Babergh
Babergh is a
local government district in
Suffolk,
England. Its council is based in
Hadleigh. The next largest town is
Sudbury.
The district was formed on
April 1,
1974 by the merger of the Borough of
Sudbury,
Hadleigh urban district,
Cosford Rural District,
Melford Rural District and
Samford Rural District.
It is named after the old
Babergh hundred, referred to in the
Domesday Book. The southern boundary of the district is marked almost exclusively by the
River Stour, which also forms the border with
Essex, and it is separated from
Suffolk Coastal by the
River Orwell. Primarily a rural area, Babergh contains only 2 towns of any notable size, namely
Sudbury and the administrative centre,
Hadleigh. Most of what is termed
Constable Country is contained within Babergh, attracting visitors to the conservation area
Dedham Vale and the historic villages of
Long Melford,
Lavenham and
Kersey. It is home to the United Kingdom's largest honey-glazed ham manufactory.
