Stambourne

St. Peter and St. Thomas Becket church

Stambourne is a village and civil parish in the Braintree District in north Essex, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 409.^[1]

Stambourne derives from an old local dialect term for 'stony brook'. Stambourne's closest neighbouring villages are Ridgewell, Toppesfield, Cornish Hall End and Great Yeldham.

The parish church of St Peter and St Thomas Becket dates from the 11th century and is a grade I listed building.^[2]

History

Stambourne was caught up, as was much of England, in the witchcraft hysteria of the seventeenth century. In 1663, the spinster Sarah Houghton of Stambourne 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.^[3]

Fireworks display

Stambourne Bonfire in 2007

Every year a bonfire and spectacular fireworks display is held in the village playing field. The event attracts people from surrounding areas (including Great Yeldham, Hedingham and Halstead).

Famous residents

Dame Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, a famous stage actress of the early- and mid-20th century, lived in Stambourne in later life, dying in 1992 at the age of 101.

See also

• Stambourne Hall

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stambourne.

• Main website for Stambourne, with a brief history of Stambourne and access to its history document
• Website for St Peter & St Thomas’ Church, Stambourne, part of the Upper Colne Valley Parishes

Ceremonial county of Essex
Unitary authorities	Southend-on-Sea Thurrock
Boroughs or districts	Basildon Braintree Brentwood Castle Point Chelmsford Colchester Epping Forest Harlow Maldon Rochford Tendring Uttlesford
Major settlements	Aveley Basildon Billericay Braintree Brentwood Brightlingsea Buckhurst Hill Burnham-on-Crouch Canvey Island Chelmsford Chigwell Chipping Ongar Clacton-on-Sea Coggeshall Colchester Corringham Dovercourt Eastwood Epping Frinton-on-Sea Grays Great Dunmow Hadleigh Halstead Harlow Harwich Holland-on-Sea Ingatestone Leigh-on-Sea Loughton Maldon Manningtree Pitsea Purfleet Rayleigh Rochford Saffron Walden Shoeburyness South Benfleet Southend-on-Sea South Woodham Ferrers Southminster Stanford-le-Hope Thaxted Tilbury Waltham Abbey Walton-on-the-Naze West Mersea West Thurrock Wickford Witham Wivenhoe
Rivers	Blackwater Brain Cam Can Chelmer Ching Cobbins Brook Colne Crouch River Lea River Lee Flood Relief Channel Mardyke Prittle Brook Roach Roding Stort Stour Stour Brook Ter Thames
Topics	Flag Parliamentary constituencies Places Population of major settlements SSSIs Country houses Grade I listed buildings Grade II* listed buildings History Museums Lord Lieutenants High Sheriffs
Category

Coordinates: 52°01′N 0°30′E / 52.017°N 0.500°E / 52.017; 0.500