Suffolk Societies

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Societies

Family history societies often publish helpful journals, transcripts, compiled genealogies and host helpful websites. They may have ongoing projects to transcribe records and create indexes. Most societies publish queries in their journals and maintain lists of members’ research interests that may be helpful to you. You may want to join one of these societies, reap the benefits of their expertise and resources, or support its efforts.

Addresses of the societies are for the most part where their meetings are held as they are by-and-large not brick-and-mortar institutions.

Regional Societies[edit | edit source]

Foxearth & District Local History Society
Foxearth Village Hall
School Ln
Foxearth
Sudbury, Essex CO10 7JE UK
Website: Foxearth & District Local History Society

This is the website of the Foxearth and District Local History Society. It is dedicated to the publication of research materials gained by its members on the local history of this part of East Anglia, in England.

Wesley Historical Society - East Anglia
Swanton Abbott Wesleyan Reform Church
3 The St
Swanton Abbott
Norwich, Norfolk NR10 5DU UK
Telephone: 01603 423535
Website: Wesley Historical Society - East Anglia

The Wesley Historical Society – East Anglia encourages an interest in our Methodist heritage. Area: Counties of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Suffolk Societies[edit | edit source]

Alde Valley Suffolk Family History Group
Website: Alde Valley Suffolk Family History Group

Our aim is to promote the study of family history in East Suffolk in particular and to provide support and help for those wishing to trace their family history outside the area. We cater not only for those who wish to research their local family history but also for those now living in Suffolk whose ancestors were from out of the county.

Aldeburgh and District Local History Society
Aldeburgh Church Hall
Victoria Rd
Aldeburgh, Suffolk IP15 5DU UK
Telephone: 01728 452611
Website: Aldeburgh and District Local History Society

The Society is concerned with the local history of the area covered by Aldeburgh, Thorpeness, Leiston, Snape, Iken, and Sudbourne in Suffolk, England.

Beccles & District Historical Society
Hungate Church
Hungate Cottage
Hungate Ln
Beccles, Suffolk NR34 9TN UK
Telephone: 01502 717086
Email: aa35rl@btinternet.com
Website: Beccles & District Historical Society

Beccles has a fascinating history; and we enjoy finding out about it. But our talks and excursion programmes also take us further afield, exploring East Anglia and more widely. We also range freely in historical time - from the Romans to the 20th Century.

Belton & District Historical Society
Email: kim.saul.502@btinternet.com
Website: Belton & District Historical Society

The Belton & District Historical Society was formed in 2006 by a group of friends, to preserve the character of the village. Also to protect the historic foundations for generations to follow. Their aim is to record the past for future and preserve the present.

Blundeston & District Local History Society
Blundeston Village Hall
16 Meadowlands
Blundeston
Lowestoft, Suffolk NR32 5A UK
Website: Blundeston & District Local History Society

Bramford Local History Group
The Loraine Victory Hall
Ship Ln
Bramford
Ipswich, Suffolk IP8 4AL UK
Telephone: 01473 747979
Email: beryl@sims-home.co.uk
Website: Bramford Local History Group

The Group's aim is to stimulate interest in local history and to publish as much information as possible.

Bury St Edmunds Past and Present Society
1-2 Crown Street
Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1QX UK
Telephone: 01284 719 595
Website: Bury St Edmunds Past and Present Society

The Bury St Edmunds Past and Present Society was formed in 1960 and seeks to appeal to all with a love of the history of our town and surrounding area.

Clare Historical & Archaeological Society
The Bell
Clare, Suffolk CO10 8NN UK
Telephone: 01787 277249/08722 62259
Email: fogorman51@gmail.com
Website: Clare Historical & Archaeological Society

Coddenham Village History Club
Haysel House
Codddenham, Suffolk UK
Telephone: 01449 760676
Email: johnpelling@btinternet.com
Website: Coddenham Village History Club

The club has a large collection of local records and working meetings are held regularly for members of the club to work on or browse through the records at the house where they are stored. A newsletter is circulated twice a year containing news of the club's activities and articles of local interest.

Debenham Family History
Sweetbrier Barn
Mill Green
Stonham Aspal, Suffolk IP14 6BZ
Email: suzie@debenham-ops.org.uk
Website: Debenham Family History

This is the website for all things relating to the Genealogy and Family History of the villages of Aspall, Debenham, Kenton, Mickfield & Winston in Suffolk, England.

Felixstowe Family History Society
The Tree House
Orwell School
Maidstone Road
Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 9ED UK
Telephone: 01394 271762
Email: fxfhs@hotmail.com
Website: Felixstowe Family History Society

The Society was formed in January 1986 with the aims of helping researchers to increase their knowledge of genealogy and assist them in researching their own family history, assisting in the preservation of local history and genealogy records, and enabling us all, by sharing knowledge, to further our awareness of what information is available and how to access it.

Framlingham & District Local History & Preservation Society
United Free Church Hall
Riverside
Albert Place
Framlingham, Suffolk IP13 9DX UK
Telephone: 01728 723557
Email: framarchive@gmail.com
Website: Framlingham & District Local History & Preservation Society

The aims of the Society are to not only encourage and foster interest in the social history of the town and the surrounding district, but also to provide accommodation for all objects given, presented, bequeathed, or loaned to the Society.

Glemsford Local History Society
Glemsford Primary School Hall
Lion Road
Glemsford, Suffolk CO10 7RF UK
Telephone: 01787 280996
Email: marjonking@gmail.com
Website: Glemsford Local History Society

Glemsford Local History Society has been active for many years now, and is dedicated to the study and distribution of the details of Glemsford's past. We aim to encourage the better understanding of the past and present through such activities as lectures, activities, visits, and research.

Grundisburgh Local History Society
Parish Rooms
The Green
Grundisburgh
Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 6TA UK
Telephone: 01473 738195
Email: alviausher@btinternet.com
Website: Grundisburgh Local History Society

The Society exists to researching into, record and foster interest in the history of Grundisburgh and its neighbourhood.

Hadleigh Society
Hadleigh Old Town Hall
The Guildhall
Market Place
Hadleigh
Ipswich, Suffolk IP7 5DN UK
Telephone: 01473 823503
Email: secretary@hadsoc.org.uk
Website: Hadleigh Society

The Society meets to explore the past of our town. They have looked at the history of individual houses, made a study of life in Hadleigh in the 1840s, 1871 and 1881, publishing a booklet on the latter. They have studied the history of the Town's charities and researched the life of the town in the Great War.

Haverhill & District Local History Group
Haverhill Arts Centre
High St
Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 8AR UK
Telephone: 01440 714962
Email: haverhillhistuk@gmail.com
Website: Haverhill & District Local History Group

Haverhill & District Local History Group is a resource and study centre for Haverhill and surrounding villages, located in Haverhill Arts Centre.

Ipswich Archaeological Trust
Ipswich Museum
High Street
Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 3QH UK
Telephone: 01473 689364
Email: keithwade999@btinternet.com
Website: Ipswich Archaeological Trust

We hope to inform and enthuse you about Ipswich and its exciting history. It’s one of the earliest properly English towns. It has crucially important national and international status. The Trust seeks to celebrate these facts.

Jack Rose Old Lowestoft Society
Trinity Methodist Church
High St
Lowestoft, Suffolk NR32 4HU UK
Telephone: 01502 564601
Website: Jack Rose Old Lowestoft Society

Long Melford Historical & Archaeological Society
Old School Community Centre
The Green
Long Melford, Suffolk CO10 9DX UK
Telephone: 01787 375329
Website: Long Melford Historical & Archaeological Society

The Society was formed in 1969 with the objectives to acquire, preserve and publish information on objects of historical importance, to oppose and preserve as far as practicable, any loss or threats to buildings and antiquities, to act as custodian of documents, artefacts or finds, and to stimulate interest in the history of Long Melford.

Lowestoft Archaeological and Local History Society
South Lowestoft Methodist Church
London Road South
Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0DY UK
Email: lalhs@btinternet.com
Website: Lowestoft Archaeological and Local History Society

Mendlesham History Group
URC Chapel
Old Market Street
Mendlesham, Suffolk UK
Telephone:01449 766434
Email: sm_michell@yahoo.co.uk
Website: Mendlesham History Group

Newmarket Local History Society
c/o Newmarket Town Council
Memorial Hall
124 High Street
Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8JP UK
Email: rodvincent@freenetname.co.uk
Website: Newmarket Local History Society

We're based in Newmarket, Suffolk, the historic horse-racing town associated with 'The Sport of Kings' from the time of King James I in the early 17th century.

Port of Lowestoft Research Society
25 Southwell Road
Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0RW UK
Telephone: 01502 568652
Email: stan.earl@virgin.net
Website: Port of Lowestoft Research Society

The society records the history of the port of Lowestoft and collects all relative material. The Society has a collection of 13,000 photographic prints and index cards of vessels that were built in, owned at or visited Lowestoft. The collection is housed in the Lowestoft branch of the Suffolk Record Office.

Saxmundham & District Local History Society
United Reformed Church Hall
Rendham Road
Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 1BJ UK
Telephone: 01728 663583
Website: Saxmundham & District Local History Society

Southwold Museum & Historical Society
9 -11 Victoria Street
Southwold, Suffolk IP18 6HZ UK
Telephone: 01502 726097
Email: southwold.museum@btconnect.com
Website: Southwold Museum & Historical Society

The Society was set up principally to own the museum and to support it - financially (through subscriptions and fundraising), practically (by supplying the voluntary manpower and management expertise to run the museum and its associated library) and academically (through carrying out research and publishing the results).

Stowmarket Local History Group
Stowmarket Salvation Army Hall
3 Violet Hill Road
Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 1NE UK
Email: neil@stowman.plus.com
Website: Stowmarket Local History Group

Stowmarket Local History Group was founded in 2004 to encourage interest and research into the history of this market town in central Suffolk.

Sudbury History Society
Scout Headquarters
Quay Lane
Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2AN UK
Email: info@sudburyhistorysociety.co.uk
Website: Sudbury History Society

The Society's site is provided for the benefit of all those interested in the history of Sudbury through its buildings and people, some of whom have become household names.

Suffolk Family History Society
Haverhill Group
Old Independent Church Hall
Hamlet Road
Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 9EF UK
Email: haverhill@suffolkfhs.org.uk
Website: Haverhill Group
Website #2: Haverhill Group
Bury St Edmunds Group
Hyndman Centre
Hospital Road
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 3JT UK
Email: burystedmunds@suffolkfhs.org.uk
Website: Bury St Edmunds Group
Ipswich Group
Telephone: 01473 274300
Email: howard.king1@outlook.com
Website: Ipswich Group
Lowestoft Group
Telephone: 01502 562584
Email: lowestoft@suffolkfhs.org.uk
Website: Lowestoft Group
Sudbury Group
Email: sudbury@suffolkfhs.org.uk
Website: Sudbury Group
West London Group
Telephone: 01753 537673
Email: westlondon@suffolkfhs.org.uk
Website: West London Group

University of Suffolk
Waterfront Building
Neptune Quay
Ipswich, Suffolk IP4 1QJ UK
Email: treasurer@suffolkfhs.org.uk
Website: Suffolk Family History Society

Founded at Lowestoft in 1975, we are a group of keen amateur genealogists whose objectives are to promote and encourage the study of family history, genealogy, heraldry and local history with particular reference to Suffolk; and to promote the preservation, security and accessibility of archive material.

Suffolk Heraldry Society
The Garden Room
Quaker Meeting House
St John's Street
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1SJ UK
Telephone: 01284 763462
Email: donaldandlucia@gmail.com
Website: Suffolk Heraldry Society

The Suffolk Heraldry Society was founded in 1977 to encourage an awareness and interest in heraldry in all its aspects but mainly focussed in Suffolk. This county is rich in heraldry in public buildings, old houses, inns, village signs and particularly our fine churches.

Suffolk Institute of Archaeology & History
Blackbourne Hall
Blackbourne Rd
Elmswell
Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk IP30 9GY UK
Telephone: 01284 753228
Email: generalsecretary@suffolkinstitute.org.uk
Website: Suffolk Institute of Archaeology & History

The Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, founded in 1848, is Suffolk’s largest and oldest archaeological and historical society. For a century and a half it has played an important role in encouraging and publishing research on Suffolk’s past.

Suffolk Local History Council
Blackbourne Hall
Blackbourne Rd
Elmswell
Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk IP30 9GY UK
Telephone: 01449 258216
Email: secretary@slhc.org.uk
Website: Suffolk Local History Council

The purpose of the Suffolk Local History Council is to encourage and support the study of local history and to act as an umbrella organisation for groups and individuals with similar interests in the county of Suffolk.

Suffolk Records Society
Telephone: 01449 721121
Email: claire@ejbarker.co.uk
Website: Suffolk Records Society

For over sixty years, the Society has been committed to producing books that bring Suffolk’s rich historical literature to a wider audience. Covering a period of 700 years these volumes of letters, diaries, maps, accounts and other archives have made a major contribution to historical studies of the county and are a useful tool for both professional and amateur historians, as well as being a source of information for anyone interested in Suffolk’s history.

Sutton Hoo Society
Riverside Theatre
Quayside
Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1BH UK
Email: info@suttonhoo.org
Website: Sutton Hoo Society

Sutton Hoo is an archaeological site in Suffolk, south-east England (National Grid Reference TM 288 487), famous for the Anglo-Saxon ship burial discovered there in 1939. Today the Sutton Hoo Society trains the Guides, who offer burial site tours and Exhibition Hall talks. We work alongside the National Trust to promote interest in this unique place and to tell the stories of Anglo-Saxon archaeology and history here.

Walberswick Local History Group
Walberswick Village Hall
B1387
Southwold, Suffolk IP18 UK
Email: alan.walpole@hotmail.co.uk
Website: Walberswick Local History Group

The archivist holds a comprehensive store of interesting local historical records and memorabilia.

Weeting History Group
Email: enquiries@weeting-history.org.uk
Website: Weeting History Group

The Group was formed to research and record the history of the parish of Weeting in Norfolk. The aim of the group is to provide a framework for people with an interest in local history - and to meet others with a similar interest, to show that history can be fun as well as academic. The short-term aim of the group is to publish a history of the village for future generations. The long-term aim is to create a museum within the environs of the village, so that the whole population can contribute to, and enjoy what has gone before.

Wickham Market Area Archive Centre
Telephone: 01728 746241
Email: sallyann_crowley@yahoo.co.uk
Website: Wickham Market Area Archive Centre

Wickham Market Area Archive Centre maintains records relating to families, properties and events in the area of Wickham Market, in the county of Suffolk, England.

Wickham Market & District Local History Society
Richard Kitson Court
Chapel Lane
Wickham Market, Suffolk IP13 0SD UK
Telephone: 01728 747981
Email: roger.theobald@btinternet.com
Website: Wickham Market & District Local History Society

A varied programme of talks on all aspects of local interest, also arranged visits to sites in East Anglia.