and C. Shorting; Carlford, W. Potter and E. J. Moor; Claydon, J. Bedingfeld and W. Kirby; Colneis, W. J. Edge and H. Edgell; Dunwich, S. Clissold; South Elmham, E. A. Holmes; Hartismere, Lord Bayning and R. Cobbold; Hoxne, E. Barlee; Ipswich, S. Croft; Loes, Lord T. Hay and G. Attwood; Lothingland, F. Cunningham and C. Greene; Orford, H. T. Dowler and J. D. Money; Samford, R. Berners and E. Gould; Stow, A. G. Hollingsworth and C. Bridges; Wangford, A. J. Suckling; Wilford, W. P. Larken and E. Walford.

The Ven. Geo. Glover, M.A., of South Repps, Norfolk, is ARCHDEACON OF SUDBURY; and the officers of the Archdeaconry are the Rev. C. N. Wodehouse, M.A., commissary; the Ven. H. D. Berners, LL.B., official; Henry Younge, Esq., commissary's registrar; Rev. J. Lewis Gooch, archdeacon's registrar; Philip James Case, Esq., of Bury, deputy registrar; and James Borton, Esq., proctor. The office is at 87, Whiting st., Bury.

The

From a statistical table, published in 1829, it appears that there were in Suffolk, in that year, 486 church livings, or which 54 were in the gift of the Crown, 277 in the gift of laymen, 34 in the patronage of University Colleges, 4 in the gift of corporations, 4 in the gift of parishioners, and 113 in the gift of clergy, &c. total number of CHAPELS in the county were stated, in the same year, to be 127, namely,-4 Roman Catholic, 2 Presbyterian, 33 Independent, 35 Particular Baptist, 2 General Baptist, 10 Society of Friends, 40 Wesleyan, and 1 Calvinistic Methodist; but they now amount to more than 160. The Church Rates, levied in the county in the year 1839, amounted to £15,182. The Church and Poor's Lands, and various Charitable Funds and Estates, in Suffolk, produce considerably more than £30,000 per annum, and are to be found in nearly every parish, in many of which are school endowments, and in some of them almshouses for aged poor. The late Parliamentary Commissioners for inquiring into the Public Charities of England and Wales, commenced their labours in 1817, but did not finish them till 1837. Their copious Reports occupy about 30 large folio volumes. From these, the substance of all that relates to the Suffolk Charities will be found in the following pages, where it will be seen that there are also in the county numerous National and other Day and Sunday Schools, and various charitable institutions, supported by annual subscriptions and donations. In 1839, there were in the county 182 Friendly Societies, to which the contributions for the mutual benefit of the members amounted to nearly £20,000. In the same year, here were 180 Charitable Institutions, with an income of nearly £8000; and 13 Savings Banks, the deposits in which amounted to £255,789, belonging to 8503 depositors. The Suffolk General Hospital, noticed at page 642; and the East Suffolk and Ipswich Hospital and Dispensary, noticed at page 84, are extensive and valuable charities for the relief of lame, sick, and infirm poor, and are liberally supported by the wealthier portion of the inhabitants of all parts of the county. Mutford and Lothingland Infirmary and Dispensary, at Lowestoft ; and Risbridge Infirmary, at Haverhill, are similar institutions for those divisions of the county.

The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Suffolk presents a great variety of styles and orders, and many venerable relics of antiquity. The Gothic Abbey Gate, and the fine Norman Tower, at Bury St. Ed

inund's, are two of the finest specimens of ancient architecture in the kingdom. (See p. 618 and 619.) Some of the parish churches present fire specimens of flint work, intermixed with stone; and many of them, in the northern parts of the county, where flint abounds and stone is scarce, are built almost entirely of the former material. The churches with round towers are numerous in all parts of the county, and are generally attributed to the Saxons and Danes; but some of these towers are surmounted by octagonal turrets, raised after the Norman Conquest. The churches in many of the parishes have undergone extensive repairs during the present century, and some of them have handsome square towers, crowned by elegant spires.

MONASTIC INSTITUTIONS were as numerous here as in most other parts of the kingdom. There were abbeys at Bury, Leiston, and Sibton; priories at Blythburgh, Butley, Clare, Stoke, Dodńash, Ipswich, Eye, Felixstow, Bricett, Herringfleet, Hoxne, Ixworth, Kersey, Letheringham, Mendham, Snape, Wangford, Woodbridge, and Bury; nunneries, at Bruisyard, Bungay, Campsey, Flixton, and Redlingfield; and collegiate churches at Ipswich, Mettingham, Stoke, Sudbury, and Wingfield. There were also, at some of these, and at various other places in the county, hospitals for lepers, endowed chantries, and other inferior institutions of a monastic character.

SOIL-No county in England contains a greater variety of soil, or more clearly discriminated than Suffolk. A strong loam on a clay-marl bottom, predominates through the greater part of it, extending from its southwestern extremity near Sudbury, Clare, and Haverhill, to Halesworth and North Cove, near Beccles. The northern boundary of this tract of loam extends from Dalham, by Barrow, Little Saxham, near Bury, Rougham, Pakenham, Ixworth, Bonnington, Knettishall, and then in a line near the Waveney to Beccles; but every where leaving a slope and vale of rich friable loam of various breadths, along the side of the river. It then turns southward to Wrentham, Wangford, Blythford, Holton, Yoxford, Saxmundham, Woodbridge, Culpho, Hadleigh, and following the high lands on the west side of the Brett, to the Stour, it is thence bounded by the latter river to its source, leaving along it a very rich tract of vale and slope. This district is crossed by many rivers and rivulets, and the slopes and bottoms of the vales through which they run, are generally composed of rich friable loams, as also are the valleys extending southward from Woodbridge, Ipswich, and Hadleigh, to the Stour, and the mouths of the Orwell and Deben. In this southern part of the county, is a vein of friable, putrid, vegetable mould, more inclined to sand than clay, and of extraordinary fertility. The best is about Walton, Trimley, and Felixstow, where for depth and richness, much of it can scarcely be exceeded by any soils in England. In the line from Ipswich to Hadleigh the soil varies considerably, in many places approaching sand, and in others clay. With the exception of the small portion at the southern extremity, near the estuaries of the Orwell and Deben, the whole of the extensive maritime district of Suffolk is sandy, but the soil is of various qualities, and has generally a fertile mixture of loam, distinguished according to the various proportions, by the names of sandy loams and loamy sands. That eminent agriculturist, the late Arthur Young, Esq., was a native of Suffolk (vide p. 304,) and in his "General View of the Agriculture of the County," published in 1804, he considers the district now under consideration, as one of the best cultivated in England, and one of the most profitable to the cultivator. It abounds in wealthy farmers, and contains a large proportion of occupying proprietors, possessing from one hundred to three or four hundred a pounds a year. The inferior

stratum in this maritime district varies considerably, but in general consists of sand, chalk, and crag, and in some parts of marl and loam. The Crag is a singular mixture of cockle and other shells, found in great masses, in most of the parishes extending from Dunwich to the Orwell and Woolverstone park: it is both red and white, but mostly of the former colour, and the shells are so broken as to resemble sand. In 1718, Mr. E. Edwards, of Levington, discovered the fertilizing effect of this marine deposit, as noticed at page 125. There are pits of it to be seen at various places, from which it has been got to the depth of from 15 to 20 feet, for improving heaths; but on lands long in tillage, it is not much used, and upon light lands it has been found to make the sands blow more. The Western Sand District comprehends the whole north-western angle of the county, except the western corner, which consists of about 15,000 acres of low fen, now well drained and cultivated, and forming part of the great Bedford Level. (See page 581.) The chief part of this district, lying east of the fen and extending from Mildenhall and Lakenheath, to Brandon, Thetford, and Euston, is a light blowing sand, in which are extensive open heaths and rabbit warrens, rising in bold undulations. The under stratum is a more or less perfect chalk, under which are extensive beds of flint, in some places in large blocks, of which gun-flints are made at Brandon, as noticed at page 583. Santon Downham, near Brandon, was nearly buried by an inundation of sand, in the 17th century. (Vide p. 599.) Many large open sheep walks, and some rabbit-warrens, are to be seen in other parts of the country, especially between Woodbridge, Orford, and Saxmundham, though many thousand acres of heath and open fields have been enclosed during the present century. There are also several small narrow tracts of fens or low marshes, on the eastern side of the county, which have been improved by systems of drainage, viz., the Level of Iken, near Aldeburgh, the Levels of Sudbourn and Orford, and the Minsmere Level, (see p. 397 ;) and there are other tracts of low lands near Beccles, and in other parts of the vale of the Waveney. In 1804, Mr. Young estimated the total annual value of the county, according to its different soils, at £538,664; viz. 30,000A. of fen at 4s.; 46,600A. of rich loam, at 18s.; 156,600A. of sandy land, at 12s.; 113,300A. of light sandy lands and heaths, at 6s.; and 453,300A. of strong loam, at 16s. per acre. But since his time, the land in most parts of the country has been greatly improved, and the fens, which he estimates at 4s., are now worth upwards of 20s. per acre. The pre

sent annual value of the land and buildings in the county is more than £1,500,000.

AGRICULTURE:-Suffolk is one of the most skilfully tilled and most productive counties in England, and its husbandry is similar to that of Norfolk. The old custom of letting the land lie idle one year in every three, for the advantages of what are called fallowing, has here been long exploded, the necessity for it being superseded by a judicious course of cropping, so that one crop may fertilize as another exhausts. The mode of cropping most generally practised about 15 years ago, was what is termed a six course shift, viz., first year, wheat; second, barley, with or without clover; third, turnips; fourth, barley or oats, with or without clover; fifth, clover mown for hay; sixth, grazed and ploughed up for wheat again; but this mode is now generally varied by a four, and sometimes a five course shift. Wheat is a general crop all over the county, but thrives best on the stiff loamy lands, the sandy soils being more favourable to barley, vast quantities of which are raised and malted in the county for London and other markets. Both wheat and barley are either drilled, (for which several kinds of ingeniously

contrived barrow drills are used,) or else planted with the hand by women and children, called dibbling. The quantities produced according to the seed sown, vary with the nature of the soil, some of the strong loams and mixed soils yielding five or six quarters of wheat, or from nine to ten of oats per acre; while the farmers of the light sands rarely obtain more than two of oats, or three of barley. The other occasional crops are, rye, buck-wheat, peas, beans, vetches or tares, cole-seed, rye and other artificial grasses, burnet, cocks-foot, chickery, cabbage, mangel-wurzel, lucerne, carrots, and potatoes. There are a few small hop grounds near Stowmarket, Dagworth, and Foxhall. Flax and hemp were formerly grown extensively in the vale of the Waveney, and in other parts of the county; but since the decline of the manufacture of" Suffolk hempen cloth," very little has been cultivated. (See p. 16.) Efforts are now making by various Agricultural Societies and Farmers' Clubs, for the revival and extension of the cultivation of flax in this and the neighbouring counties, both as a means of profit to the farmer, and of finding ample employment for the poor. The advantages of cultivating this plant for the double purposes of fibre and seed, are very great, and have been fully proved in Ireland by the Belfast Flax Society, and by the recent experiments of the flax-growers in Norfolk, who had nearly £10,000 worth of flax and seed for sale in 1843. In the same year, many acres of flax were grown, and many bullocks fattened with linseed compound, in the neighbourhood of Ipswich, where, at the anniversary meeting of the Ipswich and Ashbocking Farmers' Club, an Association was formed for the cultivation of flax, and it was recommended that one hundred farmers should each grow one acre, by way of experiment, in 1844. At this meeting, John Warnes, jun., Esq., of Trimingham, Norfolk, exhibited a variety of specimens of flax and linseed, grown in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, and other counties; explained the mode of cultivation, and showed the flax in all its stages, the various processes connected with its preparation for the market, and the method of forming the seed into cattle food. From nine to twelve millions sterling are annually sent out of the kingdom, for the purchase of flax, linseed, oil, and cake, the whole of which, it is confidently asserted, might be produced from our own soil, and would furnish abundant employment for the redundant population of the agricultural districts. Flax is worth more per acre, and affords more employment, than any other production of the earth. A good crop is worth to the grower from £20 to £30 per acre; and on the present improved system of management and rotation crops, it improves, instead of impoverishing the soil. Saf. fron, when an article of cookery, as well as medicine, was extensively grown in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire; but what little is now grown of it, is confined chiefly to the latter county.

Suffolk has made considerable improvement in its live stock, since the general introduction of turnip husbandry; and like Norfolk, it furnishes great quantities of sheep and oxen for the London and other markets. The Suffolk cows have long been celebrated for the abundance of their milk; and in some parts of the county, are extensive dairies, from which, it is said, about 40,000 firkins of butter are sent annually to London. In some parts of the county, it is a common prac tice of the farmers to buy Scotch and other lean cattle about Michaelmas, and fatten them for the metropolis and other places. The Nor

folk, or, as it might with greater propriety be denominated, the Suffolk breed of sheep, since the finest flocks are found about Bury, is still to be seen in most parts of the county. For the quality of the mutton in cold weather; for fatting at an early age; for the fineness of the wool, which is the third in price in England; for endurance of hard driving; and for hardiness and success as nurses, this indigenous race is highly esteemed; but these excellencies are counterbalanced by several bad qualities, among which are, a restless disposition, a loose, ragged habit of wool, and ill-formed carcases. Consequently, this breed has been nearly changed during the last forty years by crossing, and the introduc tion of the South-down, Lincolnshire, and Leicestershire breeds, which are larger and more prolific in wool. These breeds are now everywhere prevalent in the county. The Suffolk breed of horses are a bony, active, hardy race, from 14 to 15 hands high, admirably adapted for purposes of husbandry and the road. They were formerly rough and ill-formed, and could "trot no more than a cow;" but they were greatly improved, more than thirty years ago, by being crossed with horses of better blood and symmetry. Hogs and poultry are very abundant here, and turkeys are reared in nearly as large quantities as in Norfolk. At Fritton, and a few other places, are wild-fowl decoys, (see p. 489;) and in the sand districts, are prolific rabbit warrens, one of which, near Brandon, is said to yield upwards of 40,000 a year. Having a great extent of sea-coast, and many rivers and smaller streams, some of them swelling out into large broads, or lakes, Suffolk is well supplied with fresh and salt water-fish. Among the former, are pike, tench, trout, perch, smelts, &c. Sea water fish, of nearly every description, are taken in great plenty on the coast; but the most lucrative of the piscatory concerns are the Herring and Mackerel Fisheries (see p. 499.) Agricultural Societies and Farmers' Clubs, which have been productive of extensive improvements, are now very numerous in Suffolk, though, in 1811, there was only one in the county, which met alternately at Melford and Bury. The principal of these associations are the Central Suffolk, the East Suffolk, the West Suffolk, and the North Suffolk and South Norfolk. They are patronised by the nobility and other principal landowners of the county. At their annual general meetings, which are busy and animating scenes, premiums are awarded to deserving labourers and servants in husbandry, and prizes to farmers and graziers for improvements in live stock, and the culti vation of the soil; and also to mechanics for improvements in ploughs, drills, and other agricultural implements and machines, of which there are in the county several extensive manufactories, at Leiston, Ipswich, &c. As already noticed, there are in the county about 7000 freeholders and 2000 copyholders, most of whom are occupiers. These yeomen, as Mr. Young emphatically remarked, "are a most valuable set of men, who, having the means, and the most powerful inducements to good husbandry, carry agriculture to a high degree of perfection." The farms in Suffolk, though some of them are extensive, are not generally so large as in Norfolk. In the district of strong wet loams, there are many small farms from £30 to £100 a year; but these are intermixed with others, rising from £150 to £300, and even higher. In the sand districts they are much larger, rising from £300 to £900, and are occupied by a wealthy tenantry, who carry agriculture to great