Country: | England |
Official Name: | Wenham Magna |
Coordinates: | 52.0037°N 1.0143°W |
Population: | 150 |
Population Ref: | (2005)[1] 185 (2011) |
Shire District: | Babergh |
Shire County: | Suffolk |
Region: | East of England |
Post Town: | Colchester |
Postcode District: | CO7 |
Postcode Area: | CO |
Static Image: | St. John's church, Great Wenham, Suffolk - geograph.org.uk - 213446.jpg |
Static Image Width: | 240px |
Static Image Caption: | St. John's Church |
Wenham Magna, also known as Great Wenham, is a village and a civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk in eastern England.
The parish also contains the hamlets of Gipsy Row, Vauxhall and Wenham Hill. In 2005 it had a population of 150,[1] increasing to 185 at the 2011 Census.[2]
Wenham Magna is the birthplace of Matthew Hopkins, the infamous witchfinder general.[3] [4] [5] His father, James Hopkins, was vicar of St John's Church[5] [6] and the family held land in the area.[7] [8] James Hopkins appears to have been popular with his parishioners, one of whom left him money to purchase bibles for his children.[4]
The parish church of St John is a Grade II* listed building.
The chancel is 14th-century with a later, timber-framed, south porch. There is a 14th-century nave with north and south porches and a 15th-century west tower of flint with stone dressings. The rest of the church is plastered with only the stone windows exposed. The church has red plain tiled roofs.