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There are several examples
in Suffolk of two churches sharing a
churchyard. That is not the case here,
but just a field separates this church
from that of St Mary, Clopton, and the two
churches, of similar construction, appear
like twins on the Grundisburgh to Otley road.
St
Botolph, Burgh, sits on a little mound,
suggesting an ancient foundation. In
fact, there may be more to it than that,
and the probably ancient dedication of
the church is well-founded. Although
early antiquarians identified this as the
site of the Roman Combretonium,
I believe that today Coddenham, six miles or so
to the west, is generally felt to be the
actual site. Indeed, Dr Sam Newton, the
author of The Origins of Beowulf,
argues that this site here at Burgh has
far greater significance as an earlier
double-ramparted Iron Age enclosure
which, despite the traces of some Roman
remains, appears not to have been settled
significantly in the early centuries of
the first Christian millennium.
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The hill
apparently had a strange reputation as the home
of a demon fond of water - the name of nearby Grundisburgh may be connected with the
Anglo-Saxon word Grendel, the
marsh-dwelling monster of Beowulf. As late as the
7th century, an attempt was made to exorcise this
demon. St Botolph, who had landed in England and
established his monastery at Iken, near Snape, his Icenho, had
died, and his bones were brought here. Sam Newton
argues that his reputation as an exorcist of
marsh monsters might encourage the locals to
overcome their fear of the site. The body was
translated some fifty years later to Bury Abbey,
and then desecrated at the Reformation. You can
read more about this, and see a rather dramatic
aerial photo of Burgh, on Sam's website.
There is a fairly
steep climb up to the south side, but this is a
rewarding walk, because the church is set in one
of the most interesting small graveyards in
Suffolk, even without the presence of St Botolph.
Unfortunately, some of the stones on the south
side have been laid flat, a practice which will
inevitably result in their destruction, although
at least here the turf has been cleared around
each stone to protect it from the lawnmowers.
The entire
southern side is a vast rabbit warren - you
wouldn't get much rest if you were lying here.
Sam Newton tells a fascinating story about a
poacher supposedly discovering a mysterious
carved stone here at some time in the past. There
are a couple of fascinating older graves to the
east of the chancel. One is a low tomb chest
enclosed in a spiked cage, presumably to dissuade
body snatchers. The other is a delightful stone,
perhaps for a previous Sexton; the tools of his
trade are shown at the top of it, his spade, pick
and coffin. Also, a snake with its tail in its
mouth, as a symbol of eternity; and an hour glass
to remind us as we stand and look at it that we,
too, will come to this.
The first couple
of times I visited this church I found it locked,
with no evidence of any keyholder, or even of
much life. How different things are today! St
Botolph is militantly open and welcoming, every
day. And this is good, because it has one of the
best collections of glass by the Kempe workshop
anywhere in Suffolk.
Rushing in to this feast of
Kempe, you might not notice one of the oldest
door handles in East Anglia, a big, confident
13th Century iron ring on a domed plate.
Extraordinary to think it has been doing the same
job for more than seven hundred years. Other
medieval survivals include the 15th Century font,
which, although recut, includes some interesting
images, including an angel holding a seamless
garment.
A couple of windows that do
not contain Kempe glass are interesting
because their designs are not only good,
but early, from the 1840s. The best is an
absolutely delightful image of Christ as
the Good Shepherd. A delicious Art
Nouveau memorial to a former Rector is
another artistic highlight. Unusually,
Burgh retains Rolls of Honour for both
the First and Second World Wars. As
almost anywhere in England, more Burgh
people fought in World War Two, but fewer
died. Even if you know this to be true,
it is stark to see it displayed in a
finely lettered hand.
This is not a big church,
and as you might expect there is a
downside to all this wonderful rich glass
- the inside of the church is rather
gloomy. And yet, it is very characterful,
even atmospheric - I thought it would be
a splendid place to sit out a storm, or
to come across in the smoky grey light of
a November afternoon.
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