local history ... discovered
Honington and Sapiston became one parish in 1972. It is believed that Sapiston means village of the soap makers and Honington, the village of Hunn’s people. Both boast wonderful old churches. Honington has All Saints and Sapiston has St Andrew’s. Both date back many centuries and have some of the best Norman archways in all of Suffolk. Amongst the other interesting aspects which can be found in these lovely buildings are the distinctive medieval carvings at the ends of the choir stalls in All Saints and the wall painting showing the martyrdom of St Edmund in St Andrew’s.
Today, Sapiston does not appear to be a particularly large village. However, in 1086, Sapiston had a recorded population of 27 households putting it in the largest 40% of settlements recorded in the Domesday Book. Around Sapiston Church the remains of old buildings can also be found indicating that at some point, the village moved away to its present position possibly due to the plague.
In Norman times, trusted nobles would establish bases across the land. An example of this is the ring fort known as Burnthall Plantation, the remains of which, is located between Sapiston and Fakenham Magna, and was originally the home of Peter de Valognes who was a major land owner holding property in 6 counties.
In 1086, there were also 3 mills in Sapiston and Honington making use of the Blackbourn River that flows through both villages. A mill can still be seen in Sapiston that remained operational until the 1960s.
Apart from historic buildings, Honington and Sapiston also boast some notable residents. The most famous is Robert Bloomfield- the “Pastoral Poet”. He was born in Honington in 1766 and initially tried his hand as a farm labourer at Austin’s Farm (now Triangle House) in Sapiston but found the work too arduous. Accordingly, he moved to London where he worked in a cobblers but also, with support from the Duke of Grafton, wrote poems, the most famous of which is “The Farmer’s Boy”. More recently, David Croft, who wrote “Dads’ Army” with Jimmy Perry”, lived at Honington Hall and some of the filming of the comedy took place in the village as detailed on the plaque on the green.
Also connected with both villages is the Honington air base. This was built between 1935 and 1937. Interestingly, during the construction a gibbet cage was found which was used to suspend the body of John Nichols who was hanged in 1794 after being found guilty (with his son) of the murder of his daughter. The gibbet is on display in Moyes Museum in Bury St Edmunds. The airfield was initially used by RAF Bomber Command and on 4 September 1939 the first bombing raid of the Second World War took off from the air base. Later, in 1942, the airfield was transferred to the US Airforce and in 1944 the 364 Fighter Group established themselves at Honington and flew escort, dive-bombing, strafing, and patrol missions in France, the Netherlands and Germany. In 1946, the airfield was returned to the RAF and today it is the home of the RAF Regiment and the RAF Police.
Today, Sapiston does not appear to be a particularly large village. However, in 1086, Sapiston had a recorded population of 27 households putting it in the largest 40% of settlements recorded in the Domesday Book. Around Sapiston Church the remains of old buildings can also be found indicating that at some point, the village moved away to its present position possibly due to the plague.
In Norman times, trusted nobles would establish bases across the land. An example of this is the ring fort known as Burnthall Plantation, the remains of which, is located between Sapiston and Fakenham Magna, and was originally the home of Peter de Valognes who was a major land owner holding property in 6 counties.
In 1086, there were also 3 mills in Sapiston and Honington making use of the Blackbourn River that flows through both villages. A mill can still be seen in Sapiston that remained operational until the 1960s.
Apart from historic buildings, Honington and Sapiston also boast some notable residents. The most famous is Robert Bloomfield- the “Pastoral Poet”. He was born in Honington in 1766 and initially tried his hand as a farm labourer at Austin’s Farm (now Triangle House) in Sapiston but found the work too arduous. Accordingly, he moved to London where he worked in a cobblers but also, with support from the Duke of Grafton, wrote poems, the most famous of which is “The Farmer’s Boy”. More recently, David Croft, who wrote “Dads’ Army” with Jimmy Perry”, lived at Honington Hall and some of the filming of the comedy took place in the village as detailed on the plaque on the green.
Also connected with both villages is the Honington air base. This was built between 1935 and 1937. Interestingly, during the construction a gibbet cage was found which was used to suspend the body of John Nichols who was hanged in 1794 after being found guilty (with his son) of the murder of his daughter. The gibbet is on display in Moyes Museum in Bury St Edmunds. The airfield was initially used by RAF Bomber Command and on 4 September 1939 the first bombing raid of the Second World War took off from the air base. Later, in 1942, the airfield was transferred to the US Airforce and in 1944 the 364 Fighter Group established themselves at Honington and flew escort, dive-bombing, strafing, and patrol missions in France, the Netherlands and Germany. In 1946, the airfield was returned to the RAF and today it is the home of the RAF Regiment and the RAF Police.