The History of Stowmarket:

The book is perhaps wrongly titled as it provides a unique insight into much of the social history of Britain, although written from one corner of the country.

In 1844 the vicar of Stowmarket, the Rev. A. G. Hollingsworth M.A., published by subscription less than 300 copies of " The History of Stowmarket", obtaining much of his information from the Stowmarket Church Chests. As well as providing this unique insight into the history of Stowmarket from A.D.1 to A.D.1844, all the adjoining parishes of the ancient Hundred of Stow are featured.

Spanning the Roman invasion, Battle of Hastings, Doomsday Book, religious persecution, Royal visits, the plight of the poor and much more, the contents are a fascinating read. Given that most of the documents referred to from the church chests were destroyed during a later restoration adds to its uniqueness.
This new edition preserves the original text and punctuation along with faithful reproductions of all original illustrations and provides a unique opportunity to explore what for many is previously unread history.

The book is priced at £12.99 and available from outlets local to Stowmarket or directly from imaginaire.