Editing Hadleigh, Suffolk

{{Short description|Town in Suffolk, England}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{infobox UK place
|static_image_name        = Hadleigh Church - geograph.org.uk - 86057.jpg
|static_image_caption     = St Mary's Church and Deanery Tower 
|country                  = England
|coordinates              = {{coord|52|02|43|N|0|57|30|E|display=inline,title}}
|official_name            = Hadleigh
| population              = 8,253
| population_ref          = ''(2011)''<ref  name=ONS/>
|civil_parish             = Hadleigh
 |shire_district          = [[Babergh District|Babergh]]
|region                   = East of England
|shire_county             = [[Suffolk]]
|constituency_westminster = [[South Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency)|South Suffolk]]
|post_town                = IPSWICH
|postcode_district        = IP7
|postcode_area            = IP
|dial_code                = 01473
|os_grid_reference        = TM0342
|website                  = {{URL|visithadleighsuffolk.co.uk}}
}}

'''Hadleigh''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|æ|d|l|i}}) is an ancient [[market town]] and [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in the [[Babergh District|Babergh]] district of [[Suffolk]], England. The town is situated next to the [[River Brett]], between the larger towns of [[Sudbury, Suffolk|Sudbury]] and [[Ipswich]]. It had a population of 8,253 at the 2011 census.<ref name=ONS>{{cite web|title=Census 2011: Parish Headcounts:Hadleigh|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11124107&c=hadleigh&d=16&e=62&g=6465570&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1400345955881&enc=1|work=Neighbourhood Statistics|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=28 October 2013|archive-date=15 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315185224/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11124107&c=hadleigh&d=16&e=62&g=6465570&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1400345955881&enc=1|url-status=dead}}</ref> The headquarters of Babergh District Council were located in the town until 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=Contact Us" Babergh Mid Suffolk|url=http://www.babergh.gov.uk/contact-us|website=www.babergh.gov.uk|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Geater|first1=Paul|title=Babergh and Mid Suffolk councils set to move to Ipswich in September|url=http://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/babergh-and-mid-suffolk-councils-set-to-move-to-ipswich-in-september-1-5139064|website=Ipswich Star|language=en|access-date=1 March 2018|archive-date=12 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212140325/https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/babergh-and-mid-suffolk-councils-set-to-move-to-ipswich-in-september-1-5139064|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Origin of the name==
[[Walter Skeat|Skeat]], in his 1913 ''The Place-Names of Suffolk'', says this:
<blockquote>
Spelt ''Hadlega'', [[Red Book of the Exchequer|R.B.]]; ''Hadleigh'', [[Inquisition post mortem|Ipm]].; ''Hædleage'', in a late chapter, [[Benjamin Thorpe|Thorpe]], Diplomat, 527; ''Headlega'', [[Annals of St Neots|Annals of St Neot]], quoted in [[Charles Plummer (historian)|Plummer]]'s ed. of the [[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle|A.S.Chronicle]], ii. 102; ''Hetlega'', [[Domesday Book|D.B.]], p.184. In D.B. the ''t'' stands for ''th''; and the true A.S. form appears in a Worcs. charter, dated 849, as ''hæðleage''(gen.) with reference to Headley Heath (a tautological name) in Birch, C.S. ii. 40; see Duignan, Placenames of Worcs. The sense is 'heath-lea.' In a similar way the A.S. ð has become t in Hatfield (Herts.) which means 'heath-field'.<ref>{{cite book |first=Walter |last=Skeat |author-link=Walter Skeat |year=1913 |title=The Place-Names of Suffolk |url=https://archive.org/details/placenamesofsuff00skearich |location=Cambridge |publisher=[[Cambridge Antiquarian Society]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/placenamesofsuff00skearich/page/78 78]}}</ref>
</blockquote>

==History==
[[Guthrum]], King of the Danes, is said to be buried in the grounds of St Mary's Church in the town.<ref>D. Dumville and M. Lapidge (eds) ''Annals of St. Neots'' Cambridge 1984</ref> He was defeated by King [[Alfred the Great|Alfred]] at the [[battle of Edington]] in 878.<ref name=onesuffolk/>

The first documented lord of the manor was [[ealdorman]] [[Byrhtnoth]], who was killed at the [[Battle of Maldon]] in 991. Hadleigh received its [[Market town|market charter]] in 1252 and had a grammar school by 1275. The manor of Hadleigh, along with those of Lawling in Essex and [[Monks Eleigh]] in Suffolk, were among those given to the [[Canterbury Cathedral|Priory Church of Canterbury Cathedral]]. It made Hadleigh an "archiepiscopal [[Royal Peculiar|peculiar]]" – under the direct control of the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]].<ref name=times>{{cite web|url=https://www.eadt.co.uk/book-medieval-hadleigh-the-chief-manor-and-the-town-by-margaret-woods-1-5801683|title=What was Hadleigh like 700 years ago?|first=Steve|last=Russell|website=East Anglian Daily Times|access-date=16 December 2018}}</ref>

Hadleigh was a moderately-sized town, with a reckoned population of about 1,100 or 1,200 in 1306. At that time there were 118 "unfree tenants", who had to pay rent and provide labour services, and 75 "free tenants" who had had fewer obligations and dues. The manor had {{convert|2000|acre}}. The manor was a working farm, with crops and some animals, and had quite an important dairy. Hadleigh Hall was the site of the medieval manor house, in {{convert|4|acre}}.<ref name=times/>

It has been suggested by Woods (2018) that [[Wat Tyler]] and his wife were Hadleigh tenants about 20 years before he was one of the leaders of the 1381 [[Peasants' Revolt]]. Records show a Wat Tyler taking over a freeholding in Coram Street in 1358–59 and it is possible he worked as a tiler.<ref name=times/><ref>{{cite book |first=Margaret|last=Woods |title=Medieval Hadleigh: The chief manor and the town |publisher=Lasse Press |date= 1 December 2018 |isbn= 9781999775247}}</ref>

In 1438, administration was passed from manorial control to trustees. The market was eventually sold to [[Babergh District|Babergh District Council]] in the late 20th century.<ref name=onesuffolk>{{cite web |url=http://hadleigh.onesuffolk.net/ |title=Welcome to the Hadleigh Town Council website |location=GB |publisher=Hadleigh.onesuffolk.net |date=22 September 2013 |access-date=17 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430200051/http://hadleigh.onesuffolk.net/ |archive-date=30 April 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Hadleigh was one of the East Anglian towns that derived its prosperity from its [[wool]] and cloth industries. It has a 15th-century timber-framed [[Guildhall]] and many fine examples of timber and brick [[listed buildings]], some with highly detailed 17th century plasterwork or "[[pargeting]]". Most of these buildings can be found in the High Street, Angel Street, Benton Street and George Street.{{fact|date=April 2025}}

[[File:Hadleigh Guildhall - geograph.org.uk - 2576908.jpg|thumb|left|The Market House]]
[[File:Town Hall, Hadleigh (geograph 5606335).jpg|thumb|left|[[Hadleigh Town Hall|The New Town Hall]]]]
The Guildhall buildings are, in fact, formed of three separate structures, all of which lie to the south of the churchyard: the Market House, the Guilds Halls and the New Town Hall (Grand Hall). They are located on land that belonged originally to the [[Manorialism|manor]] of [[Toppesfield|Toppesfield Hall]]. In 1252, king [[Henry III of England]] granted a weekly market and an annual fair to Gilbert de Kirkeby, his wife Lauretta and their heirs. By 1438, the Lord of the Manor was William de Clopton, who granted these rights, to fifteen trustees, with an initial annual payment of 6s 8d. In 1438, the Hadleigh Market [[Feoffment]] was formed, to manage the market and buildings. The oldest part of the complex, the Market House, fronts the churchyard. Later the Guilds Halls were built and the final addition was the [[Hadleigh Town Hall|New Town Hall]]. Abutting the Market House to the west was the 'Long Hall newly built' (1438), which appears to have been the home of the Grammar School, the earliest record of which is dated 7 May 1382. Its last use was as [[almshouse]]s and accommodation for the Dean's servants; but it was seriously damaged in a storm in 1884 and was demolished.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hadleightownhall.co.uk/portal/web/687/content/downloads/pottedhistory.doc |title=The Hadleigh Guildhall & Town Hall Complex – A Potted History |publisher=Hadleigh Market Feoffment Charity |year=2009}}</ref>

In 1894 Hadleigh became an [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban district]] which became part of the administrative county of [[West Suffolk (county)|West Suffolk]] in 1889, the district contained the parish of Hadleigh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10107829|title=Relationships and changes Hadleigh UD through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=5 September 2024}}</ref> On 1 April 1974 the district and parish were abolished and became part of Babergh district 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=5 September 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=5 September 2024}}</ref>

The parish has a total of 246 listed buildings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/england/suffolk/hadleigh |title=Listed Buildings in Hadleigh, Suffolk, England |publisher=britishlistedbuildings.co.uk |access-date=30 March 2013}}</ref> Of these, [[Grade I listed buildings in Babergh|four are Grade I]]: the grouping of St Mary's Church, the Deanery Tower, the Guildhall, and the Coffee Tavern in the High Street. [[Grade II* listed buildings in Babergh|Twenty-seven are II*]]. Hugh Pigot, curate of Hadleigh, identifies four 'remarkable' houses in his 1866 history of the town:<ref>Hugh Pigot (1866) ''A Guide to the Town, Church, and Chief Objects of Interest in Hadleigh''. H. Hardacre, Hadleigh.</ref> Sun Court; a house in the High St;<ref>{{NHLE|desc=46 and 48 High St|num=1036757|access-date=5 October 2021}}</ref> a house in George Street; and Place Farm (demolished). The house in George Street has since been identified as a hall house, known as Thorpes in the 1600s, and dated to 1380–1420.<ref name=HE1036788>{{NHLE|desc=48 George Street|num=1036788|access-date=5 October 2021}}</ref> It was restored by Mr and Mrs Baines and given a Noel Turner Award by the Hadleigh Society in 2012.<ref>Hadleigh Society newsletter, May 2019. http://www.hadsoc.org.uk/newsletter/HSN201905.pdf</ref>

[[File:Hadleigh 03.jpg|thumb|[[Pargeting]] at 81, High Street]]
The [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] East House, on George Street, is designated a [[Grade II* listed building]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-277656-east-house-hadleigh-suffolk |title=East House, Hadleigh |publisher=britishlistedbuildings.co.uk |access-date=30 March 2013}}</ref> In March 2013, plans by Babergh District Council to redevelop the site and build houses on the land behind were withdrawn after strong local protest. The property was once used for community activities and the [[Kray twins]] were billeted at the property during the Second World War.<ref>{{cite news |first=Steven |last=Russell |date=28 April 2008 |title=Hard men with a soft spot for Suffolk |work=[[East Anglian Daily Times]] |url=https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/hard-men-with-a-soft-spot-for-suffolk-7541614 |access-date=7 August 2021}}</ref> Opponents of the plan had argued that the adjacent land had been used as a [[village green]] for the previous 20 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.suffolkfreepress.co.uk/community/community-news/proposals-for-east-house-scrapped-1-4913214 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421093228/http://www.suffolkfreepress.co.uk/community/community-news/proposals-for-east-house-scrapped-1-4913214 |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 April 2013 |title=Proposals for East House scrapped |publisher=Johnston Publishing Ltd. |date=19 March 2013 |access-date=30 March 2013 }}</ref> In 2018, the building was renovated into two private homes: East House and West Lodge by period property restorers Richard Abel and Ruth McCabe-Abel. The couple were awarded the Noel Turner Award by the Hadleigh Society in 2019 for their sympathetic restoration of East House and West Lodge.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hadsoc.org.uk/newsletter/hsn202005.htm#_Toc40965317|title=The Hadleigh Society May 2020|access-date=6 September 2020}}</ref>

Originating in the 14th century, the Grade II* listed Toppesfield Bridge, over the River Brett, is the oldest in the county still carrying vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transporttrust.com/heritage-sites/heritage-detail/toppesfield-bridge-hadleigh|title=Heritage Locations|website=www.transporttrust.com|access-date=1 March 2018}}</ref> It was widened in 1812.<ref>''Hadleigh Official Town Guide 2014'', Local Authority Publishing Co. Ltd, p.10.</ref> Hadleigh also had its own [[Corn Exchange, Hadleigh|Corn Exchange]], completed in 1813.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Corn Exchange|num=1351724|access-date=5 August 2023}}</ref>

Hadleigh was formerly the home of Babergh District Council. In November 2017, the council vacated its offices on Cork Lane.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.babergh.gov.uk/communities/former-council-offices-in-hadleigh/|title=Former Council Offices in Hadleigh" Babergh Mid Suffolk|website=www.babergh.gov.uk}}</ref>

==Religion==
[[File:St Mary's, Hadleigh 4.jpg|thumb|right|The Anglican church of [[St Mary, Hadleigh|St Mary the Virgin]]]]
The [[St Mary's Church, Hadleigh|Anglican church of St Mary the Virgin]] is an active [[Church of England parish church|parish church]] in the [[archdeaconry]] of [[Ipswich]] in the [[Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich]]. Its earliest parts date from [[medieval]] times. On 26 April 1950, the church was designated a [[Grade I listed building]] by [[English Heritage]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1036820|desc=Church of St Mary, Hadleigh|grade=I|access-date=7 October 2023}}</ref>

According to the ''[[Annals of St Neots]]'', a chronicle compiled in [[Bury St Edmunds]], King [[Guthrum]] (later called Æthelstan, died c.890) was buried at ''Headleage,'' which is usually identified as Hadleigh.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dumville |first1=David |last2=Lapidge |first2=Michael |title=The Annals of St Neots with Vita Prima Sancti Neoti, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: a Collaborative Edition |location=Cambridge |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-85991-117-7}}</ref> He may have built the original [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] church at this site, traces of which were revealed in the churchyard to the south of the porch, in 1829 and in 1984. There is no real evidence, however, that Guthrum was the founder of the church.<ref>Tricker (2011), p. 1</ref>
In the [[Domesday Book]], there is mention of a church at "Hetlega" being owned by [[Archbishop Lanfranc]] of [[Canterbury]].

The [[deanery]], with a tall [[Tudor architecture|Tudor]] gatehouse in brick built just before the [[Reformation]], next to the church, is also a Grade I listed building.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1194031|desc= Deanery Tower, Hadleigh |grade=I| access-date=7 October 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Hadleigh United Reformed Church - geograph.org.uk - 1370604.jpg|thumb|Hadleigh [[United Reformed Church]]]]
Like its near neighbour, [[East Bergholt]], Hadleigh was known during the 16th century for its [[Protestant]] radicalism. [[Rowland Taylor]], a preacher from the town, and his curate, Richard Yeoman, were martyred by being [[Death by burning|burned at the stake]] during the reign of Queen [[Mary I of England|Mary I]]. The [[Oxford Movement]] was said to have been founded in 1833 following a meeting in the deanery.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url =http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11370a.htm |first =William | last =Barry  | title = ''The Oxford Movement (1833–1845)'' (1911) | encyclopedia = The Catholic Encyclopedia | location= New York| publisher= Robert Appleton Company | access-date = 20 November 2008}}</ref>

Hadleigh [[United Reformed Church]], off Market Place, was originally the town's [[Congregational church|Congregational Church]], founded in 1688. It was rebuilt in the early 19th century and restored in 1890.<ref name=heritage>{{cite web |url=https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/Data/Sites/1/media/parish-histories/hadleigh.pdf |title=Parish: Hadleigh |publisher=heritage.suffolk.gov.uk |access-date=2 May 2016 |archive-date=2 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602034241/https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/Data/Sites/1/media/parish-histories/hadleigh.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author= C. Sydenham |title=The Story of Congregationalism in Hadleigh and district |year=1967}}</ref> The [[Baptist]] chapel was built in 1830.<ref name=heritage/><ref>{{cite book |author=D. French |title=History of Hadleigh Baptist Church (1815–1980)}}</ref> St Joseph's [[Roman Catholic]] Church was built in 1966.  In 1814, the [[Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)|Wesleyan Methodists]] purchased the 14th-century Thorpes [[hall house]] in George Street and leased it to the [[Primitive Methodists]], known as [[Ranters]], in 1836. In 1848 the [[Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)|Wesleyans]] built a chapel on land adjoining Thorpes and enlarged it in 1875.<ref name=HE1036788/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.myprimitivemethodists.org.uk/content/chapels/suffolk/h-r/hadleigh_near_ipswich_suffolk|title=Hadleigh, near Ipswich, Suffolk|first=Christopher|last=Hill}}</ref> The chapel is now a Grade II listed home. There was also an [[Reformed Episcopal Church|Episcopal Mission Chapel]] built on Hadleigh Heath in 1878 and restored in 1891; it was disused by 1912.<ref name=heritage/>

==Economy==
[[File:An old house on Benton Street, Hadleigh, Suffolk - geograph.org.uk - 250221.jpg|thumb|A typical example of [[timber framing]], Benton Street]]
The former Kings Arms on Benton Street is a typical example of [[timber framing]]. The building, a pub for over 400 years, has sections that date to the 15th century. It was known unofficially as the "Old Monkey" and is still referred to by that name today. It is now a private residence and bed and breakfast.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://suffolk.greatbritishlife.co.uk/article/is-this-suffolks-sexiest-place-to-stay-old-monkey-hadleigh-32452/ | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130420205253/http://suffolk.greatbritishlife.co.uk/article/is-this-suffolks-sexiest-place-to-stay-old-monkey-hadleigh-32452/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = 20 April 2013 | title = Is this Suffolk's sexiest place to stay? | work = Suffolk Magazine | publisher = [[Archant]] | access-date = 30 March 2013 | first = Julie | last = Holden }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.suffolkcamra.co.uk/pubs/pub/357 |title=Hadleigh King's Arms summary from |publisher=Suffolk CAMRA |access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref>

Hadleigh is home to several manufacturers, including Jim Lawrence Handcrafted Home Furnishings,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.thesuffolkguide.co.uk/blog/suffolk-peopletalking-to-jim-lawrence | title = Talking to Jim Lawrence | work = The Suffolk Guide | access-date = 30 March 2013}}</ref> and the Hadleigh Maid chocolate company.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/features_2_483/freshly_laid_at_hadleigh_maid_1_75032 | work = [[East Anglian Daily Times]] | publisher = [[Archant]] | title = Freshly laid at Hadleigh Maid | date = 10 April 2006 | access-date = 30 March 2013 | first = Katy | last = Evans}}</ref> From November 2009 Hadleigh was the home of the Hellhound [[microbrewery]]; it moved to [[Bramford]] in June 2014 and ceased trading in June 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.suffolkcamra.co.uk/pubs/brewery/164 |title=Hadleigh Hellhound brewery |publisher=www.suffolkcamra.co.uk |date=3 May 2013 |access-date=21 January 2016}}</ref>

The Brett Works site, off Pound Lane, was for some years the home of Brett Valley Joinery and was later allocated by Babergh District Council as a potential site for a new foodstore. Supermarket [[Tesco]] made a number of controversial proposals for the building of a store in the town. Their last proposal, for development of the Pound Lane site, was rejected by the council in July 2011.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/hadleigh_tesco_still_wants_a_new_store_in_town_1_1171186 | work = [[East Anglian Daily Times]] | publisher = [[Archant]] | access-date = 30 March 2013 | title = Hadleigh: Tesco still wants a new store in town | first = Chris | last = Harris | date = 7 January 2012}}</ref> The proposal was rejected again in September 2013.<ref>{{Cite news | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-24144770 | title = Tesco's Hadleigh supermarket plans rejected again | work=BBC News | date=18 September 2013}}</ref>

The Lady Lane Industrial estate is the location of [[Saint-Gobain|Celotex Saint Gobain]], the manufacturer of the insulation component in the cladding used at [[Grenfell Tower fire|Grenfell Tower]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.celotex.co.uk/|title=Celotex - UK PIR Thermal Insulation Manufacturers|website=www.celotex.co.uk|access-date=1 March 2018}}</ref>

==Culture==
The annual Hadleigh Show, first held in 1840 and also known as 'the May Show', is one of the oldest one-day agricultural shows in [[East Anglia]]. Organised by the Hadleigh Farmers' Agricultural Association, the show enjoyed 12,500 visitors in 2013.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hadleighshow.co.uk/ | title = Hadleigh Show | publisher = hadleighshow.co.uk | access-date = 30 March 2013}}</ref>

Benton End House, a Grade II* [[listed building]] on Benton Street, was originally a large medieval farmhouse. From 1940 it was the home of [[Cedric Morris|Sir Cedric Morris]], artist and plantsman, who formed the [[East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing]] there.<ref>Richard Morphet ''Cedric Morris'' The Tate Gallery 1984 {{ISBN|0-946590-06-0}} pp. 59–60</ref> Students included [[Lucian Freud]] and [[Maggi Hambling]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Gardening |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9056599/Cedric-Morris-The-flowering-of-a-great-artistic-talent.html |title=Cedric Morris: The flowering of a great artistic talent |newspaper=Telegraph |date= 2 February 2012|access-date=17 May 2014 |location=London}}</ref>

The Ansell Community Centre was established in 2004 to provide community facilities in the locality. It operates the cinema ("Hollywood in Hadleigh"), organises luncheon clubs and arranges events.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ansellcc.org.uk/?page_id=5|title=About Us - Ansell Community Centre|website=www.ansellcc.org.uk|access-date=1 March 2018}}</ref>

==Media==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC East]] and [[ITV Anglia]]. Television signals are received the [[Sudbury transmitting station|Sudbury]] TV transmitter.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Sudbury | title=Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref>

Local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Suffolk]] on 103.9 FM, [[Heart East]] on 97.1 FM, [[Greatest Hits Radio East|Greatest Hits Radio Ipswich & Suffolk]] on 106.4 FM, [[Nation Radio Suffolk]] on 102.0 FM and [[Ipswich Community Radio|ICR FM]], a community based station which broadcasts from Ipswich on 105.7 FM.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ipswichcommunityradio.com/ |title=Ipswich Community Radio |access-date=3 November 2023}}</ref>

Hadleigh has its own community newspaper, Hadleigh Community News <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hadleighcommunitynews.co.uk/ |title=Hadleigh Community News |access-date=3 November 2023}}</ref> but the town is also covered by the regional newspaper, [[East Anglian Daily Times]].

==Sport and leisure==
[[File:River Brett at Hadleigh - geograph.org.uk - 1439030.jpg|thumb|River Brett at Hadleigh]]
Hadleigh has a [[Non-League football]] club, [[Hadleigh United F.C.|Hadleigh United]], who play at Millfield.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://thurlownunnleague.co.uk/clubs/senior-clubs/hadleigh-united/ | title = Hadleigh United | publisher = Thurlow Nunn League | access-date = 30 March 2013 | archive-date = 2 August 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120802061221/http://thurlownunnleague.co.uk/clubs/senior-clubs/hadleigh-united/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> The town is also home to Hadleigh Rugby Club (HRFC).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hadleighrfc.com/|title=Home|first=Marcus|last=Gallagher|date=9 April 2016|access-date=1 March 2018}}</ref> Both the football and rugby club boast thriving youth and senior sections.

The town's [[bowls]] and [[cricket]] clubs are among the oldest in Suffolk. The bowls club was founded in 1754.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hadleighbowlsclub.com/| title =Welcome To Hadleigh Bowling Club Website | publisher = hadleighbowlsclub.com | access-date = 30 March 2013}}</ref> The cricket club is over 200 years old and pre-dates the [[Marylebone Cricket Club]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://hadleigh.cricketclubwebsite.co.uk/history/default.aspx |title = Hadleigh Cricket Club – 213 not out | publisher = hadleigh.cricketclubwebsite.co.uk | access-date = 30 March 2013}}</ref>

Other sporting clubs include the Hadleigh Tennis Club, Hadleigh Hares running club and Hadleigh Cycling Club.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/HadleighTennisClub|title=Hadleigh Tennis Club|website=Hadleigh Tennis Club}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hares.moonfruit.com/|title=Hadleigh Hares Athletics Club|website=hares.moonfruit.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hadleighcyclingclub.co.uk/|title=Home|website=Hadleigh CC}}</ref>

At Benton End Farm there is an [[equestrian centre]] and a [[paintball]] centre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesuffolkguide.co.uk/blog/hadleigh-riding-centre-hadleigh |title=Hadleigh Riding Centre &#124; Hadleigh &#124; What to do in Suffolk |publisher=Thesuffolkguide.co.uk |access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Gunsmoke Paintball |url=http://www.gunsmoke-paintball.co.uk/ |title=Paintballing in Essex and Suffolk and Online Store |publisher=Gunsmoke Paintball |date=13 December 2015 |access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref>

A swimming pool was built in the 1960s, to which a sports centre was added in 2012; the pool was rebuilt in 2020.<ref>{{cite news | first=Sophie | last=Barnett | title=Hadleigh's £2.4m swimming pool nears completion | newspaper=East Anglian Daily Times | date=19 December 2020 | url=https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/hadleigh-swimming-pool-tiling-nears-completion-6857962}}</ref>

== Notable residents==
*[[Guthrum]] (c. 835 – c. 890), reigned as [[Danes|Danish]] King of East Anglia, between c. 879 and c. 890, and was buried at Hadleigh.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Suffolk Heritage Explorer|title=Burial place of the Anglo-Saxon Danish chieftain Guthrum|publisher=Suffolk County Council|year=2018|access-date=4 June 2020|url=https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/monument/MSF5205}}</ref>
*[[John Preston (rebel)|John Preston]], executed for his involvement in the [[Peasants' Revolt]]
*[[Nicholas Shaxton]] (c. 1485–1556), [[Protestant reformers|Protestant Reformer]] and [[Bishop of Salisbury]] 1535–1539, curate at Hadleigh in the 1540s
*[[Rowland Taylor]] (1510-1585), [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|Rector]] of Hadleigh from 1544. Protestant martyr during the [[Marian Persecutions]], he was [[burnt at the stake]] at nearby [[Aldham, Suffolk|Aldham Common]].
*[[John Overall (bishop)|John Overall]] (1559-1619), [[List of the Bishops of the Diocese of Norwich, England and its precursor offices|Bishop of Norwich]] in 1618, [[Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield]] (from 1614), and Dean of [[St Paul's Cathedral]] from 1601. He served as a translator of the [[Book of Genesis]] to [[2 Kings]] for the 1611 and 1613 printings of the [[Authorized King James Version]] of the Bible. 
*[[Nathan Drake (essayist)|Nathan Drake]] (1766–1836), essayist and [[physician]] who lived in Hadleigh from 1792 til his death.
*[[Hugh James Rose]] (1795–1838), president of the [[Oxford Union]] in 1817, rector of Hadleigh, hosted the 'Hadleigh Conference' a landmark in the early history of the [[Tractarian Movement]], [[Principal of King's College, London]].
*[[Thomas Woolner]] (1825-1892), born in Hadleigh a sculptor and poet who was one of the founder-members of the [[Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood]].
*[[Howard Henry Tooth]] (1856-1925), [[neurologist]] and one of the discoverers of [[Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease]].
*[[Evelyn Martin (cricketer)|Evelyn Martin]] (1881-1945), sailor, writer and cricketer
*[[Cedric Morris]] (1889 - 1982) (artist and horticulturist) lived at Benton End and became notable for the Benton irises bred there. He is buried in Hadleigh.
*Oswald Gayford (1893-1945) (pioneer aviator) was born in Hadleigh and lived at the family home, The Pink House on Angel Street. He became notable for his world record breaking flights, including the 5,340 mile flight from [[RAF Cranwell]] to South Africa in 1933 on a [[Fairey Long-range Monoplane]] and the even longer flight from Egypt to Australia in 1938 which won the [[Britannia Challenge Trophy]] for RAF. He became the Commanding officer at [[RAF Wattisham]] at the start of WWII and retired from RAF as an [[Air Commodore]] in 1944. Gayford was made Regional Controller for the [[Ministry of Fuel and Power]] in 1944.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
*[[Derek Wragge Morley]] (1920-1969), academic noted for his study of ants
*[[Patrick Newell]] (1932-1988), the British actor who played spymaster "Mother" in the television series ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'', was born in Hadleigh.<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0627822/ | title = Patrick Newell| publisher = [[Internet Movie Database]] | access-date = 30 March 2013}}</ref>
*[[Pauline Stainer]] (1941- ), English poet and author lives in the town.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bloodaxebooks.com/personpage.asp?author=Pauline+Stainer | title = Pauline Stainer – Author | publisher = bloodaxebooks.com | access-date = 30 March 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130527040549/http://www.bloodaxebooks.com/personpage.asp?author=Pauline+Stainer | archive-date = 27 May 2013 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>
*[[Maggi Hambling]] (1945- ), artist grew up in Hadleigh and has one of her paintings displayed in St Mary's Church.<ref>{{Cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2002/may/18/artsfeatures.arts | title = Maggi Hambling – A matter of life and death | work =[[guardian.co.uk]] | access-date = 30 March 2013 | date = 18 May 2002 | location=London | first=Lucinda | last=Bredin}}</ref>
*[[Jonathan Glancey]] (1954- ), ''[[The Guardian]]'''s architecture critic, journalist, lives in Hadleigh.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/nov/03/foodanddrink.fooddirectory2 | work=[[guardian.co.uk]]| access-date = 30 March 2013 | first=Jonathan | last=Glancey | title=Food directory: Jonathan Glancey on organic shops and delis | date=2 November 2007 | location=London}}</ref>
*[[Caryn Franklin]] (1959- ), fashion designer, also lives in Hadleigh.<ref>{{Cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/my-home-caryn-franklin-tv-presenter-449906.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090529005019/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/my-home-caryn-franklin-tv-presenter-449906.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 29 May 2009 | title = My Home: Caryn Franklin, TV presenter | work = [[The Independent]] | access-date = 30 March 2013 | location=London}}</ref> 
* Russell Swallow of folk duo [[Swallow and the Wolf]] was born in Hadleigh<ref name=folkradio>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ii2ayNn7a9I Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130306023628/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii2ayNn7a9I&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii2ayNn7a9I  |title=Russell Swallow and the Wolf (Interview) |publisher=YouTube |date=4 March 2013 |access-date=9 December 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*Ronald and Reginald Kray ([[The Kray Twins]]) were evacuated to East House during the Second World War with their mother Violet Kray, and their brother Charles.<ref>{{Cite news | url = https://www.eadt.co.uk/ea-life/hard-men-with-a-soft-spot-for-suffolk-1-188508 | title = Hard men with a soft spot for Suffolk | work = [[East Anglian Daily Times]] | access-date = 6 September 2020 | date = 28 April 2008 | location = Suffolk | first = Steven | last = Russell | archive-date = 26 July 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190726004812/https://www.eadt.co.uk/ea-life/hard-men-with-a-soft-spot-for-suffolk-1-188508 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
*British [[extreme metal]] band [[Cradle of Filth]] were formed in Hadleigh.<ref>{{Cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/8239258/Suffolk-tourist-board-embarrassed-after-metal-band-Cradle-of-Filth-voted-countys-greatest-icon.html | work = [[The Daily Telegraph]] | access-date = 30 March 2013 | title = Suffolk tourist board embarrassed after metal band Cradle of Filth voted county's greatest icon | date = 5 January 2011 | location=London}}</ref>
*Stewart Whiting, Co-Founder and [[Chief technology officer|CTO]] of British medical technology startup Current Health, which was acquired by [[Best Buy]] for $400m in 2021, grew up in Hadleigh.<ref>{{Cite web |last=J.D |first=Sai Balasubramanian, M. D. |title=Best Buy Ventures Into Healthcare, Paying $400 Million For Current Health |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/saibala/2021/11/30/best-buy-ventures-into-healthcare-paying-400-million-for-current-health/ |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Geoffrey Winters]] (1928- ), composer, lives nearby in [[Semer, Suffolk|Semer]].

==Arms==
{{Infobox COA wide
|image = Hadleigh Coat of Arms.png
|title = Hadleigh Town Council
|escutcheon = Azure a chevron Erminois between three woolpacks Argent.
|crest = On a wreath Or and Azure upon a mount Vert a paschal lamb Argent supporting a cross-staff Or flying a pennant Azure charged with a woolpack Argent.
|mantling = Gules doubled Argent.
|notes = Originally granted to the Borough of Hadleigh on 18 February 1618.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/east_of_england.html |title=East of England Region |publisher=Civic Heraldry of England |accessdate=10 March 2021}}</ref>}}

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

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Hadleigh}}
{{Commons category|Hadleigh, Suffolk|Hadleigh}}
{{EB1911 poster|Hadleigh}}
*[http://visithadleighsuffolk.co.uk/ Visit Hadleigh website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160430200051/http://hadleigh.onesuffolk.net/ Hadleigh Town Council website]
*[http://hadsoc.org.uk The Hadleigh Society website]

{{Suffolk}}
{{Babergh}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hadleigh, Suffolk| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Babergh District]]