Editing Eye, Suffolk

{{Short description|Market town in Suffolk, England}}
{{distinguish|Eye, Cambridgeshire}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
|country = England
|coordinates = {{coord|52.321|1.147|display=inline,title}}
|official_name = Eye
|population = 2,210
|population_ref = (2021)<ref name=census2021>[https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/suffolk/E63003106__eye/ City Population] from  [[United Kingdom Census 2021]] data.</ref>
|civil_parish = Eye
|shire_district = [[Mid Suffolk]]
|region = East of England
|shire_county = [[Suffolk]]
|constituency_westminster = [[Waveney Valley (UK Parliament constituency)|Waveney Valley]]
|post_town = EYE
|postcode_district = IP23
|postcode_area = IP
|dial_code = 01379
|os_grid_reference = TM144739
|static_image_name = Eye Town Hall, Suffolk - geograph.org.uk - 155636.jpg
|static_image_caption = [[Eye Town Hall]]
}}

'''Eye''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|aɪ}}) is a [[market town]] and civil parish in the [[Mid Suffolk]] district, in the north of the [[English county]] of [[Suffolk]], about {{convert|4|mi|0}} south of [[Diss, Norfolk|Diss]], {{convert|17.5|mi|0}} north of [[Ipswich]] and {{convert|23|mi|0}} south-west of [[Norwich]]. The population in the 2011 census of 2,154 was estimated to be 2,361 in 2019 and updated to 2,210 following the [[United Kingdom Census 2021|2021 census]].<ref>[https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/admin/mid_suffolk/E04009196__eye/ City Population.] from  [[United Kingdom Census 2021]] data.</ref>  It lies close to the [[River Waveney]], which forms the border with [[Norfolk]], and on the [[River Dove, Suffolk|River Dove]]. Eye is twinned with the town of [[Pouzauges]] in the [[Vendée]] [[Departments of France|department]] of France.

==Etymology==
The town of Eye derives its name from the [[Old English]] word for "island, land by water".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ekwall |first1=Eilert |title=The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names |date=1960 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-19-869103-3 |page=171 |edition=4}}</ref> It is thought that the first settlement on the site was almost surrounded by water and marshland formed by the Dove and its tributaries. The area remains prone to flooding close to the river.<ref>[https://www.eyesuffolk.org/about-eye/the-history-of-eye/ History of Eye. Retrieved 28 August 2020.]</ref>

==History==
There have been [[Palaeolithic]], [[Mesolithic]], [[Neolithic]] and [[Bronze Age]] finds in and around Eye, but the earliest evidence of settlement dates from the [[Roman Britain|Roman]] period. It includes buildings and coins from about 365 CE.<ref name=rob/> A large [[Anglo-Saxon]] cemetery with many urned cremations and some furnished inhumations, in use in the 6th century, was excavated near the Waterloo Plantation in 1818.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/Monument/MSF3973|title=Monument record EYE 003 - Waterloo Plantation (Saxon)|publisher=Suffolk Heritage Explorer|access-date=18 April 2022}}</ref>

In 1781 labourers unearthed a lead box by the river at Clint Farm in Eye, {{convert|3|mi|km}} south of [[Scole]] and {{convert|2|mi|km}} south–west of [[Hoxne]]. It contained some 600 Roman gold coins from the reigns of [[Valens]] and [[Valentinian I]] (reigned 364–375), [[Gratian]] (375–383), [[Theodosius I]] (378–395), [[Arcadius]] (395–408) and [[Honorius (emperor)|Honorius]] (393–423).<ref name=rob>{{Citation|last=Robertson |first=Anne S. |editor=Hobbs, Richard |title=An Inventory of Romano-British Coin Hoards |page=404 |publisher=Royal Numismatic Society |year=2000 |isbn=0-901405-48-5}}</ref>

Eye before the [[Norman Conquest]] was one of numerous holdings of Edric of Laxfield, a wealthy, influential Saxon, who was the third largest landholder in [[Suffolk]].<ref name=domes>[http://opendomesday.org/place/TM1473/eye/ Open Domesday Online: Eye]</ref> After the Norman Conquest, the town's regional importance was confirmed when the Honour of Eye was granted to [[William Malet (Norman conquest)|William Malet]], a Norman lord.<ref name=castle>{{cite web|url=http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/east/eye_castle.html|title=Eye Castle|publisher=Castles, Forts, Battles|access-date=18 April 2022|archive-date=18 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418192818/http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/east/eye_castle.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1066–1071, Malet built a castle as his military and administrative headquarters and started a market that initiated the urbanisation of Eye. In 1086–1087, William's son [[Robert Malet]], tenant-in-chief of the Honour of Eye in the hundred of [[Hartismere]],<ref name=domes/> founded [[Eye Priory]].<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Remains of Eye Priory at Abbey Farm|num=1020174| access-date=18 April 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Eye Castle - geograph.org.uk - 712956.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Eye Castle]], a [[motte and bailey castle|motte-and-bailey fortification]]]]
Eye began to lose its strategic importance after 1173 when the [[Eye Castle|castle]] was attacked by [[Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk]] during a rebellion against [[Henry II of England|Henry II]], and later during the [[Second Barons' War]] of 1265, after which it never regained its former status. Its prison continued in use up until the early 17th century, despite a programme of demolishing most of the castle buildings in the 14th century. A [[windmill]] built in 1561–1562 stood on the [[motte-and-bailey|motte]] until a circular mock keep was built there in 1844.<ref name=castle/>

Eye was once the smallest borough in the country, its claim based on the 1205 [[Charter]] of [[John of England|King John]]. The charter was renewed in 1408, then by [[Elizabeth I]] in 1558 and 1574, by [[James VI and I|James I]] in 1604, and by [[William III of England|William III]] in 1697.<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Eye (Municipality) |display=Eye |volume=10 |page=91}}</ref> However, in 1885 the [[town clerk]] of [[Hythe, Kent|Hythe]] proved that the original charter belonged only to [[Hythe, Kent|Hythe]] in Kent, the error having arisen from the similarity of the early English names, the error was confirmed by archivists in the 1950s but borough status was not discontinued until 1974. In 1835 Eye became a [[municipal borough]] which became part of the administrative county of [[East Suffolk (county)|East Suffolk]] in 1889, the district contained the parish of Eye.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10001420|title=Relationships and changes Eye MB through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=1 July 2024}}</ref> On 1 April 1974 the district was abolished and became part of Mid Suffolk in the [[non-metropolitan county]] of Suffolk.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1972/2039/schedule/part/35/made|title=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|publisher=[[legislation.gov.uk]]|accessdate=1 July 2024}}</ref> A [[successor parish]] was formed covering the same area as the former district and its parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1973/1110/made|title=The Local Government (Successor Parishes) Order 1973|publisher=legislation.gov.uk|accessdate=1 July 2024}}</ref> Eye retained a Town Council, a Mayor and its insignia. From 1571 to 1832 Eye returned two [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs), then after the [[Reform Act 1832]], a single MP until 1983, when the [[Eye (UK Parliament constituency)|Eye Constituency]] became the [[Suffolk Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Suffolk Central constituency]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bl.uk/britishlibrary/~/media/subjects%20images/government%20publications/pdfs/parliamentaryconstituencies.pdf|title=Parliamentary Constituencies|page=129|publisher=British Library|access-date=18 April 2022|archive-date=18 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418194103/https://www.bl.uk/britishlibrary/~/media/subjects%20images/government%20publications/pdfs/parliamentaryconstituencies.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The notable Cornwallis family was established at nearby Brome Hall in the 14th century. Individuals from the family, such as [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis]], represented [[Suffolk]] county{{what|date=March 2024}} in the [[House of Commons of England|House of Commons]] over the next three hundred years.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

The Lordship of the Manor of Eye (Sokemere) and Constableship of the Castle is held by the Palmer family of [[Haughley]] in Suffolk. The current Lord is Kieron Palmer of Haughley, succeeding his father Kenneth Palmer. The Manor was held by the Malet family in Norman times, Henry Earl of Brabant, the De Ufford, De la Pole, Cornwallis and Kerrison families as well as King Stephen, Edward I, Mary I and Thomas Beckett in previous years. Known as the Honour of Eye, it consisted of 129 manors and had the right to a court of ''pie poudre'' at its Whit Monday market fairs and those of Thrandeston and Finningham.<ref>''Whites Directory'', 1844, p. 330/331.</ref>

The earliest mention of industry in Eye records that in 1673 "the women's employ in this town is making of bone [[lace]]" and in 1830, "the humbler class of industrious females employ themselves in lace making." It would appear that Eye was at the centre of a localised lace-making industry for many years. In 1846 Eye Borough Council failed in its attempt to route the new London-[[Norwich]] railway line through Eye. The line, completed in 1849, went instead through [[Diss, Norfolk|Diss]], which was ensured growth in prosperity and population, while the importance of Eye waned. [[Eye (Suffolk) railway station|Eye railway station]], at the end of a branch line from [[Mellis]], closed to passengers in 1931 and to freight in 1964.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/Monument/MSF35056|title=Monument record EYE 135 - Eye Railway Branch|publisher=Suffolk Heritage Explorer|access-date=18 April 2022}}</ref>

Eye Airfield, to the north-east of the town, began as [[RAF Eye]], occupied by the [[490th Bombardment Group|490th]] Bomb Group of the [[United States Army Air Forces|USAAF]]'s VIII Bomber Command during the [[World War II|Second World War]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanairmuseum.com/place/117 |title=Eye    |publisher=American Air Museum in Britain|access-date=7 March 2015}}</ref>

==Services and amenities==
Eye today has a population of just over 2000.<ref name=census2021/> [[Hartismere School]] provides secondary education and St Peter and St Paul CE Primary School primary education. It has a health centre, a library, a police station and a retained fire station. A community hospital opened in 2012, after a previous one closed in 2005.<ref name=edp01jul12>[http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/health/hartismere_hospital_in_eye_officially_opens_1_1426997 Hartismere Hospital in Eye officially opens], ''[[Eastern Daily Press]]'', 1 July 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2014.</ref>

The town's Guildhall is a Grade I [[listed building]] now converted into a private residence.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=The Guildhall|num=1316621|access-date=18 April 2022}}</ref> [[Eye Town Hall]], an imaginative and unorthodox building dating from 1856 and listed Grade II*, was designed by [[Edward Buckton Lamb]].<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Town Hall|num=1316536|access-date=18 April 2022}}</ref>

==Church of St Peter and St Paul==
[[File:Eye - parish church of Ss. Peter & Paul from the castle - geograph.org.uk - 450641.jpg|thumb|
Parish church of Ss. Peter & Paul]]
The Grade 1 listed Church of St Peter and St Paul from the 14th century is seen as one of the finest in the county.<ref name=churchlist>[http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-468327-church-of-st-peter-and-st-paul-eye-suffo Church of St Peter and St Paul, Eye], British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 15 March 2014.</ref><ref name=suffchurch>[http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/eye.htm St Peter and St Paul, Eye], Suffolk churches website. Retrieved 15 March 2014.</ref>

A 13th-century [[Early English Period|Early English]] doorway was retained from an earlier building. The 15th and again the 16th century brought new work and renovation. This included installing an [[altar tomb]] to [[William Honnyng]] in the South or Lady Chapel and one to Nicholas Cutler to the north-west of the nave. The church was restored in 1868 by James Colling, a London architect. A notable added feature is a remarkable late 15th-century [[rood screen]], with a loft and rood designed by [[Ninian Comper]] in 1925.<ref name=churchlist/>

The tower of the church is {{convert|107|ft|m|abbr=off}} high to the tip of the pinnacles.<ref>Julian Flannery, 2016. ''Fifty English Steeples: The Finest Medieval Parish Church Towers and Spires in England''. [[New York City]], NY, United States: [[Thames and Hudson]]. pp. 310–315. {{ISBN|978-0-500-34314-2}}.</ref>

==Notable residents==
In birth order:
* [[Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington]]  (1674–1743) [[Eye (UK Parliament constituency)|MP for Eye]], [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]] from 1715 to 1727, went on to become the second [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] from 1742 to 1743 after [[Robert Walpole]]. 
* Rear-Admiral Sir [[Charles Cunningham]]  (1755–1834) saw action in the [[American War of Independence]] and the [[French Revolutionary]] and [[Napoleonic Wars]]. 
* [[Sir Edward Kerrison, 1st Baronet|Sir Edward Kerrison]] (1776–1853) [[Eye (UK Parliament constituency)|MP for Eye]] and [[British Army officers|British army officers]], saw action during the [[Battle of Waterloo]]. 
* [[Concordia Merrel]] (1886–1962), actor and writer, lived and died in Eye.
* Sir [[Frederick Ashton]] (1904–1988), [[ballet dancer]] and [[Choreography|Choreographer]] with [[The Royal Ballet]], lived at Chandos Lodge in Eye, behind a local landmark known as the Crinkle Crackle Wall. He also lived in [[Yaxley, Suffolk|Yaxley]], where he is buried alongside his sister.
* [[Cavendish Morton (artist)|Cavendish Morton]] (1911–2015), artist, lived in Eye and was art therapist to Hartismere Hospital. He twice become Town Mayor. He exhibited from Stanley House in Eye, in 1977, two pictures: ''Waves-Aldeburgh'' and ''Breakers-Aldeburgh''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://suffolkartists.co.uk/index.cgi?choice=painter&pid=774#:~:text=Morton%20was%20art%20therapist%20to,several%20running%20at%20Le%20Mans. | title=Suffolk Artists - MORTON, Cavendish }}</ref>
* [[Janet Frame]] (1924–2004), [[New Zealand]] author, rented a cottage at nearby [[Braiseworth]] for a period in 1963–1964, where she began a novel, ''An Adaptable Man'', set in the local area. Eye is fictionalised as "Murston". 
* [[Helen Fraser (actress)|Helen Fraser]] (born 1942), actress, lives in Eye.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eadt.co.uk/what-s-on/bad-girl-helen-fraser-s-journey-back-to-the-beginning-of-a-dramatic-career-1-2213280|title=Bad Girl Helen Fraser's journey back to the beginning of a dramatic career|first=Andrew|last=Clarke|date=28 May 2013 |publisher=|accessdate=9 June 2022}}</ref>
* [[Brian Capron]] (born 1947), actor, was born in Eye.
* [[Matthew Upson]] (born 1979), professional footballer, was born in Eye.
* [[Stuart O'Keefe]] (born 1991), professional footballer, was born in Eye.

==See also==
* [[Eye (UK Parliament constituency)]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* Clive Paine, 1993, ''The History of Eye'' {{ISBN|0-9522509-0-X}}
* S. E. West, 1998, "A Corpus of Anglo-Saxon material from Suffolk", ''East Anglian Archaeology'' 84, pp.&nbsp;35–36

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.eyesuffolk.org/ Eye Community Website]

{{Mid Suffolk}}
{{Suffolk}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Eye, Suffolk| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Mid Suffolk District]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Suffolk]]