In the early Middle Ages, Bardwell village and the surrounding area was a feudal society. The parish contained the three manors of Bardwell Hall, Wykes and Wyken Hall,  each granted by the Abbot of Bury to a lord of the manor. At the heart of the manor was its Hall, where the manor court was held, with its judicial and administrative functions. The lord of the manor may have lived there himself, or, as he often owned several manors, he may have appointed a steward to act for him.  Early eighteenth century maps tell us that the house now known as Moat House was originally Bardwell Hall, and was the courthouse for that manor. Although nothing now remains of the house that used to lie in the field by the river, this was probably Wykes hall. And of course Wyken Hall still remains, although much of the present house is the result of extensive rebuilding in the 1920s.

A tax return of 1283 lists 127 taxpayers in the parish of Bardwell, which at that time covered 3,142 acres. The occupations of some people are revealed by their names, and we can identify a carpenter, three huntsmen, a fuller, three reeves, a steward, three shepherds, a falconer, a tailor, and a woman who brews and sells ale. Crops and livestock are also listed, showing that barley, rye, peas, beans, wheat and oats were grown, and the parish had 89 horses, 456 cattle, 587 pigs and 1313 sheep. A survey of the manor of Wykes, probably dating from circa 1300, tells us that the total area of this manor was 532 acres, farmed by 76 freeholders and 49 customary tenants, who as part of their rent had to work on the land of the lord of the manor. We also find amongst them, in addition to some of the occupations shown on the tax return, a miller, a smith, a thatcher and a merchant. Even when they had another trade, almost everyone would have been involved in farming, and would usually have a plot of land attached to their house, as well as their allocated strips in the communal fields.

In the summer of 1349, the Black Death swept through Suffolk, reducing the population by at least a third, and there can be little doubt that many Bardwell inhabitants must have died in this plague. Two new Rectors were appointed to the parish in that year, so it is possible that one of these, and perhaps the incumbent he replaced, may have succumbed to the sickness, as the mortality rate was particularly high amongst priests.

In the early fifteenth century, all three manors were in the hands of Sir William Berdewell, who had been a soldier from the age of fifteen, and served in many campaigns. Warfare was a lucrative source of wealth, and Sir William is said to have financed the building of the church tower, the porch and the roof, which bears a date of 1421 on one of the beams. Certainly, in his will of 1434, Sir William left 40 shillings to 'the repairing of the church', but other Bardwell people also left bequests for this in their wills. In 1409, Reginald Payn left 6s 8d to the fabric of the bell tower, which therefore must have been under construction at that time. Between 1438 and 1460, John Goore, John North, John Doffows, William Atherne and William Inglond all left money for the work being done on the church, and William Inglond specifically bequeathed an additional sum of 2 shillings for the porch in 1460. These bequests suggest that the building work extended over a period of about fifty years.

The Gildhall was built in the latter part of the fifteenth century, for the benefit of members of the gild of St. Peter, which included most of the adult population of the village. As well as its religious function of ensuring that prayers were said for members after their death, the gild let out livestock, and gave financial assistance to those who were in difficulties; it also had an important social role in the community, and celebrations and feasts would have been held in the Gildhall, no doubt much enjoyed by all our mediaeval villagers.

Many of our fine old houses also have their origins in this period, and we can see Bardwell taking shape as the village we know today. The feudal system was in decline, and the rise of the yeoman farmer, who was to play a central part in shaping the Suffolk countryside in the next few centuries, had begun.

Researched and kindly provided for this web site by Ruth Stokes