Our Local History Recorder says.......

I have served for some time as the Local History Recorder for Finningham and have worked at  Suffolk Record Office for the last eight years, helping to make the documentary history of Suffolk available to the public.  Some people have asked me about Suffolk Record Office holdings so, I will begin by offering you an explanation of which Finningham documents have survived and can be found there.

The Parish Chest

Broadly speaking, these documents came from the chest in St Bartholomew's Church.  They include Vestry Minutes, Registers of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; Churchwardens' Accounts, Faculties, Overseers' Accounts and records of Parish Charities.

The Frere Family

The Frere family were closely connected with many aspects of the village life; especially St Bartholomew's Church.  Many surviving documents of the Frere family can be found in collection HB405.

The Village Green

Suffolk Record Office holds records of Enclosure on Allwood Green and Waste Land in Finningham.  Also, the Court book of the Pie Powder Court of the Fairs of Finningham and Thrandeston dated; 1647-1654.

Finningham VCP School

The SRO holds records of this school from its founding in 1874.  These include Log Books, Admission Registers and even a Punishment Book.

Public Houses

Various photographs have been collected showing the The White Horse, The Black Horse and the Railway Tavern.  Thes pubs can also be found in the County Trade Directories.

The Parish Council

The Parish Council has depositied a small number of items at the SRO but most of its documents remain in the hands of the Clerk.

The Manors of Finningham

The Manor was really the unit of Local government prior to the Parish.  The main Manor in Finningham was that of Finningham Hall (or Coniers Manor), which passed to John Frere of Green Farm in 1660.  The descent of the Manor is recorded in Copinger's "The Manors of Suffolk".  A copy of this comprehensive work may be found at the Suffolk Record Office.  The Manor would have had two Courts.  First, the Court Barn which would have dealt with matters of tenancy. Second, the Court Leet, which dealt with minor offences.  Some manorial documents for Finningham are held at the SRO.  Most are written in Latin so, be prepared!

The Village

Finningham is a scattered village of about 410 residents.  The name is thought to mean the Village of Fina's People.

Finningham was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, when the population was 37 1/2!

It is largely a farming community.  Since at least the 1700's, the land belonged to the Frere family until, in 1912, it was sub-divided and sold.

Children from the School

The Village Green is in the centre of the village, once belonging to the Lord of the Manor, now in the care of the Parish Council.  Until 1871, an annual two-day fair was held there.  Cattle, hardware, pedlary and toys were traded , as well the hire of servants and labourers.

School opened in 1874

 The Church 

The centre of any English village is its church and Finningham is no exception.  St Bartholomew's is one of only six out of five hundred mediaeval curches in Suffolk which is dedicated to this saint.

The following is an extract from the history and guide, which has been reproduced by kind permission of the author, Roy Tricker.  He was assisted by Mrs Freddie Montgomery and Brian Turner.  A full copy of this interesting booklet is available at the church.

St Bartholomews

Much of the structure of the present building dates from the late 13th or early 14th centuries.  The north and south doorways in the nave are of this period, also the chancel piscina and the western tower.  During the 15th century the church was greatly restored and re-ordered.  It was then that the nave windows were inserted, the south porch erected, also the west doorway of the tower, the font and its cover and the nave roof.  The late 15th or early 16th centuries gave the church its Tudor brick north porch.

Major restoration of the church was undertaken in the 1880's, instigated and paid for by the rector, Rev Constantine Frere (that family name has been at the forefront of Finningham history since John Frere purchased Green Farm in 1593). The chancel was the main area of attention for that restoration, having been given a new roof, resurfaced walls and the windows had their stonework renewed. The nave benefited from new benches and pulpit and the west gallery and reredos were made.  The font was recut. One of the great treasures of this church is the exquisitely carved 15th century font cover.

South Porch

Although the nave had new benches in 1886, many of the arm rests and ends date back to the 15th century.  Some are decorated with figures (faceless or headless, depending upon the aim of the historical vandal!).

In common with many other parish churches in East Anglia, there is precious little stained glass left in the  church windows.  What there is, dates back to mediaeval times with some more recent additions (a 19th century window in memory of James Hatley Frere).

Ancestry

Since this website was launched, we have received numerous requests from all over the world, for information on past residents of Finningham.  We are happy to do all we can in helping to trace relatives at no charge but we do not have the resources of "Who do you think you are" and sometimes, cannot offer any more than is already known - but we do try!!

What we do have at our disposal is local knowledge, which can be very useful in filling in the missing jigsaw pieces.

If you would like us to help, please use the "Contact" page of this website and we shall be happy to oblige.