Shimpling was described in 1870-72 in John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazeteer of England and Wales as:

"SHIMPLING, or Shimplingthorne, a parish, with a village, in Sudbury district, Suffolk; 4 miles NW by W of Lavenham r. station. It has a post-office under Bury-St-Edmunds. Acres 2,698. Real property £3,640. Pop., 500, Houses 111. The manor, with Chadacre Hall, belongs to Miss Hallifax. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely. Value £600. Patron, the Rev A. H. Bolton. The church is plain."

Historical information and map sourced from:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Shimpling, in Babergh and Suffolk | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time. URL: http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/7672