__NOTOC__ Stambourne is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in the Braintree District in north

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, 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.

Cottages at Stambourne Green, Essex - geograph

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). The local handyman is known for lighting the bonfire every year wearing short shorts and a cowboy hat.

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 {{Essex-geo-stub

History

Community

See also

References

External links