Ousden

Ousden is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. It is located around six miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 72 miles north of London, and as of 2011, its population is 266. The village has an Anglican church of St Peter's and a chapel in the cemetery dedicated to St Barnabas. In the 1870s, Ousden was described as: "A village and a parish in the district of Newmarket and county of Suffolk. The village stands 1½ mile E of the boundary with Cambridgeshire, 4¾ S by W of Higham r. station, and 6½ E S E of Newmarket." History Ousden dates back to the Anglo-Saxon era. The name is derived from Old English and literally translates to 'owl valley'. In the Domesday Book Ousden is referred to as 'Uuesdana' and shows that in 1066 it consisted of 27 households, considered to be a 'quite large' village, and part of the Hundred of Risbridge. There was a population of fifteen villagers, nine smallholders and two slaves. There were six acres of land and four cobs, 15 cattle, 22 pigs and 158 sheep. The Lord of Ousden in 1066 was Leofric, but by 1086 the Lord and tenant-in-chief was Eustace, Count of Boulogne.