By the time of the Norman Conquest of 1066, the Benedictine Abbey where Edmund's remains were laid had already been renamed St Edmundsbury. Under the authority of a succession of astute Abbots, the Abbey became a force to be reckoned with. It was at the high altar that the 25 barons swore an oath in 1214 to force King John to ratify the Magna Carta, which he later did at Runnymede in Surrey. The Magna Carta forms the basis of democracy as we know it in Britain - and in many other English-speaking countries - today.

Despite a series of riots and rebellions among the townsfolk in the 14th century, Bury St Edmunds developed into a prosperous market town with a thriving clothmaking industry, and it enjoyed royal recognition. St Mary's Church was completed in the 1427 and it is here that Mary Tudor, sister of one regular visitor, Henry VIII, is buried.
With Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in the early 16th century, the Abbey was finally raided and torn down. Its remnants are all around the town, standing as ruins or built into the homes of opportunist townspeople. The Abbey Gardens surround many of the ruins, and are the town's most popular attraction, winning prizes in international floral competitions. Many secular mediaeval buildings such as the Guildhall still stand, but most are hidden behind elegant 17th and 18th century facades.

It was in 1606 that King James I incorporated the town, and a crest was granted.
Life in the town went on, and its array of splendid Georgian buildings are a testimony to its prosperity in the 18th century. The Athenaeum opened in 1714 as Assembly Rooms and has been a centre for social life ever since. The Manor House Museum on Honey Hill was built in 1736 for the Earl of Bristol's family, whose country seat was Ickworth House in nearby Horringer. The Manor House opened in 1993 as a museum of art, fashion and horology.
Author Daniel Defoe described Bury St Edmunds as a town famed for its pleasant situation and wholesome air, the Montpelier of Suffolk and perhaps England.

Bury was largely unaffected by the Industrial Revolution and unlike many British towns it did not grow to any extent during the 19th century. Its most impressive Victorian building, the Corn Exchange, is still in use but the weekly corn market ceased in 1997.
Charles Dickens was a regular visitor to the town and in Pickwick Papers he calls Bury St Edmunds a handsome little town, of thriving and cleanly appearance. Dickens' description of the town could apply today. It has much to offer people of all ages and interests, with an excellent range of cultural, sporting, leisure and shopping facilities. Dickens stayed at The Angel Hotel, where the Dickens Suite is still available for patrons today - including the very bed in which the great writer slept.

A new diocese of Ipswich and St Edmundsbury was created in 1913, and the Church of St James was chosen as the Cathedral. It is today the only unfinished Cathedral Church in the country, lacking the spire it was always intended to have had. Spire notwithstanding, the Cathedral plays host to numerous large-scale ceremonies throughout the year, while nearby St Mary's provides the setting for the Borough's main civic occasions.

Despite the controlled expansion of the twentieth century, with high-technology industries developing on the outskirts alongside the traditional occupations of sugar manufacture, brewing and agriculture, Bury St Edmunds retains its character as a charming and peaceful market town.

Haverhill is the second largest town in the Borough, lying on the A1307 between Cambridge and Colchester. It has the proud distinction of having been a market town for 950 years. However, it was through the textile industry that the town became prosperous, particularly in the latter part of the 19th century. This industry can be traced back to the 1660s, and even then it was being described as a 'great trade' in the town.

By the end of the 18th century, the cloth trade was in decline, in Haverhill as in other parts of East Anglia. It was revived by the introduction of two new fabrics, silk and drabbet. Drabbet, a coarse and hard-wearing linen-like material, was used for smocks, the working clothes of most rural workers. Whilst silk brought only modest wealth and then went into decline, Haverhill became famous for its drabbet smocks.

The great watershed in Haverhill's history was the building of a factory containing 32 power looms by D.Gurteen and Sons. This company, who had been in the town since the 1780s, went on to expand and Haverhill prospered alongside, becoming the fastest-growing town in West Suffolk. Between 1851 and 1901 it almost doubled in size, and this growth produced a complete Victorian town with new houses, schools, churches and public buildings. It was the Gurteen family who built the Town Hall, now a thriving Arts Centre.

The town has gone on to quadruple in size between 1951 and the present day, following its nomination as an 'expansion town' by the Greater London Council.

Whilst fire destroyed most of Haverhill's older buildings in 1665, Anne of Cleves' House - which once formed part of the dower of the Queen Consort of England - has been completely renovated.

The story of Clare

In the south of the Borough, Clare is a lovely market town, with an array of antique shops, art galleries, coffee houses and traditional pubs. At the time of the Norman conquest, Clare was one of only six boroughs in Suffolk. It was given by William the Conqueror to his relative Richard de Bienfait, the first Earl of Clare. Members of this family played an important part in national history; they were involved both in the drawing-up of the Magna Carta, and in the calling of the first popular parliament.

During the 16th century, Clare's affluent population grew rapidly. The parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, built in 1450, reflects the great wealth of the community in those times. The town's fine architectural legacy also includes the Ancient House, opposite the church, timbered and pargetted facades along the streets, and the 13th century priory.