Botesdale village sign

Image: © Adrian S Pye Taken: 2 Feb 2021

The coach and horses featured at the top of the sign refer to the time when the village was on a main coaching route and the Post Mill signifies the strong presence of six Botesdale windmills, none of which have survived. The figure of St Botolph at the lower-centre is shown in a traditional form of abbey and monastic order. Hence the scroll and the model building. The depiction is of the exact monastic order to which St Botolph belonged, namely the Benedictine Order but the church is merely symbolic. The ears of wheat and vegetables refer to the long-standing agricultural activities in Botesdale whilst the books and mathematical instruments indicate the links with the several scholastic establishments that have been in the village, most notably the Grammar School, founded by Sir Nicholas Bacon (Keeper of the Seal to Elizabeth I) in 1561. The parents of each child entered into the Grammar School had to provide, amongst other things, books, pen and ink and candles. The building housing the Grammar School was returned to the village in 1883. It is now known as The Chapel of Ease. The wild flowers shown on the sign are purely for decorative purposes. (Taken directly from Botesdale village website. http://botesdale.onesuffolk.net/our-village/botesdale-village-sign/ ) https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4154345

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