Steeple Bumpsteadis a village andcivil parish3 miles (4.8 km) south ofHaverhillinBraintreedistrict,Essex,England.
| Steeple Bumpstead | |
|---|---|
 The footbridge on the corner of Church Street, Steeple Bumpstead | |
  Steeple Bumpstead Location withinEssex | |
| Population | 1,627 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TL6841 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HAVERHILL |
| Postcode district | CB9 |
| Dialling code | 01440 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
The parish church does not have a steeple, although the Congregational Church has a smallVictorianone. It is believed that the steeple referred to was located on the A1017 close to what is now the Wixoe Pumping Station.
Village features include a village hall, School (Steeple Bumpstead Primary school) and park.
Etymology
editThe nameBumpstead,once referring to the whole area now known as Steeple andHelions Bumpstead,is first attested in acharterof 1042—albeit only in a copy of the mid-twelfth century—asBumstedandBumsteda;it next appears in theDomesday Bookof 1086 (in the spellingsBumesteda,Bummesteda,andBunsteda). The first element of the name is agreed probably to have been theOld Englishwordbune,in this context meaning 'reeds' (though it could also mean 'flax' or 'hemp')—either because the settlement was named for the presence of reeds themselves, or because it was named after a river calledBunethat had itself been named for its reeds. This interpretation fits the presence of a river characterised by reeds running through Steeple Bumpstead. The second element is thought either to have originated as Old Englishstede,meaning 'place', orhām-stede,meaning 'homestead'. Thus the name once meant something like 'reed-place' or 'homestead on the RiverBune'.[2][3]
In time, two distinct centres developed, with the Helions part taking on the nameBumpstead Magna(Great) and the Steeple districtBumpstead Parva(Little).[3][4]The name of Steeple Bumpstead arises from the presence there of a church tower, first apparent in the appearance of the formsStepilbumstedeandStepelbumstedein the period 1260–92, the French formBomstede alatour('Bumpstead at the tower') in 1284, andBunsted(e) atte Tourin 1285.[5][3]
History
editTheKnights Templarpositioned themselves on the river. The town is notable for itsLollardconnections.[6]
There has been a long history onnon-conformist beliefin the village which continues to this day in theCongregational Church.A Bumpstead man was burnt to death in the parish for his beliefs. Along the Blois Road, leading from Bumpstead toBirdbrook,is a field that has been called the 'Bloody Pightle', and that is where he is believed to have been martyred. In 1527 John Tibauld and eight other village residents were seized and taken before theBishop of London,charged with meeting together in Bower Hall to pray and read a copy of theNew Testament.Although the non-conformists in the village were encouraged by the powerful Bendyshe family that lived at Bower Hall, even their influence could not save Tibauld. He was burned at the stake.[7]
Having fallen into ruin after use as a 'concentration camp' in theFirst World War,Bower Hall was finallydemolished in 1926and the materials sold off. The great staircase found its way to the United States.[7]
TheMoot Hall,also known as "the Old Schole", symbolises Steeple Bumpstead. Built in 1592 by the inhabitants on land rented from the Crown, in the 1830s when it was 'a school for farmers' sons' the villagers forcibly took possession of it, disputing the claim of George Gent of Moyns to have the right to appoint the headmaster. Eventually anecclesiastical courtupheld the villagers' claim.[7]
Modern times
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There are many facilities in Steeple Bumpstead for residents including a local village store, a post office, a petrol station, and a library in the aforementioned Moot Hall. There are two pubs,The Fox and HoundsandThe Red Lion.[8]
There are two churches, the Church of England parish church of St. Mary's and the Congregational Church, each offering various activities for all ages. St Mary's is a grade I listed building dating from the 11th century.[9]
Steeple Bumpstead has a primary school, Steeple Bumpstead Primary School.[10]
Steeple Bumpstead has aScout Group: 1st Steeple Bumpstead Scoutswhich consists of aBeaver Colony, A Cub Pack and a Scout Troop.[11]
Steeple Bumpstead was also mentioned in the first pages of the 2007 novelThe ReaversbyGeorge MacDonald Fraser.[12]
The village is referred to in Episode 5 of the first series ofThe Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrinbroadcast on BBC1 (1976). Perrin tries to insult a colleague by saying that they are Lecturer in 'Applied Manure from The University of Steeple Bumpstead'.[13]
Notable residents
editNurseEdith Cavellhad ties with Steeple Bumpstead long before she became a nurse. During 1886, Edith was appointed governess to the four children of the Reverend Charles Powell, vicar of Steeple Bumpstead. The former vicarage, where a stone plaque commemorates her stay, is a private residence on the corner of Chapel Street andFinchingfieldRoad. There is a plaque about Edith Cavell in the 11th century village church and a road named after her.[7]
Colonel J. C. Humphrey, son of the village wheelwright, may have allegedly inventedcorrugated iron,but this is myth as it was invented by Henry Robinson Palmer in 1829. He built and lived in the Iron House, North Street, which was demolished in the 1960s. At one time Humphreys Ltd of London claimed to be the 'largest works in the world' and held aRoyal Warrantas 'supplier to His MajestyKing Edward VII'.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Civil Parish population 2011".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved7 September2016.
- ^The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, Based on the Collections of the English Place-Name Society,ed. by Victor Watts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), s.v.Helions BUMPSTEAD.
- ^abc'Helion Bumpstead and Steeple Bumpstead',Survey of English Place-Names.
- ^Roy Brazier,Portrait of Helions Bumpstead.
- ^The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, Based on the Collections of the English Place-Name Society,ed. by Victor Watts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), s.v.Steeple BUMPSTEAD.
- ^Fissell, Mary Elizabeth (2004).Vernacular Bodies: The Politics of Reproduction in Early Modern England.Oxford University Press. p. 36.ISBN0199269882.
- ^abcde"History".Steeple Bumpstead Parish Council.Retrieved9 April2023.
- ^"Red Lion, Steeple Bumpstead".whatpub.Retrieved9 April2023.
- ^Historic England."PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN (1166315)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved20 April2014.
- ^"Steeple Bumpstead Primary School".Department for Education.Retrieved8 April2023.
- ^"1st Steeple Bumpstead Scouts".Essex Scouts.Retrieved8 April2023.
- ^Fraser, George MacDonald (2007).The Reavers.Harper Collins.ISBN978-0007253845.
- ^"The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (TV Series 1976–1979)".IMDb.Retrieved8 April2023.
External links
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Media related toSteeple Bumpsteadat Wikimedia Commons