Wherstead
St Mary's Church, Wherstead
Wherstead is located in Suffolk
Wherstead
Wherstead
Location within Suffolk
Population342 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceTM157406
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townIpswich
Postcode districtIP2, IP9
UK Parliament

Wherstead is a village and a civil parish located in the county of Suffolk, England. Wherstead village lies 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Ipswich on the Shotley peninsula. It is in the Belstead Brook electoral division of Suffolk County Council.[2]

It is an ancient settlement, and from its soil the plough has brought to light many evidences of occupation by Romans and by early Britons. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the place is described under the Old English names Querstede and Wervesteda.[3] Toponymic surnames which originate from Wherstead include Quested and Quersted.[4] The name of the village and parish is in today generally pronounced Wersted or Warsted by the residents, the "a" in the latter case having the sound of "a" in father. Wherstead Park is a notable historic house which was converted to an Events venue, closing as such Christmas 2023.

Bourne Bridge marks the boundary of Wherstead parish. Near the bridge stands the Ostrich Inn. At the time of the New England migration, oysters were abundant in the River Orwell, and some speculate that Ostrich was a corruption from 'Oyster Ridge' or 'Oyster Reach'. It is more likely [5] that the pub name derives from the crest of lawyer and Chief Justice, Sir Edward Coke, who acquired the surrounding estate in 1609, and the pub sign is similar to others across East Anglia.[6]

The Paul farming and malting family brought land in Wherstead in 1934.[7] The late George Paul earned an MBE,[8] following a long had association with Suffolk Horses and horseracing.[9] His son and nephews run Suffolk Food Hall.[10]

References

  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistiucs. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  2. "Belstead Brook Electoral Division Profile 2017" (PDF). Suffolk Observatory. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  3. Open Domesday: Wherstead. Accessed April 2020.
  4. Hanks, Patrick; Coates, Richard; McClure, Peter, eds. (2016). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press. p. 2193. ISBN 9780192527479.
  5. "Wherstead" (PDF). Suffolk Heritage Explorer. Suffolk County Council.
  6. "Wherstead Oyster Reach || the Suffolk Pubs Guide".
  7. "Paul's: A Local Firm". Ipswich Society.
  8. "A Shotley peninsula horse lover and Babergh communities officer named in Queen's New Year's honours list". Shotley Peninsula Nub News. 31 December 2021.
  9. "An Interview with Mr George Paul". Wivenhoe's History.
  10. "'Suffolk Statesman' George Paul was a leader in business and horseracing". East Anglian Daily Times. 14 October 2022.
  • Merrill, Samuel; A Merrill Memorial, reprint, p 48-49

Media related to Wherstead at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.