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The Parish Church of St Lawrence,
Brundish |
Brundish is a scattered parish, about five miles
north of Framlingham and in the heart of High Suffolk. It
seems a far cry from the busy world of the twenty-first
century. A few farmhouses, cottages, a pub, a village hall
and the fine old church are dotted amongst the fields and lanes,
miles from the nearest railway station, dual carriageway or
industrial town.
The name ‘Brundish’ comes from the Old English
‘burna’ and ‘edisc’ - stream with pasture. (Oxford Dictionary
of English Place-names). The stream referred to is almost
certainly the source of the River Alde which rises in Brundish and
flows along the eastern boundary of the
churchyard.
The parish church is dedicated to SAINT
LAWRENCE.
It stands away from the main centre of population, with only the
Chantry farmhouse for company; so called because, in medieval
times, there was a chantry at Brundish. This used to stand
not far from the church and was built for prayers and masses for
the soul of Sir Robert de Ufford, Earl of Suffolk. The
chantry was dissolved by King Henry VIII and has entirely
disappeared. It is believed that the chantry and the Parish
Church were once enclosed by a moat, of which a small part still
remains.
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