HISTORY
Levington Local History Club
The newly formed
Levington
Local History Club [2008] hopes to research this history
more fully and add to the website in the future.
Levington - A Short History
The name of Levington originates from Leofas homestead. The
parish was in the COLNEIS hundred and remains in the Deanery of
COLNEYS.
It has always been a small agricultural community as the
snapshot of records from the past 1000 years indicates:
|
Year |
Pop |
Inhab.
Houses |
| 1086 |
15 |
|
| 1327 |
37 [inc.
Nacton] |
|
| 1524 |
17 |
14 |
| 1674 |
165 |
40 |
| 1801 |
228 |
|
| 1831 |
241 |
52 |
| 1851 |
|
|
| 1871 |
169 |
42 |
| 1901 |
160 |
43 |
| 1931 |
154 |
|
| 1951 |
155 |
52 |
| 1971 |
200 |
|
| 1981 |
176 |
65 |
| 2008 |
212* |
110 |
* This is the Electoral Roll Number.
Early agricultural use [1500 to 1650] was mainly corn and sheep,
with barley being the main cash crop. In the 1800s, carrots were
grown in the light soil, in addition to wheat and barley. Post war
[1945] other crops included turnip and kale seed. Mayhew Farms now
farm most of this area
[see Business Section].
The land was mainly in the ownership of the manorial
landowners:
- 1844 Sir Robert Harland and Sir Philip Broke (Broke Hall)
- 1912 E G Prettyman (Orwell Park) and Lord Saumarez (Broke
Hall)
- 1948 Many smaller plots sold by the Estate
Road communication in 1891 was by carrier [3 days per week to
Ipswich]. The railway opened in 1877 and the nearest railway
station was Orwell station, 1½ miles away in Nacton. This station
closed in 1959.
The River Orwell was navigable for sea going vessels to Ipswich
docks, which in Tudor times was the third largest port in England
after London and Bristol. The path opposite the Ship Inn is called
Pilots’ Way and it was at this point on the river that the pilots
would board a vessel to navigate the boats up to Ipswich.
In 1817 smugglers were apprehended in Levington Creek carrying
48 tubs of spirits aboard a boat called ‘Daisy’. Levington
Creek closed to legitimate commercial sail barge traffic in the
1920s.
Levington Baptist Chapel
Until the 21st September 1984 there was a small Baptist Chapel
in the village.
(Read
more...)
Stratton Church
There was a church about a mile to the East of Levington in a
field now called Chapel Field. History does not record its name,
but there were ruins recorded in the 18th Century and again by
White in 1844. Deep ploughing has since uncovered human
remains.
For more information visit:
www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/stratton.htm