Castle Hedingham

Welcome. Let's get the basics sorted out first - Castle Hedingham is a mediaeval village in north Essex; Hedingham Castle, on the other hand, is the castle after which the village is named. If you are after information about Hedingham Castle this really isn't the best site for you, although it is naturally mentioned fairly frequently. I haven't attempted to include much about the castle, simply because there is so much available elsewhere; my Links page includes several websites which may be of help to you.
	This site, then, is about the village. I'm interested in the village's history, though there are many whose knowledge is much greater than mine. I try not to publish information about which I'm not certain, or, if I do, then I try to qualify this. However, the site also includes community information; if you have an event which you'd like to promote then please let me know, and time permitting I will publish the details here.
The village itself has around 1,200 inhabitants, and like many rural communities has changed greatly in a short space of time. Its heart is still formed around the mediaeval street layout, and is rich in timber framed buildings, many of which date from the Fifteenth Century and some of which have elements earlier than that. Both church and castle are Norman.
	Since the 1950s a number of new developments have been added to the village, adding greatly to its size. At the same time, however, cars have choked the narrow streets, which are now rarely visible without a continuous line of parked vehicles. At the same time, this greater mobility has, despite the village's growth as a community, resulted in the all-too-familiar loss of village shops and other businesses, so that very few now remain. Happily, we still have three pubs!

I am indebted to Holly Adams for the painstaking work she put in when compiling comprehensive, searchable Excel files of the parish records, and these are included here in full.

I've also several pages of old and new photographs of the village, and have been very grateful to visitors who have contributed their own photos and information. Some of these are from family archives, and are therefore probably unique. I've recently added content about Poll Miles, a reputed witch who met a tragic end, and have information pages about the Church of St Nicholas.

I publish the Parish Council news each month, and also maintain an archive which dates back to 2004. The Hedingham Heritage Society publishes its programme of events here.

Use the links in the navigation panel to the left of this page to access the information on this site. Do please let me know (using the contact page) if you find something that doesn't work.