| Stowlangtoft | |
|---|---|
 Church of St George | |
  Stowlangtoft Location within Suffolk | |
| Population | 270 (2005)[1] 228 (2011)[2] |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bury St Edmunds |
| Postcode district | IP31 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
Stowlangtoft is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England two miles south-east from Ixworth. Located around five miles north-east of Bury St Edmunds, in 2005 its population was 270.[1]
The village, originally just Stow, was held by the de Languetot family in the early 13th century.[3]
For all of Stowlangtoft's small size, St George's is within the group classed as "Great Churches". Simon Jenkins included it in his book England's Thousand Best Churches.[4] The church was built as a single construction project in the late 14th century and barely changed until the restoration work undertaken in the 19th century. The church is in the decorated and later English styles; the chancel contains several richly-carved stalls and monuments to members of the family of D'Ewes.[5] The church and parsonage-house are located on what was once the site of a Roman encampment.[5] Peter Tillemans, one of the founders of the English school of sporting painting, was buried in St George's on 7 December 1734.[6]
Samuel Rickards was rector here for several decades in the mid nineteenth century.[4]
At some point after the Dissolution of the monasteries, St George's acquired six 14th-century misericords. It is not clear where these misericords originated, but possible candidates are Thetford Priory or Bury Abbey.[7]
Sir Symonds D'Ewes, Bart., the eminent antiquary, lived in Stowlangtoft Hall.[5] The Hall was rebuilt in 1859 for Fuller Maitland Wilson.[8]
In 2011 a gruesome-looking tree in the grounds the hall attracted public attention.[8]
