Wissett

Wissett
Wissett, Church of St Andrew
Wissett  Wissett shown within Suffolk
Population	268 (2011)
District	Waveney
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Halesworth
Postcode district	IP19 0
EU Parliament	East of England
List of places UK England Suffolk

Wissett is a village and parish in the Waveney district of Suffolk, England located at 52.35N 01.46E TM3679 about 2 km (about 1.5 miles) northwest of Halesworth. Historically, it was in the hundred of Blything. It has a population of about 200, measured at 268 in the 2011 Census.

Wisset manor was held by Ralph the staller, Baron of Gael in Brittany before the Norman Conquest. Ralph was created Earl of Suffolk and Norfolk in 1067, but his son lost the title and the manor passed to Count Alan of Brittany and Richmond in 1075. The Domesday Book shows that in 1086 Wissett had a church at Rumburgh with two carucates of free land, twelve monks, and a chapel in the village.

The eleventh-century flint parish church dedicated to Saint Andrew has a circular church tower with a floor dated to the 12th Century. This is the oldest recorded church tower floor in the United Kingdom. Built as a chapel to Rumburgh Priory, the surviving elements of the Norman church are two doors to the nave and the tower arch. The parish is now part of the Blyth Valley Team Ministry in the diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.

Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, and David Garnett lived in Wissett for the summer of 1916. Virginia Woolf (Vanessa's sister) said after visiting them: "Wissett seems to lull asleep all ambition. Don't you think they have discovered the secret of life? I thought it wonderfully harmonious."

Wissett Hall is a red brick manor house owned by Colin Holmes, co-founder of Dencora PLC.

The village pub is the Plough Inn.

Wissett Wines are produced at the Valley Farm Vineyards by Elaine Heeler and Vanessa Tucker, who brought the business in 2014, Wissett Wines was established in 1987.

Schooling

Catchment for Wissett are:

Nurseries: The Saplings Nursery at Edgar Sewter Primary or Halesworth Day Nursery. Primary: Edgar Sweter Primary School in Halesworth, Suffolk. Secondary: Bungay High School Academy in Bungay, Suffolk (Includes a Sixth form)

The Wissett Hoards

Early in 2011 two hoards of Bronze Age axe heads, spears, and a rapier blade were discovered in Wissett by two responsible metal detectorists. The hoards were found about nine meters apart.The second hoard was excavated fully by the County Archaeological Team and careful expert examination of the objects has shown them to be over three thousand years old, dating to the Middle Bronze Age. It is most unusual to find two hoards so close together and the evidence, from the identical alloy used in both, is that they are contemporary with each other. Furthermore, this is being seen as a very significant find as several of the items are of a type that have never been found together.

In all fifteen objects have been authenticated by the British Museum and have been given a valuation of £4,300.

These are really exciting discoveries for our area and have now been purchased by The Halesworth and District Museum.

References

• M. Kiddy, St Andrew's, Wissett: A Guide, (Wissett: 1989, revised 1997)

External links

• The Wissett Web: The community newsletter for the village of Wissett
• St Andrews Church website
• The Suffolk Churches Site's page on St Andrews, Wissett
• The Wissett Plough; a real ale village pub
• The Wissett Hoards
• The Halesworth and District Museum