We visited Bury St Edmunds as it's a family history place on my Mum's side. As we drove into the town through the outskirts we could see the stunning cathedral drawing nearer on the skyline, along with the abbey beside it. Both date back about 1,000 years.

With a population of around 42,000, the town is famous for its breweries – I noticed a few Bury St Edmunds beer signs on pubs around London.

There is evidence of a settlement here as far back as the Bronze age. Roman coins have also been found, and the Saxons made the town a royal borough in 633.

The town got its name from St Edmund, a martyred king whose remains were enshrined in the abbey in 869 AD. I wondered if that might be where the word 'bury' came from, but it actually means 'fort'.

Family history connection

My Mum's Mum's ancestors lived in Bury St Edmunds for many years, dating back to at least the early 1800s. 

My great grandmother Peg (Beatrice) Porter was born near here in 1894, and met my great grandfather Bert (Arthur) Shaw, an Australian who was injured in WWI and taken to England for medical treatment. They married in 1919 and moved to Australia, settling in Wonthaggi in 1925. Also see the post about Cambridge.

Earlier this year we were lucky to visit their house in Wonthaggi and take some photos. My Mum and her siblings and cousins have many great memories of spending childhood days there with their grandparents.