Debach

Debach is a small village about four miles northwest of Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK.

Debach is a small village about four miles northwest of Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK. ==All Saints' Church== The former parish church of Debach dates back to the 13th century and was renovated in 1794. It was almost completely rebuilt and enlarged by George Gilbert Scott, 1854–1856. The work cost £1500, £400 of which was borrowed and only partially repaid which led to a local scandal and drove the aggrieved lender to publish a book in 1879 entitled How the Parish Of Debach Borrowed £400 And Refused To Pay It All Back. The small local population resulted in there being only a handful of worshippers at the church in the 1960s and it was deconsecrated in 1971; the building was sold in 1979 to become a private residence. The 16th-century bell was bought by St Andrew's Church, Redlingfield in Suffolk and the wooden stand-alone belfry rotted away. Gravestones were moved to the front garden area where the village war memorial is also situated. The church building has also had its stained glass removed and the carved stone font has been moved to the front garden area. All Saints House, the former church, is a Grade II listed building. ==Notable residents== The author Ronald Blythe wrote the book Akenfield while living in Debach in 1966-7 and mentions the village - "a tiny parish of some eighty souls" - in the preface to the book. Debach was the birthplace and home of Jimmy "Holy Jim" Knights (1882–1981), a singer of traditional East Anglian folk and music hall songs, whose renditions of such tunes were recorded by collectors of traditional music performances when he was more than 90 years old in the 1970s. ==References== "The Domesday Book Online" The Shell Guide to Suffolk Norman Scarfe. Shell UK 1976. Akenfield Ronald Blythe. Penguin Books 2005 [1969]. . "Sing, Say or Pay Part 2" ==External links==

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