Campsea Ashe
The Sign
The village sign is located opposite the church. It was erected in 1937 to commemorate the coronation of George VI, painted by Mr. C. H. Lay and framed by Mr. Hewitt of Tunstall. The sign shows an ash tree next to some sort of camp, which makes the sign a rebus of the village name. Was the painting a copy of that done by James William Lowther? The arms of the Lowther and Wensleydale families was shown at the top of the post along with the erection date, but seemed to have disappeared when I visited.
The Name and Population
The population was 375 at the 2011 census. It was called Campese(i)a or Capeseia in the Domesday Book. The name means "Field/enclosure island". It is possible that Camp is an old district name. 'Ash' was originally another place-name; it is combined with Campsey from the 13th century. The name is derived from Old English and Anglian.
Other Points of Interest
The church is dedicated to St John the Baptist with some stained glass in memory of the Lowther Family.
The village name is also spelt as Campsey Ash.