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Stambourne is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the
Braintree District
Braintree District is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Essex, England. The district is named after the town of Braintree, Essex, Braintree, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of Halstead and ...
in north
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
, England. The civil parish population at the 2011 Census was 409. Stambourne's closest neighbouring villages are
Ridgewell,
Toppesfield,
Cornish Hall End and
Great Yeldham.
History
Stambourne derives from an old local dialect term for 'stony brook'.
A part of the British 17th-century witchcraft trials, the spinster Sarah Houghton of Stambourne, in 1663, was charged by the authorities with causing John Smyth to become "consumed and made infirme." A jury, including John Levett and Matthew Butcher, found Houghton guilty, and she was ordered to be hanged. She was reprieved after the jury had rendered their judgment.
Dame
Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, a stage actress of the early- and mid-20th century, lived in Stambourne in later life, dying in 1992 at the age of 101.
Community
The parish church of St Peter and St Thomas Becket dates from the 11th century and is a Grade I listed building.
Every year a bonfire and fireworks display is held in the village playing field. The event attracts people from surrounding areas (including Great Yeldham, Hedingham and Halstead).
See also
*
Stambourne Hall
References
External links
Main website for Stambourne, with a brief history of Stambourne and access to its history documentWebsite for St Peter & St Thomas’ Church, Stambourne, part of the Upper Colne Valley Parishes
Villages in Essex
Braintree District
Witch trials in England
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