Rickinghall Inferior

Church

St. Mary's Rickinghall Inferior is one of the few dozen extant round-tower churches in Suffolk. According to the 1870–72 Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, the church is "early decorated English" in style. The church has a tower which is circular below and octagonal above. It is a Grade I listed building. The Church is home to panels of Flemish glass, most likely from the 18th century which depict the disciples at the Last Supper. As part of the millennium the church was given a new stained glass window, an image of Christ the Saviour of the World. In 2013 a guide to the church called " St Mary's Church Rickinghall Inferior" written by former churchwarden Jean Sheehan was published. The book has been published by 'Quatrefoil' a village group funded by the National Lottery established to specifically publish books about the history of the villages of Botesdale , Redgrave and The Rickinghalls.

History

The parishes name Rickinghall Inferior means " The nook of Rica's People ". The term " Inferior" means lower and refers to the fact that the parish is the lower counterpart of Rickinghall Superior. The parish appears in 1 entry in the Domesday Book. The church appears in a series titled " A Series of Etchings Illustrative of the Architectural Antiquities of Suffolk", which is a British Museum collection it was acquired by the museum in 1870. However the work is not currently on display. In 1868 The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland described the parish of "Rickinghall Inferior, a parish in the hundred of Blackbourn, county Suffolk, 7 miles S.W. of Diss, 5 W. of Mellis railway station, and a quarter of a mile S.W. of Botesdale, its post town. The village, which is of small extent, is wholly agricultural. The road from Bury St. Edmund's to Norwich runs through the village. The tithes of the two parishes, Inferior and Superior, have been commuted for a rent-charge of £1,040; and the glebe contains 24 acres. The living is a rectory* consolidated with that of Rickinghall-Superior, in the diocese of Norwich, joint value £850. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is an ancient edifice with a circular tower, the upper part of which is octagonal. The parochial charities produce about £33 per annum. There is a National school. The Baptists and Wesleyans have each a place of worship. G. H. Wilson, Esq., is lord of the manor."

Demographics

The first national census of 1801 recorded a population of 427 within the parish. The population of the parish fluctuates over the 110-year period of census data reaching an all-time low in 1931 when it reached a low of 290. Overall the population has increased since 1801. In the 2011 national census the population had increased by 5%. The civil parish now has a population of 449 with 233 males and 216 females. The population density of Rickinghall Inferior is 0.6 ( number of people per hectare).

The 2001 national census records show that the number of people born in England and that live in Rickinghall Inferior as 356 or 92% of the population. In the 2011 national census the recorded number of people born in England and that live in Rickinghall Inferior as 423 or 94.2% of the population. The ethnic backgrounds according to the 2001 national census records show that 374 people of Rickinghall Inferiors 383 person population identified as 'White British', with the rest of the population being made up of 3 people each in the 'Other White' category ; ' Mixed White and Black (Caribbean)' and the 'Mixed White and Asian' category. By the 2011 census records show that 438 of the 449 population identified as ' White British'. with the rest of the population being made up of 5 people in the ' Other White' category ; 4 people in the 'Mixed White and Black (Caribbean)' and 2 people that identified as ' Black Caribbean'.