Introduction

Many people have suggested that I should write something on the history of Worlington but it was not until this year that I began any study of the parish. This booklet is most definitely not a complete history of the village but merely a collection of notes indicating some of the many sources from which information can be obtained regarding the past. 

I have been careful to avoid describing the recent past as it is here that living memory & local knowledge can tell far more than ever my dusty old documents and, am a newcomer to the village, I am not brave enough to risk contradiction. I have avoided also any detailed notes on the church as this is well covered by Mrs. Roe's booklet which is still on sale. I have begun my notes with the Domesday survey but there is much to be discovered of more distant times by the study of archaeology. Little has been published on discoveries or excavations in the immediate area of the parish but the surrounding area is extremely rich in relics of all ages from the Stone Ages down to Anglo-Saxon times. There is certainly evidence from surface finds, particularly of the Roman period, that there was a thriving community in Worlington in ancient time. As this is not a scholastic work I have not given detailed references for my quotations but I would be only too pleased to provide these for anyone who wishes to explore further.

I would like to express my thanks to all those who have helped me in my researches, in particular the staff of the Suffolk Record Office in Bury St. Edmunds where so many of the records are now stored. My thanks also to Dr. Parish who inspired this work and whose generosity has subsidised the cost of its production.

Colin Dring ©1979