It contains several deep estuaries, including those of the rivers Blyth, Deben, Orwell, Stour, and Alde/Ore; the latter is 25.5 km (15.8 mi) long and separated from the North Sea by Orford Ness, a large spit.

[5] The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Suffolk, and East Anglia generally, occurred on a large scale,[6] possibly following a period of depopulation by the previous inhabitants, the Romanised descendants of the Iceni.

[8] Suffolk was divided into four separate Quarter Sessions divisions, which met at Beccles, Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich and Woodbridge.

[15] In the east of the county is Sutton Hoo, the site of one of England's most significant Anglo-Saxon archaeological finds, a ship burial containing a collection of treasures including a sword of state, helmet, gold and silver bowls, jewellery and a lyre.

While carrying out surveys before installing a pipeline in 2014, archaeologists for Anglian Water discovered nine skeletons and four cremation pits, at Bardwell, Barnham, Pakenham and Rougham, all near Bury St Edmunds.

Experts said the five-month project had recovered enough artefacts to fill half a shipping container, and that the discoveries had shed new light on their understanding of the development of small rural communities.

[18] A survey in 2020 named Suffolk the third best place in the UK for aspiring archaeologists, and showed that the area was especially rich in finds from the Roman period, with over 1500 objects found in the preceding year.

[19] In July 2020, metal detectorist Luke Mahoney found 1,061 silver hammered coins, estimated to be worth £100,000, in Ipswich.

The graves contained the remains of men, women and children, as well as artefacts including small iron knives, silver pennies, wrist clasps, strings of amber and glass beads.

[23] According to research, Suffolk Pink dates back to the 14th century, when these shades were developed by local dyers by adding natural substances to a traditional limewash mix.

Locals and historians often state that a true Suffolk Pink should be a "deep dusky terracotta shade",[24] rather than the more popular pastel hue of modern times.

This has caused controversy in the past when home and business-owners alike have been reprimanded for using colours deemed incorrect, with some being forced to repaint to an acceptable shade.

[34] Another is "Silly Suffolk", often assumed to be derived from the Old English word sælig in the meaning "blessed", referring to the long history of Christianity in the county.

[38] Companies based in Suffolk include Greene King Brewery and Branston Pickle in Bury St Edmunds.

This is unacceptable and now means that Suffolk has a higher proportion of pupils educated in inadequate schools than both the regional and national averages.

This mainly open-air festival, which has grown considerably in size and scope, includes popular music, comedy, poetry and literary events.

The FolkEast festival is held at Glemham Hall in August[47] and attracts international acoustic, folk and roots musicians whilst also championing local businesses, heritage and crafts.

The next highest ranked team in Suffolk is Needham Market, who participate in the National League North, the sixth tier of English football.

Novels set in Suffolk include parts of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, The Fourth Protocol, by Frederick Forsyth, Unnatural Causes by P.D.

James, Dodie Smith's The Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Rings of Saturn by W. G. Sebald,[62] and among Arthur Ransome's children's books, We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea, Coot Club and Secret Water take place in part in the county.

[64] The reality TV series Space Cadets was filmed in Rendlesham Forest, although the producers fooled participants into believing that they were in Russia.

[69][70] Knype Hill is the fictional name for Southwold in George Orwell's 1935 novel A Clergyman's Daughter, while the character of Dorothy Hare is modelled on Brenda Salkeld, the gym mistress at St Felix School in the early 1930s.

[71] Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle's 2019 romantic comedy Yesterday was filmed throughout Suffolk, using Halesworth, Dunwich, Shingle Street and Latitude Festival as locations.

The 2021 film The Dig, based on the excavation of Sutton Hoo in the 1930s and starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan was mostly shot on location.

[75] Other artistic figures connected with Suffolk include: Sir Alfred Munnings, John Nash, sculptor Dame Elizabeth Frink, Cedric Morris who ran the East Anglian School, Philip Wilson Steer, and the cartoonist Carl Giles (a bronze statue of his character "Grandma" is located in Ipswich town centre); the poets George Crabbe[76] and Robert Bloomfield were both born in Suffolk;[77] farmer and writer Adrian Bell, writer and literary editor Ronald Blythe, V. S. Pritchett, the authors Ralph Hammond Innes and Ruth Rendell all lived in the county.

Actors Ralph Fiennes[78] and Bob Hoskins, actress and singer Kerry Ellis, musician and record producer Brian Eno,[79] multi-award winning singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and sopranos Laura Wright and Christina Johnston[80] are all connected with the county.

Suffolk's contributions to sport include Formula One magnate Bernie Ecclestone and former England national team footballers Terry Butcher, Kieron Dyer and Matthew Upson.

Due to Newmarket being the centre of British horse racing many jockeys have settled in the county, including Lester Piggott and Frankie Dettori.

Significant ecclesiastical figures from Suffolk include Simon Sudbury, a former archbishop of Canterbury;[82] former Lord Chancellor Thomas Wolsey hailed from Ipswich;[83] and author, poet and Benedictine monk John Lydgate.

Other significant persons from Suffolk include the great landscape designer Humphry Repton, suffragette Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett;[85] the captain of HMS Beagle, Robert FitzRoy;[86] Witch-finder General Matthew Hopkins;[87] educationist Hugh Catchpole;[88][89] and Britain's first female physician and mayor, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson.