1317130)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
External links
[edit]
- Main website for Stambourne, with a brief history of Stambourne and access to its history document
- Website for St Peter & St Thomas’ Church, Stambourne, part of the Upper Colne Valley Parishes
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