SUDBURY, an ancient borough and market town of England, chiefly in Suffolk, but partly in Essex, is situated on the river Stour, forming the boundary between the two counties, and on a branch of the Great Eastern Railway, 19 miles south of Bury St Edmunds and 58 north-east of London. It is well built and well paved and contains a number of good houses. It is chiefly interesting from its three parish churches of All Saints, St Peter’s, and St Gregory’s. All Saints, dating from 1150 and consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, and tower, is chiefly Perpendicular,—the chancel, however, being Decorated. It possesses a fine oaken pulpit of 1490. The church was restored in 1882. St Peter’s is Perpendicular, with a unique coved nave roof. St Gregory’s, once collegiate, in the Perpendicular style, was partly built by Simon Tybald, archbishop of Canterbury, who was beheaded by Wat Tyler’s mob. He established also a college for secular priests, of which a gateway still remains. The grammar-school was founded by William Wood in 1491. The principal modern buildings are the town-hall, the corn exchange, the literary and mechanics’ institute, and St Leonard’s hospital. The town owed its early importance to the introduction of woollen manufactures by the Flemings at the instance of Edward III., but this was afterwards replaced by silk crape, jacquard satin, &c.; the manufacture has now greatly declined. Cocoa-nut matting is an important manufacture, and there are also flour-mills, malt-kilns, lime-works, and brick and tile yards. A declining trade is carried on by the river, which is navigable up to the town. The area of the municipal borough is 1459 acres, and includes, besides the parishes of All Saints, St Gregory, and St Peter, Ballingdon cum Brundon in Essex and St ...