Pakenham, Suffolk

Pacca was the founder of a settlement on the hill where Pakenham church now sits, on an area higher than the waters of Pakenham Fen. The discovery of many Anglo-Saxon remains, notably that of a bone-toothed comb in the old school garden (near the church) in the 1950s, testify to the authenticity of the site. The village was therefore named Pacca's Ham, i.e. the home of Pacca. This name eventually became Pakenham (pronounced locally with a long "a" sound). The Anglo-Saxon family name later became "de Pakenham". Pacca's descendants continued to farm here until the Norman Conquest of 1066. The village has contained several manor houses, such as Pakenham Hall the family seat of the Spring…