Ousden

Coordinates: 52°12′22″N 0°33′04″E / 52.206°N 0.551°E / 52.206; 0.551

Ousden is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located around six miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 72 miles north of London, as of 2011 its population is at 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:

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 was 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.