Bruisyard

Bruisyard is a village in the valley of the River Alde in the county of Suffolk, England. The village had a population of around 175 at the 2011 census.

Bruisyard
St Peter's Church
Bruisyard Location within Suffolk
Population	175 (2011)
District	East Suffolk
Shire county	Suffolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Saxmundham
Postcode district	IP17
Dialling code	01728
Police	Suffolk
Fire	Suffolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Central Suffolk and North Ipswich

Bruisyard's name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Buresiart. The name is believed to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon term, gebūres geard, meaning "peasant's yard or enclosure".

Abbey and Hall

Main article: Bruisyard Abbey

The Manor House of Rokes Hall was converted in 1364 into an nunnery of the Poor Clares, founded by Lionel, Duke of Clarence. Bruisyard Abbey was seized in 1539 by the crown at the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. An Elizabethan manor house, Bruisyard Hall, was built on the site, incorporating some of the older buildings.

St Peter's church

The village church is a Grade I listed building and dates to at least Saxon times. The church is an example of a round-tower church, rare in England as a whole, but most common in East Anglia. Pevsner dates the windows in the nave and south chapel to the early 16th century. During renovation work undertaken in 2017, medieval wall paintings were uncovered and have now been preserved.

Village Hall

The construction of a new village hall on the Parish Park was completed in December 2009 with support from many funding bodies, including the Big Lottery Fund. The village hall was formally opened in July 2010. The hall has a stained glass window by the artist Sharon McMullin depicting the local flora and fauna, and nine low-relief plaster panels by the sculptor Anne Smith showing past and present local scenes. The central panel shows the Domesday Book entry for Bruisyard (Buresiart).

The village sign commissioned by the Parish Council in 2004 and made by the sculptor Anne Smith depicts Saint Clare of the Order of the Poor Clares.

A vineyard in Bruisyard closed in 2002.

External links

• Website with photos of Bruisyard St Peter, a round-tower church