FLIXTON, a small village, pleasantly situated in the vale of the Waveney,2.5 miles S.W. of Bungay, has in its parish 192 souls and 1762A.of land. Here was a Nunnery of the order of St. Augustine, founded by Margery, widow of Sir Bartholomew de Creke, about the year 1258. She endowed it with the manor of Flixton. It was dissolved by the second bull of Pope Clement VII., in 1528, and intended for Cardinal Wolsey, towards the endowment of his college at Ipswich; but he declining it, Henry VII1. granted it to John Tasburgh, who received it from Elizabeth Wright, the last prioress, in 1532,when it was valued at £23.4s. ld. per annum. Its site is now occupied by a farm-house, called the Abbey. Flixton Hall belongs, with the manor, and nearly all the parish, to Wm. Adair, Esq., but is the seat of Sir Robert Shafto Adair, who was born in 1763, and created a baronet in 1838. It was built in 1615, and was originally surrounded by a moat, which was filled up many years ago. It is in that style of architecture which has been designated "Inigo Jones's Gothic." It has a noble entrance hall, and elegant staircase. Its apartments are spacious; and on the south side was an open colonnade, now closed up, and converted into separate rooms. The park comprises 300 acres, and is well wooded and stocked with deer. The Tasburghs were long seated here, and from them the estate descended to the Wyburns, of whom it was purchased by the late Wm. Adair, Esq. The Church (St. Mary) is an ancient fabric, with a tower and three bells, but its chancel is an ivy-mantled ruin. The benefice is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £6, and in 1835 at £140. Wm. Adair, Esq., is patron, and the Rev. George Sandy is the incumbent, and has a neat parsonage house, built in 1843. He is also incumbent of the rectories of Southelmham All Saints and St. Nicholas. The Town Lands, &c. comprise a house and 10 acres, let for £22, and two pieces of land, the precise situation and extent of which are unknown; but the yearly sums of 30s. for one, and lOs. for the other, have been paid for them as far as is known. The rents are applied in the service of the church, and other public uses. In 1782, Wm. ADAIR, Esq., bequeathed £300 three per cent. consols in trust, to pay the dividends yearly for the relief of the poor of Flixton, Homersfield, and Southelmham St. Cross. He also left £700, and as much money as should be found in his charity bag at the time of his death, to be invested at interest, and the yearly produce thereof to be dispensed by the successive owners of the testator's estate at Flixton, in such charitable uses as they should think proper. The £700, with £320. 13s. 7d. found in this testator's charity bag, was laid out in the purchase of £ 1704. 13s. 8d. new South Sea Annuities. The dividends, £51.2s. 8d. a-year, are applied in gratuities to proper objects of charity, in the purchase of coals sold to the poor at reduced prices, and in the support of schools for the education of poor children in the three above-named parishes.
Adair Sir Robert Shafto, Baronet, Flixton Hall
Adair Alex. Shafto, Esq. Hall
Adair Hugh A. Esq. Hall
Beaumont John, vict. Buck
Ling James, blacksmith
Sandby Rev. George, vicar of Flixton and rector of
Southelmham All Saints.
FARMERS
Beaumont John
Brook Joseph
Howard Charles, Abbey Farm
Gower Sparling
Beaumont Wm.
Cooper John
Read John
KELLYS
FLIXTON (near Bungay) is a pleasant village and parish on the river Waveney, on the borders of Norfolk, 3.75 miles south-west from Bungay and 2.5 south- east from Homersfield station on the Waveney Valley branch of the London and North Eastern railway, in the Lowestoft division of the county, Bungay petty sessional division, Wangford hundred and union, Harleston county court district, rural deanery of South Elmham, archdeanery of Suffolk and diocese of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The church of St. Mary, standing on elevated ground, is a building of flint with stone dressings, consisting of chancel, nave, north aisle with western chapel, south porch and a western tower with pointed roof, containing one bell: the tower and chancel are Norman and the nave Early English: the memorial chapel at the west end of the aisle was erected by Sir H. E. chapel is a kneeling figure in marble of Lady Waveney on a pedestal of alabaster: the organ was erected in 1878: the church was entirely rebuilt in 1861 and seated with open oak benches, with handsome carved poppy-head ends, and in 1893-4 the chancel was restored, at the cost of Sir H. E. Adair, 3rd bart, the work including a new open timber roof of oak, reflooring of the whole in Irish and Devonshire marbles, and the erection of wall panelling and a reredos of oak: an oak tablet and a bronze crucifix were erected in 1919 to the memory of the Flixton men who fell in the Great War: in 1920 an altar of Flixton oak was placed in the side chapel: the church has 200 sittings, all free. The register dates from the year 1547. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £160,with 30 acres of glebe and residence, built in 1871, in the gift of Robert S. Adair bart. D.L., J.P. and held since 1929 by the Rev. Robert Bertie Illsley Sharpe B.A. of London university, who is also rector of South Elmham St. Margaret’s and St.Peter’s. The town lands consist of 10 acres of land in Flixton, now let for £7, which, together with the annual income of a sum of £160 received from the sale of certain land in the parish of Mendham, is applied to the use of the Church and for general purposes. W. Adair esq. in 1782, gave £300 £3 per Cent. Consols, in trust, the yearly dividends to be applied to the relief of the poor in Flixton, Homersfield and St. Cross ; he also gave another sum of £700, together with the amount which should be found in his charity bag at his decease, to be invested and dispensed by the successive owners of the Flixton estate in such charity as they might deem proper; the said £700 and £320 13s.7d. found in the testator's bag were laid out in the purchase of £1,074 13s 8d. New South Sea Annuities, since transferred to £2 15s. per Cent. Consols, and the interest is appropriated to the maintenance of schools and the support of clothing clubs on the Flixton Hall estate.
Flixton Hall, the seat of Sir Robert Shafto Adair D.L.,J.P. is a large and handsome mansion of red brick, in the Tudor style, built by Sir Nicholas de Tasburgh in the time of Henry VIII. pleasantly situated in a park of 700 acres, stocked with deer; it was very much damaged by fire in 1847, but subsequently restored, and during the period from 1888 to 1892 extensive alterations were effected. Opposite the main entrance to Flixton Hall is a sign post erected by Sir Robert Shafto Adair Bart. D.L., J.P, in 1921; it shows the figure of St. Felix, 1st Bishop of East Anglia, from which the name of Flixton is popularly believed to be derived. Sir Robert S. Adair bart. D.L., J.P. is lord of the manor and owns nearly all the land. There was formerly a nunnery of the Order of St. Augustine, founded by Margaret de Creyke in 1258, and dedicated to Saint Catherine; at the dissolution there were seven nuns, and revenues estimated at £23; the site is now occupied by a farm-house called The Abbey. The soil is loam and gravel; subsoil, clay and sand. The chief crops are wheat, barley, mangold-wurtzel, turnips and some land in pasture. The area is 1,744 acres of land and inland water; the population in 1921 was 151.
Sexton, Mrs. M. A. Sayer.
Post & T. Office. Letters through Bungay, which is the nearest M. 0. office
PRIVATE RESIDENTS
Adair Sir Robert Shafto bart. D.L., J.P. Flixton Hall
Catling Mrs. Hill farm
Playford Reginald Nunley, Flixton cott.
Sharpe Rev. Robert Bertie Illsley B.A.((vicar), The Vicarage
Treherne Edmund Henry Apsley J.P. Flixton Grange
COMMERCIAL
Marked thus * farm 150 acres or over
Borrett Geo. H. Buck P.H.
*Catling Percy Edmund & Arth. Stanley, farmers, Hill farm & Wood farm
Foster Robert, gamekeeper to Sir Robert S. Adair D.L., J.P.
*Fuller Alfred Bartram, farmer, Abbey farm
Hilson John G. estate clerk
*Jordan Chas. farmer,Cooper’s farm
Philpot Clifford Needham, agent to Sir Robert S. Adair bart D.L., J.P. Flixton Hall Estate Office, T N Bungay 57X
Searle Lucy Ellen (Mrs.) shopkeeper Post office
DUTT
Flixton, near Bungay (2.5m. S.E. of Homersfield.-In this place, which perpetuates the name of Felix of Burgundy, an Augustinian nunnery was founded in 1258 by Margery de Creke. Part of the convent chapel remains in connection with a moated farmhouse (1 m. S. of the church) known as the Abbey Farm. The Hall (Sir Frederick Adair, Bart.) was built by Sir Nicholas de Tasburgh in the reign of Henry VIII. In 1847 it was almost destroyed by fire; but it was restored, and between 1888 and 1892 it underwent extensive alterations and a new wing was built. It stands in a large park well stocked with deer. The park extends from near the church to the bounds of Homersfield. The church tower, which had a triangular-headed doorway on the W. side, is supposed to be Saxon. It was pulled down and reconstructed in 1856, and in 1861 the rest of the church was almost entirely rebuilt. In 1894 the chancel, which had for a long time been in ruins, was restored. The nave arches are E.E. A memorial chapel at the W. end of the aisle contains a kneeling figure in marble of the late Lady Waveney (1871). Note also some poppyheads.