From 1851 when it reached its peak population of 251, the parish maintained a relatively constant decline until 1961. Since then, the population has been slowly growing.[3]
The church "serves a small and scattered parish of farms and cottage in the heart of the north Suffolk countryside."[4] The church is Anglo Saxon in origin and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. As is the case with most ancient churches the building has been altered and restored several times. The 'earliest visible craftmanship' dates from the 14th century, the church also served the Redlingfield Priory from 1120 onward, before being returned to the village following the Reformation. One noteworthy feature is that the "church is built almost entirely of red brick, an uncommon and striking site for a church of the age, in this area."[5]
In 1831, two thirds of the population were described as 'labourers or servants' (with 'Middling Sorts' and Employers & Professionals' combined making up 15 people and 'other' describing 3),[6] 33of the labourers were 'Agricultural Labourers' with the remaining 3 in the category noted as servants. All of the employers were noted as being farmers.[7] The Post Office Directory of 1865 stated 'The land is a rich loam, and is principally the property of Sir Robert Shnfto Adair, who is lord of the manor, but there are a few other landed proprietors, namely, George Barber, Charles Clarke, Thomas Kerry...'[8]
The area lies on a Boulder Clay Plateau, rising up to 56m above sea level.[9] The area is relatively flat and is dominated by arable farming although it features one of suffolk's few collections of ancient woodland.[10] The farmlands are divided by hedgerows heading for "stardom" due to their diverse array of species and 3 veteran Oaks believed to be boundary markers, indicating the great age of the hedgerow network.[11]
The arrival of the 3,000 U.S. serviceman of 95th Bomb Group's B-17s at station 119 in neighbouring RAF Horham on 15 June 1943 swamped the corner of Suffolk. The airbase sprawled across four parishes including Redlingfield, and is unfortunately most notable for a B-17 Flying Fortress crashing upon take-off into Redlingfield, destroying a farmhouse and killing all ten crew.[12][13][14]
Population Time GraphDivisions of Industry, Redlingfield 1831
^GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, A Vision of Britain through Time. "Social Structure Statistics". Social Status, based on 1831 occupational statistics. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
^A Vision of Britain through Time, GB Historical GIS University of Portsmouth. "Redlingfield CP/ExP/AP through time". Industry Statistics | Males aged 20 & over, in 9 occupational categories. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
^Institute Of National Geological Sciences. "British Geological Survey". The sand and gravel resources of the country around Diss, Norfolk. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
