Bury St. Edmunds

Bury St. Edmunds (bĕr' sənt ĕd`məndz), town (1991 pop. 30,563), Suffolk, E central England. It is the market and processing center for the surrounding rich farm region. The town also has engineering works, a brewery, timber yards, and a beet-sugar factory. In 903 the remains of King Edmund were interred here in a monastery, founded c.630, which later became a famous shrine and Benedictine abbey founded by Canute. In 1214, English barons struggling against King John took an oath in the abbey to compel him to accept their demands. The result was the Magna Carta (1215). Among the buildings of historical interest in the town are a Norman gate, ruins of St. James Cathedral, and a 15th-century church. Moyses Hall, a Norman residence, has been made into a museum.