Bad Behaviour in Wenhaston in 1680 by Keith Johnceline
In 1680 there were two Constables in Wenhaston and one in Mells, appointed by the Justices of the Peace and serving for one year. The list of their duties reveals what was considered to be unacceptable behaviour in the late seventeenth century:
- Not attending church on four successive Sundays
- Hanging out a lantern without a light
- Not sending a team to repair the highway when ordered
- Selling ale without a license
- Having a dangerous and offensive chimney
- Cutting turf on the common
- Carrying a load of gravel away
- Destroying part of the common through digging
- The nuisance of muck, making a dunghill
- Craftsmen exercising trade, without first having served a legal apprenticeship
- Keeping greyhounds or setting dogs, nets or guns without qualified to law
- Harbouring vagrants
- Abusing or beating the Constable
- Using slanderous and baleful words to his wife
- Labourers erecting cottages on waste land without leave from the Quarter Sessions
For quick punishment most villages had their stocks, whipping posts and, where they had a pond, a ducking stool. Wenhaston had all three! At Beccles Quarter Sessions in 1744, Sarah Culver was sentenced to be publicly whipped for feloniously taking three loaves of bread from the house of John Stratford of Wenhaston. The village inhabitants also made regular appearances at the Halesworth Petty Sessions, as the Justices’ Minute Book shows, for such crimes as assault, larceny, highway offences and drunkenness, although we should not assume that Wenhaston was unusually lawless for the time.
There were more severe punishments available. Robert Gissing was transported in 1824 for stealing a quantity of beans from the executors of Martha Webb of Wenhaston. In the same year James Woodgate was convicted at Ipswich Sessions for stealing a grey mare pony from John Newby of Wenhaston. He was transported for 14 years. Smuggling, of course, was more of a vocation than a crime in these parts, although the authorities took the latter view. One Wenhaston man who attracted their attention was George Butcher, a merchant, owner of wherries, and one time landlord of the Harbour Inn at Southwold. He lived in Wenhaston and a sad entry in the diary of James Maggs of Southwold reveals that in 1855 he was sent to Ipswich Gaol for smuggling.
Sources:
Suffolk Record Office, Ipswich, Wenhaston Parish Records Constables Account, FC 189 11/1–3;
The Southwold Diary of James Maggs, 2 vols 1818–1848 and 1848–1876, Suffolk Records Society vols XXV
and XXVI (Woodbridge, 1983–84).
Keith Johnceline, Wenhaston, November 1995.
Back to the History Index
Some Favourite Websites For May 2025:
Rosedale Funeral Home – Providing the very best of bereavement care
A family owned local Funeral Home, offering a professional, competitively priced, 24 hour service. Experienced in all aspects of bereavement, whether it is discussing wishes in advance, arranging a funeral at the time of need or providing the very best bereavement support.
Southwold Beach Hut Owners Association – The online home of the owners of Southwold's iconic beach huts
On this website are details of the Southwold Beach Hut Owners Association group as well as the latest news and information for prospective, new and existing members, owning a tiny slice of our wonderful Suffolk coastline.
Cranbourne, Walberswick – Luxury Self Catering cottage on the Heritage Coast with it's own swimming pool
Cranbourne is tucked in a peaceful corner of Manor Close with the excellent village shop nearby and central to Walberswick making all the attractions within easy walking. A heated outdoor swimming pool for summer use is protected by a lockable gate. Without detracting from the house in any way, Cranbourne unobtrusively includes features enabling less mobile visitors to equally enjoy their stay.
Southwold Model Yacht Regattas – Boating down on Southwold sea front
The Southwold Regattas are held every year on the boating lake by the pier. Events are open to all and new sailors and spectators are very welcome however new sailors should contact the committee before turning up to the event.
Cecil Amey Opticians – An Opticians in Halesworth for over 100 years
Cecil Amey Opticians pride themselves on providing expert, professional eye care and hearing care, you're able to contact their Halesworth branch for advice or to make an appointment.