Benhall is a

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 East Suffolk district of

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, England. Lying to the south of

Saxmundham Saxmundham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is set in the valley of the River Fromus about north-east of Ipswich and west of the coast at Sizewell. The town is bypassed ...

, its population at the 2021 census was 569. The main settlement is

Benhall Green Benhall Green is a village in Suffolk, England, about south of the town of Saxmundham. The village is the main settlement of Benhall parish, which had a population of 569 at the 2021 census. The main road south from Saxmundham skirted the vill ...

, while the hamlet of

Benhall Street Benhall Street is a hamlet in Suffolk, England, in Benhall civil parish. It lies close to the River Alde, about west of the main settlement in the parish, Benhall Green; and about south-west of the town of Saxmundham Saxmundham ( ) is a mark ...

lies towards the west of the parish.

History

The manor of Benhall was granted in 1086 to Robert de Malet, and has since had a long and complicated history, having been owned by many of the most powerful people of their time, including the De La Poles, the Howards and King

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

Benhall Lodge

The great house of the area is Benhall Lodge. A manor house had existed on the Benhall estate since at least 1225, when it was fortified by Ralph de Sunderland. Long known as Benhall Lodge, the house has been rebuilt by various Lords of the Manor: including in 1638 by Sir Edward Duke, Bt., in 1790 by William Beaumaris Rush, and in 1810 by Edward Hollond. The mansion house suffered serious fires in 1885 and in 1967, and was restored and slightly remodelled after each. The walled kitchen garden of the country house is now a separate business concern, but the house itself and the surrounding gardens and parkland remain private residential property.

Governance

For the first tier of local government, the adjacent parishes of Benhall and

Sternfield Sternfield is a village in Suffolk, England. It is located south of Saxmundham, its post town. The village is very small and irregularly built, and is wholly agricultural. The village contains a church dedicated to Mary Magdalene. It is Grad ...

elect members of Benhall & Sternfield Parish Council. Most local government functions are carried out by

East Suffolk Council East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...

and

Suffolk County Council Suffolk County Council is the upper-tier Local government in England, local authority for the county of Suffolk, England. It is run by 75 elected county councillors representing 63 divisions. It is a member of the East of England Local Governme ...

. For Westminster elections, the parish is within the

Suffolk Coastal Suffolk Coastal was a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Melton, Suffolk, Melton, having moved from neighbouring Woodbridge, Suffolk, Woodbridge in 2017. Other towns include Fel ...

constituency.

Amenities

Benhall & Sternfield CofE Primary School has a central position in the village. An ex-servicemen's club provides a social hub. The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

, St Mary's, is in an isolated position on the other side of the A12 from the village. In random flint with stone dressings, the building is largely from the 15th century, and was designated as

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

for its interior features. Today, the church is part of the Alde River Benefice, a group of seven churches in eight neighbouring villages.

Notable residents

Edward Glemham Captain Edward Glemham (died in or before 1594) of Benhall, Suffolk, was an English sea voyager and privateer. In his ship, ''Edward and Constance'', he destroyed two Spanish vessels, repulsed four galleys, and captured a rich Venetian merchant ...

, privateer *

Sir Edward Duke, 1st Baronet Sir Edward Duke, 1st Baronet (c. 1604 – 1671) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England in 1640. Duke was the son of Ambrose Duke of Benhall and his wife Elizabeth Calthrop, daughter of Bartholemew Calthrop of ...

Sir John Duke, 2nd Baronet Sir John Duke, 2nd Baronet (3 January 1632 - July 1705 ) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1679 and 1698. Duke was the son of Sir Edward Duke, 1st Baronet of Benhall, Suffolk and his wife Ellenor Pan ...

* Hyde Parker,

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

William Christian Sellé William Christian Sellé, (1813–1898) was a Victorian doctor of music, composer and for forty years Musician in Ordinary to Queen Victoria. Biography William Christian Sellé was born in Benhall, Suffolk in 1813. His parents were Elizabeth ...

, musician *

Guy Rolfe Guy Rolfe (born Edwin Arthur Rolfe, 27 December 1911 – 19 October 2003) was a British character actor. He was best known for portraying villains. Early life Born in Kilburn, London, Edwin Arthur "Guy" Rolfe was descended from Thomas Rolfe, ...

, actor

References

External links

Benhall and Sternfield Parish Council
Civil parishes in Suffolk {{Suffolk-geo-stub