View source for Beccles

{{Short description|Town in Suffolk, England}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name            = Beccles
| country                  = England
| region                   = East of England
| static_image_name        = St. Michael's Church, Beccles, Suffolk, South and east faces of the tower - geograph.org.uk - 219880.jpg
| static_image_alt         = 
| static_image_caption     = St. Michael's Church
| static_image_2_name      = 
| static_image_2_alt       = 
| static_image_2_caption   = 
| area_total_sq_mi         = 
| area_total_km2           = 8
| area_footnotes           = <ref name=vp>[https://www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/assets/Planning/Neighbourhood-Planning/Town-and-village-profiles/Beccles-Town-Profile.pdf Town profile: Beccles], [[East Suffolk District Council]], 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2021.</ref>
| population               = 10,123
| population_ref           = (2011)<ref name="Census2011">{{NOMIS2011|id=E04009485|title=Beccles Parish|access-date=4 Jan 2021}}</ref>
| os_grid_reference        = TM422904
| map_type                 = 
| map_alt                  = 
| coordinates              = {{coord|52.458|1.563|dim:5000|display=inline,title}}
| label_position           = 
| post_town                = BECCLES
| postcode_area            = NR
| postcode_district        = NR34
| dial_code                = 01502
| constituency_westminster = [[Lowestoft (UK Parliament constituency)|Lowestoft]]
| civil_parish             = Beccles
| shire_district           = [[East Suffolk District|East Suffolk]]
| shire_county             = [[Suffolk]]
| website                  = http://www.beccles.info/towncouncil/
| hide_services            = 
}}
'''Beccles''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɛ|k|əl|z}} {{respell|BEK|əlz}}) is a [[market town]] and [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in the [[East Suffolk District|East Suffolk]] district, in the county of [[Suffolk]], England.<ref name="OL40">OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : {{ISBN|0 319 24086 X}}.</ref> The town is located along the [[A145 road|A145]] and [[A12 road (Great Britain)|A12 road]]s, situated {{convert|16|mi|km|0}} south-east of [[Norwich]] and {{convert|33|mi|km|0}} north-northeast of [[Ipswich]]. Nearby towns include [[Lowestoft]] to the east and [[Great Yarmouth]] to the north-east. The town lies on the [[River Waveney]] on the edge of [[The Broads|The Broads National Park]].

It had a population at the 2011 census of 10,123.<ref name="Census2011"/> [[Worlingham]] is a suburb of Beccles; the combined population is 13,868.<ref name="Census2011BUA">{{NOMIS2011|id=E34003308|title=Beccles Built-up area|access-date=4 Jan 2021}}</ref> Beccles [[Town twinning|twinned]] with [[Petit-Couronne]] in France in 1978.

==History==

The place-name 'Beccles' is first attested in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, where it appears as ‘Becles’, located in the ancient [[Hundred_(county_division)|hundred]] of [[Wangford Hundred|Wangford]].<ref>[https://opendomesday.org/place/TM4290/beccles/ Open Domesday: Beccles]. Accessed 22 December 2024.</ref> It appears as ‘Beacles’ circa 1095 in a document from [[Bury St Edmunds Abbey]], and as ‘Beclis’ in 1157 and ‘Becclis’ in 1158 in the [[Pipe Rolls]]. The name is probably from the [[Old English]] ‘bec-laes’ meaning ‘pasture on the stream’, cognate with the German word ‘Bach’ meaning ‘stream’, and the English word ‘lea’ meaning ‘meadow’.<ref>[[Eilert Ekwall]], ‘The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names’, p.33.</ref>

Once a flourishing [[Angles (tribe)|Anglian]] riverport, Beccles lies in the [[River Waveney|Waveney]] valley and is a popular boating centre.

The town was first granted its [[Charter]] on 2 July 1584 by [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]], under the name of the Corporation of Beccles Fen. This was subsequently confirmed by [[James VI and I|James I]] on 19 May 1605.<ref name="H&A Suff">{{cite book |title=The History and Antiquities of the County of Suffolk: Volume 1. |publisher=W. S. Cowell |location=Ipswich |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/suffolk-history-antiquities/vol1/pp1-35}}</ref>

[[John Leman|Sir John Leman]] (died 1632) was a tradesman from Beccles who became [[Lord Mayor of London]].

Long associated with Beccles (including recent mayors) is the Peck family.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EakHAAAAQAAJ&q=%22robert+peck%22+beccles&pg=PA25 |title=An account of the corporation of Beccles Fen, with a tr. of their charter ... – Beccles Fen |access-date=30 April 2015|year=1826 |last1=Fen |first1=Beccles }}</ref> Among those Pecks who have made a place in history is the Rev. Robert Peck,<ref>{{acad|id=PK598R2|name=Peck, Robert}}</ref> described by Blomfield in his history of Norfolk as a man with a 'violent schismatic spirit' who led a movement within the church of St Andrew's in nearby [[Hingham, Norfolk]], in opposition to the established Anglicanism of the day.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=wIgAAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22robert+peck%22+beccles&pg=PA194 ''The Nonconformist's Memorial: Being An Account of the Ministers, Who Were Ejected or Silenced After the Restoration''], [[Samuel Palmer (biographer)|Samuel Palmer]], London, 1775.</ref> The Puritan Peck was eventually forced to flee to [[Hingham, Massachusetts]], founded by many members of his parish, where he resided for several years, until King [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] had been executed and [[Oliver Cromwell]] had taken the reins of government.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B2ElTqsiebMC&q=%22rev+robert+peck%22+beccles+hingham&pg=PA107 |title=History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts |access-date=30 April 2015|year=1893 |location=Hingham, Mass.}}</ref> Robert Peck then elected to return to Hingham, Norfolk, and resumed as rector of St Andrew's Church. He died in Hingham but left descendants in America, including his brother Joseph Peck, who settled in [[Rehoboth, Massachusetts]]. Robert's daughter Ann Peck (16 November 1619 – 30 June 1672) also remained in Massachusetts, and married [[John Mason (c. 1600–1672)|John Mason]], who led colonial forces in the [[Pequot War]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u1_YBp_mnkMC&q=seaconk+gillman+pecke&pg=PA29 |title=A Genealogical History of the Descendants of Joseph Peck: Who Emigrated with ... – Ira Ballou Peck |access-date=30 April 2015|last1=Peck |first1=Ira Ballou |year=1868 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NdxdH4HoSVcC&q=%22rev+robert+peck%22+beccles+hingham&pg=PA329 |title=Old Houses of the Antient Town of Norwich [Conn.&#93; 1660–1800 – Mary Elizabeth Perkins |access-date=30 April 2015|last1=Perkins |first1=Mary Elizabeth |year=1895 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Mason|first=John|title=A Brief History of the Pequot War|date=1736|publisher=printed and sold by S. Kneeland and T. Green|location=Boston|url=https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofpe00maso}}</ref>

In 1794, French émigré [[François-René de Chateaubriand]] worked in Beccles as a French teacher. While there, he fell in love with Charlotte Ives, daughter of a clergyman who lived in nearby [[Bungay]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/chateaubriandhis00grib/mode/2up|title=Chateaubriand and his court of women|first=Francis|last=Gribble|publisher=Chapman and Hall Ltd|location=London|date=1909|page=51-56}}</ref>

Under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]] the borough was reformed which became part of the administrative county of [[East Suffolk (county)|East Suffolk]] in 1889, the district contained the parish of Beccles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10025552|title=Relationships and changes Beccles MB through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=10 September 2024}}</ref> On 1 April 1974 the district and parish were abolished and became part of [[Waveney District|Waveney]] district in the [[non-metropolitan county]] of Suffolk.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1972/2039/schedule/part/35/made|title=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|publisher=[[legislation.gov.uk]]|accessdate=10 September 2024}}</ref> A [[successor parish]] was formed covering the same area as the former district and its parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1973/1110/made|title=The Local Government (Successor Parishes) Order 1973|publisher=legislation.gov.uk|accessdate=10 September 2024}}</ref> The successor civil parish has adopted town status.

==Landmarks==
[[File:Becclesbeltower.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|St Michael's Church and the [[Beccles bell tower]]]]
Many of the streets in the town centre have the suffix 'gate', for example, Ballygate, Smallgate and Blyburgate. This is derived from the Old Norse for 'street' and is similar to the modern [[Danish language|Danish]] word ''gade''.<ref name=con21>Ganther S (2014) [https://www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/assets/Planning/Design-and-Conservation/Conservation-Area-Appraisals/Beccles-Conservation-Area-Character-Appraisal-with-Mangement-Plan.pdf Beccles Conservation Area Character Appraisal], [[Waveney District Council]], p.21. Available online at [[East Suffolk District|East Suffolk Council]]. Retrieved 1 November 2020.</ref>

The townscape is dominated by the detached 16th-century [[Beccles bell tower]] of St Michael's Church.<ref name=con15>Ganther, p.15.</ref> Like the main body of the church, the tower is [[Perpendicular Gothic]] in style and is {{convert|97|ft|m}} tall. The church was built in the 14th century but was rebuilt after being badly damaged by fire in 1586. It has a 13th-century octagonal [[baptismal font]] and 14th-century south porch.<ref name=con25>Ganther, p.25–26.</ref> Both the church and the tower are [[Grade I listed building]]s.<ref name=shechurch>[https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/Monument/MSF1710 Building record BCC 013 - Church of St Michael], Suffolk Heritage Explorer, [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 1 November 2020.</ref>

[[Catherine Suckling]] married the [[Reverend Edmund Nelson]], a former curate of Beccles, at the church in 1749. Their son, the naval hero [[Horatio Nelson]], was born in 1758 in [[Norfolk]].<ref name=con25/> The [[Suffolk]] poet [[George Crabbe]] married Sarah Elmy at the church in the 18th century.
[[Image:BecclesTownHallc.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|[[Beccles Town Hall]]]]
Opposite the church is [[Beccles Town Hall]], built on the site of the town's [[market cross]].<ref name=con21/><ref name=con27>Ganther, p.27.</ref> This is at the centre of the Newmarket area, which still features a weekly market.

Beccles Museum is housed in Leman House, a Grade I listed building to the south of the town centre on Ballygate. The building dates from the 16th century and was the original site of the town's [[Grammar School]], named after John Leman who endowed it following his death in 1631.<ref name=lemanlist>[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1205376 Leman House], list entry, [[Historic England]]. Retrieved 1 November 2020.</ref><ref name=ganther49>Ganther, p.49.</ref><ref name=ganther55>Ganther, p.55.</ref><ref name=bmhistory/>

Beccles Common is an area of [[common land]], to the north west of the town. In the centre of Beccles Common sits a [[World War II|World War Two]] era [[Pillbox (military)|Pillbox]] built in 1940 or 1941.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pillbox FW3/22 Beccles - Beccles - TracesOfWar.com|url=https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/21910/Pillbox-FW3-22-Beccles.htm|access-date=2021-10-22|website=www.tracesofwar.com|language=en}}</ref>  The area hosts Boney's Island, a man-made mound on the common. The name comes from [[Napoleon|Bonaparte's]] Island. There are two different sources of the name Boney's Island. the more popular origin is that it was a [[Prisoner-of-war camp|prisoner of war camp]] during the [[Napoleonic Wars|Napoleonic wars]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=BCC 023 - Boney's Island; Bonaparte's Island (1838) (PMed) - Suffolk Heritage Explorer|url=https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/Monument/MSF16248|access-date=2021-10-22|website=heritage.suffolk.gov.uk}}</ref> The less popular origin is that a large bonfire was lit on the island to celebrate the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1814.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Geograph:: Moat around Boney's Island, Beccles... © Adrian S Pye|url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2164529|access-date=2021-10-22|website=www.geograph.org.uk|language=en}}</ref>

The old [[Corn Exchange, Beccles|Corn Exchange]] in Exchange Square, which dates from the early 19th century, now accommodates a branch of [[Lloyds Bank]].<ref>{{NHLE|desc= Premises occupied by Lloyds Bank |num=1298984|access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref>

==Transport==

===Buses===
Bus services in the area are operated predominantly by [[First Bus East of England|First Eastern Counties]] and Borderbus; routes link the town with Norwich, Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth, [[Bungay]] and [[Southwold]], along with surrounding villages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beccles Bus Services |url=https://www.bustimes.org/localities/cromer-norfolk| website=Bustimes.org| access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref>

===Railway===
The town is served by [[Beccles railway station]] on the [[East Suffolk Line]] between {{rws|Ipswich}} and {{rws|Lowestoft}}. Services run hourly in each direction on weekdays, following the completion of the Beccles rail loop in 2012; the disused island platform was rebuilt and the track relaid to allow trains to pass, the only point north of [[Halesworth]] where this is possible. Services are operated by [[Greater Anglia]].<ref>{{Cite web |work=Greater Anglia |title=Timetables |date=10 December 2023 |access-date=14 May 2024 |url= https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/timetables |quote=}}</ref>

The town was formerly the southern terminus of the [[Yarmouth to Beccles Line]], which ran across the River Waveney marshes to [[Great Yarmouth]] and the eastern terminus of the [[Waveney Valley Line]], linking to the [[Great Eastern Main Line]] at [[Tivetshall railway station|Tivetshall]] in Norfolk. Both lines closed, in 1954 and 1966 respectively; the latter as a result of the [[Beeching cuts|Beeching Cuts]].

===Air===
[[Beccles Airfield]] is located at [[Ellough]], around {{convert|3|mi|km}} south-east of the town. Originally built in 1942 as a wartime airfield,<ref name=hgairfield>[http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MSF22016&resourceID=1017 Beccles (Ellough) Airfield], Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 25 June 2011.</ref> it was used as a heliport servicing the North Sea petrochemical industry and is now a base for light aircraft and parachuting.<ref name=cap>[http://www.rainair.co.uk/skywatch.html No. 28 (Suffolk) Civil Air Patrol Unit] . ([https://web.archive.org/web/20110721222518/http://www.rainair.co.uk/skywatch.html Archived], 21 July 2011), RainAir (Beccles). Retrieved 25 June 2011.</ref><ref name=ukp>[http://www.ukparachuting.co.uk/history History], UK Parachuting. Retrieved 25 May 2011.</ref>

===Cycling===
[[National Cycle Route 1]], which runs from London to the [[Orkney Islands]], passes through Beccles. Regional Route 30, which runs between [[Wells-next-the-Sea]] and [[Brandon, Suffolk|Brandon]], and Regional Route 31, from [[Reedham Ferry]] to [[Southwold]], also pass through the town.<ref>[https://www.opencyclemap.org/ OpenStreetMap Cycle Map. Retrieved 24 December 2018.]</ref>

===Roads===
The town is by-passed to the north by the [[A146 road]] between [[Norwich]] in Norfolk and [[Lowestoft]] in Suffolk. The by-pass was built in the 1980s and the main road previously ran through the town, crossing the [[River Waveney]] at the narrow Beccles bridge. The link road between the A146 and the town is George Westwood Way, in memory of a Deputy Mayor, George Lionel Westwood, who fought hard for the construction of the by-pass.

The [[A145 road|A145]] used to run from the A146 through the town centre to link with the [[A12 road (England)|A12]] at [[Blythburgh]], {{convert|11|mi|km}} to the south of Beccles. The official route of the road now runs via the Beccles Southern Relief Road to indicate to drivers, particularly those of [[Heavy goods vehicle|HGV]]s, that they can avoid the town; this is intended to make the relief road effective in keeping unnecessary traffic out of the town.

====Beccles Southern Relief Road====
In 2006, a southern relief road for Beccles was approved, running from a roundabout just south of the town towards [[Ellough]] where the A145 connects with an industrial area, before joining with the A146 at [[North Cove]].<ref name="bb27nov13">[http://www.becclesandbungayjournal.co.uk/news/another_step_forward_for_relief_road_project_1_3044738 Another step forward for relief road project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301020640/http://www.becclesandbungayjournal.co.uk/news/another_step_forward_for_relief_road_project_1_3044738 |date=1 March 2014 }}, ''[[Beccles and Bungay Journal]]'', 27 November 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2014.</ref> The completion cost was around £7.0 million and the road forms part of [[Suffolk County Council]] traffic management plans.<ref name=scc2>[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/CD2B4C34-11A5-4F28-8330-8DD1D0B1E208/0/20062011FullLTP.pdf Suffolk Local Transport Plan 2006–11] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928072714/http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/CD2B4C34-11A5-4F28-8330-8DD1D0B1E208/0/20062011FullLTP.pdf |date=28 September 2011 }}, [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 1 July 2009.</ref> It allows north–south industrial traffic to by-pass the narrow streets of the town centre, reducing congestion and increasing safety and officially opened on 25 September 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Matchett |first1=Conor |title=Hundreds explore new Relief Road ahead of official opening |url=http://www.becclesandbungayjournal.co.uk/news/hundreds-explore-new-relief-road-ahead-of-official-opening-1-5707408 |website=Beccles and Bungay Journal |access-date=23 September 2018}}</ref>

==Education==
Beccles is served by [[Sir John Leman High School]] (age 11–18) and [[SET Beccles School]] (11–16) for [[secondary education]], both of which admit children from the town and the surrounding area, including from primary schools in Norfolk. Until 2012 a middle school system operated in the town, with most children moving to middle school at age 9 and on to high school at age 13.<ref name=edp7sep12>Wood R (2012) [https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/education/new-era-for-education-across-beccles-bungay-and-halesworth-1-1508501 New era for education across Beccles, Bungay and Halesworth], ''[[Eastern Daily Press]]'', 7 September 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2020.</ref><ref name=bb7sep2012>Wood R (2012) [https://www.becclesandbungayjournal.co.uk/news/new-chapter-for-sir-john-leman-high-school-in-beccles-1-1508527 New chapter for Sir John Leman High School in Beccles], ''Beccles and Bungay Journal'', 7 September 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2020.</ref><ref name=sor>[https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-organisation-review/background-to-the-school-organisation-review-and-archive/ Background to the School Organisation Review and archive], [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 31 October 2020.</ref><ref name=sorbeccles>[https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-organisation-review/information-for-parents-and-carers/beccles/ Beccles], [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 31 October 2020.</ref> The Sir John Leman High School dates from 1632 when it was established in the town after the death of [[John Leman]].<ref name=bmhistory>[https://becclesmuseum.org.uk/building-history/ History of the Building], Beccles and District Museum. Retrieved 31 October 2020.</ref> It was a [[grammar school]] between 1914 and 1971.

Three [[primary school]]s operate in Beccles providing education from age 5 to 11: Beccles Primary Academy (formerly Crowfoot Primary School); St Benet's Catholic Primary School; and The Albert Pye School which is federated with Ravensmere Infants School (5–8). Children from the town also attend primary school in Worlingham as well as surrounding villages.<ref name=sil>[https://infolink.suffolk.gov.uk/kb5/suffolk/infolink/results.page?areaserved=beccles&schoolstype=6&communitychannelnew=4-1-1 Suffolk infoLink]. Retrieved 31 October 2020.</ref>

==Leisure==
The annual Beccles Carnival and Family Fun weekend is held during the third weekend in August, which includes the popular Duck Race on the River Waveney.

The town's local newspaper is the weekly ''[[Archant|Beccles & Bungay Journal]]'', formed in 1933.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Digital and Print Advertising - Beccles and Bungay Journal|url=https://www.archanthub.co.uk/beccles-and-bungay-journal|access-date=2020-06-04|website=www.archanthub.co.uk|language=en}}</ref>

Two [[Scout Association]] groups, 2nd Beccles and 5th Beccles, operate in the town,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scouts.org.uk/get-involved/map-page/|title=Scouts – Map page|website=Scouts|language=en|access-date=23 December 2018}}</ref> as do [[Girlguiding]] groups. Beccles Sea Cadets and Beccles Royal Marines Cadets run Training Ship Brave<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sea-cadets.org/beccles/home.aspx |title=Home – Beccles |publisher=Sea-cadets.org |access-date=30 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sea-cadets.org/beccles/rmc-who-we-are.aspx |title=Who We Are – Beccles |publisher=Sea-cadets.org |access-date=30 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609000137/http://www.sea-cadets.org/beccles/rmc-who-we-are.aspx |archive-date=9 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the town is also home to 759 (Beccles) Air Cadets.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060825033133/http://www.becclesaircadets.co.uk/ Beccles Air Cadets]</ref>

Beccles Cricket Club, founded in 1955, play on Beef Meadow on Beccles Common.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beccles CC Roll of Honour |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/files.pitchero.com%252Fclubs%252F15728%252Frollofhonour_158534.doc&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=view.officeapps.live.com}}</ref> They run two senior men's teams - the 1st team play in Division Two of the [[Norfolk Cricket Alliance]] and the 2nd team play in Division Six. They also run a women's softball team and junior teams from the under-11 age group through to under-15.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beccles Town CC |url=https://beccles.play-cricket.com/Teams |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=beccles.play-cricket.com}}</ref>

Beccles' main football club is [[Beccles Town F.C.|Beccles Town]], established in 1919. As of the 2023–24 season, they are members of the [[Anglian Combination]] Premier Division. Beccles also has a football team called [[Beccles Caxton F.C.|Beccles Caxton]], with "Caxton" being a name commonly found in Beccles, including the Caxton Club social club, the Caxton Arms pub and Caxton Road.

[[Ellough Park]] Raceway is south-east of Beccles on the site of the old [[Ellough]] airfield. It is a local centre for kart racing.<ref>[http://www.elloughparkraceway.co.uk/index.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015013625/http://www.elloughparkraceway.co.uk/index.htm|date=15 October 2013}}</ref>

==Notable people==
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
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* [[Claude Auchinleck]], general in India and North Africa during the Second World War
* [[Martin Bell]], retired BBC journalist and newsreader
* [[Tim Buck]], General Secretary of the [[Communist Party of Canada]] between 1929 and 1962
* [[Hester Burton]], author of children's historical fiction, whose father served as Mayor three times
*[[Jordan Catchpole]], British Paralympic swimmer. He won gold at the [[2020 Summer Paralympics]]
*[[Grantly Dick-Read]] (1890-1959), [[obstetrician]] and a leading advocate of [[natural childbirth]]
* [[William Ellard]], swimmer<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cunningham |first1=Alice |title=Paralympic record-breaking swimmer Will Ellard claims he can go faster |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd9dpje5pk1o |website=BBC |access-date=6 September 2024 |date=4 September 2024}}</ref>
* [[William Fiske (footballer)|William Fiske]], goalkeeper for [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]]<ref>{{cite book |first=Michael|last=Joyce |title=Football League Players' Records 1888–1939 |publisher=SoccerData |year=2004| page=90 |isbn=1-899468-67-6}}</ref>
* [[David Frost]], broadcaster
* [[Charles Hartley (educationist)|Charles Hartley]], educationist and the Principal of [[Royal College, Colombo]]<ref>{{acad|id=HRTY884C|name=Hartley, Charles}}</ref>
* [[Dorothy Hodgkin]], [[Nobel Prize]] winner
* [[Chris Martin (footballer, born 1988)|Chris Martin]], forward for [[Bristol City F.C.]]<ref>[http://www.canaries.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10355~37496,00.html]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812192713/http://www.canaries.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0%2C%2C10355~37496%2C00.html|date=12 August 2012}}</ref>
* [[William Aldis Wright]], writer, editor and philologist
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->

==See also==
*[[Beccles Airport]]
*[[Beccles bell tower]]
*[[Beccles Lido]]
*[[Beccles railway station]]
*[[Beccles Town F.C.]]
*[[Alan of Beccles]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Beccles}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{wiktionary|Beccles}}
*{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Beccles |volume=3 |short=x}}

{{East Suffolk}}
{{Suffolk}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Beccles| ]]
[[Category:Market towns in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Towns in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Waveney District]]