Burgate is a small 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

Mid Suffolk Mid Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England. The district is primarily a rural area, containing just three towns, being Stowmarket, Needham Market and Eye. Its council was based in Needham Market until 2017 when it moved to sha ...

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, about south-west of Diss in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

. The church, dedicated to St Mary and dating from the 14th century, was restored in 1864 and is a Grade II* listed building. The parish includes the villages of Little Green (south of Burgate) and Great Green (north). Burgate Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest

SSSI A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

. Its are particularly good example of the type of oak-hornbeam woodland characteristic of this part of north Suffolk. It is ancient, with a coppice-with-standards structure and continues to support entirely semi-natural stands. Many giant coppiced stools are present which indicate its great antiquity. The ground flora is diverse and includes several species that are indicators of ancient woodland, including one rarity. The ground flora contains much Dog's Mercury ('' Mercurialis perennis'') with frequent Primrose (''

Primula vulgaris ''Primula vulgaris'', also called the common primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Primulaceae, native plant, native to Eurasia.''Flora Europaea'Primula vulgaris''/ref> The common name of this plant is prim ...

''), Enchanter's Nightshade (''

Circaea lutetiana ''Circaea lutetiana'', known as broad-leaved enchanter's nightshade, is a plant in the evening primrose family, Onagraceae. The genus name comes from the enchantress Circe of Greek mythology and the specific designation is derived from Lutetia, ...

''), Sanicle ('' Sanicula europaea'') and Water Avens ('' Geum rivale''). A number of uncommon species are present including Herb Paris ('' Paris quadrifolia''), Yellow Archangel ('' Lamiastrum galeobdolon''), Hairy Woodrush (''

Luzula pilosa ''Luzula pilosa'' is a species of flowering plant in the rush family Juncaceae with the common name hairy wood-rush. The plant is native to northern Europe and western Asia. Description ''Luzula pilosa'' is a short, tufted, grass-like perennial ...

'') and the rare Lungwort (''

Pulmonaria officinalis ''Pulmonaria officinalis'', common names lungwort, common lungwort, Mary's tears or Our Lady's milk drops, is a herbaceous rhizomatous evergreen perennial plant of the genus '' Pulmonaria'', belonging to the family Boraginaceae. Etymology The g ...

''). The wood west of the church contains earthwork remains of a

ringwork A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles without the motte. Defences were usually earthworks in the form of a ditch and bank surrounding the site ...

, thought to be the site of a medieval

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

. There have been associated finds of pottery dated as Late Saxon to Medieval, i.e. 1001 AD to 1154 AD.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Suffolk Mid Suffolk District Civil parishes in Suffolk