South Elmham


South Elmham is a location in north Suffolk which was an ancient deanery dating back to the 7th century when it was given to the Bishop of East Anglia. South Elmham constituted a "ferthing", i.e a quarter of Wangford Hundred. This area included the parishes of Homersfield and Flixton.

Nine parishes

In The [Suffolk Traveller] John Kirby describes how Wangford Hundred is divided into three parts: the nine parishes, the seven parishes and a remaining part around Beccles. The nine parishes are:
When John's sons, Joshua and William produced a second edition in 1764 they added the comment:

Etymology

Views on the etymology of the name – and indeed its significance for the Christianisation of the Anglo Saxon – differ. Keith Briggs and Kelly Kirkpatrick only mention a derivation from Old English based on Elm + Ham yielding "Elm Farmstead". However Mel Birch mentions this derivation, but then goes on to discuss Claude Morley's suggestion arising from area being called Almeham in the Doomsday Book. He rejected the derivation from Elm as inappropriate for an area 9,000 acres in size and with such a particular nature. Instead he offered a derivation from the saxon term ælmesse referring to "our alms" or "alms-giving" saying that this referred to an area of land given as alms by the recent christian convert, King Sigeberht of East Anglia to Felix of Burgundy, the first Bishop of the East Angles. The latter view supports the claims for South Elmham to be the seat of the See of Elmham in a long standing controversy in relation to rival claims by North Elmham, in Norfolk.

History