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STOWLANGTOFT in 1844 is a small neat village, in a pleasant valley, near the
confluence of a small rivulet with the southern Thet, 21 miles S.S.E. of Ixworth,
and 6 1/2 miles E.N.E. of Bury St. Edmund's. Its parish contains 163 souls, and
1,358a. 1r. 6p. of land, all the property and manor of Henry Wilson, Esq;, who
resides at the Hall, a large and handsome mansion, with neat pleasure grounds,
anciently the seat of the Langtofts, and afterwards of the families of Peche and
D'Ewes. One of the latter was Sir Simonds D'Ewes, a learned antiquary of the
17th century. The Hall was partly rebuilt in 1782, by Sir Walter Rawlinson, who
inherited the estate from his father, Sir Thomas, who was Lord Mayor of London,
in 1754, and purchased this parish in 1760, of the Norton family. The Church
(St. George) is a neat structure with a tower and three bells, and stands within
a double trenched camp. It is said to have been built in 1370, by Robert Dacy,
of Ashfield; and in a field about half a mile from it, a pot full of Roman coins
of the lower empire, was found in 1764. In Red Castle farm, in the adjoining
parish of Pakenham, a fine tesselated pavement was discovered about thirty years
ago. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £8 7s. 8d., has a good residence, 65a. 2r.
9p. of glebe, and a yearly modus of £243 17s. 6d., awarded in 1843, in lieu of
tithes. H. Wilson, Esq. is patron, and the Rev. Samuel Rickards, M.A. is the
incumbent. Here is an Almshouse, occupied by four poor widows, and about an acre
of land, partly occupied as gardens, by the almswomen, and partly let for 21s. a
year, which is carried to the poor rates, out of which the almshouse is
repaired. The donor is unknown. A small free school is supported by Mr. Wilson.
Directory-
Henry Wilson, Esq., Hall;
Rev. S. Rickards, M.A., Rectory;
Chas. Dennis, farm bailiff;
Thomas Green, farmer, Bridge;
Chas. Thomas Mathew, farmer, Street;
and Eliz. Tuck, shopkeeper and lime burner.