The Sign
The old sign was presented to the village by the local Women's Institute and consists of a painted panel in a wooden frame. In the top left shows a water tower which was demolished in 1962. The top right depicts the silk weaving factory, originally built in 1824. In the bottom left is a hay cart crossing the river Glem, and a Suffolk Punch horse in the bottom right, with a couple of sheep above, all representing farming in the area. There are various devices on the sign representing the WI, Lords of the Manor and the coconut matting industry.

The new sign was made by Graham Chaplin from Buxhall of painted galvanized steel in 2009 replacing the original sign at the same location. There are three buildings on the sign starting with the church of St Mary on top of the sign, this is connected by a winding road down to the old boarding school which is now the Glemsford Primary Academy. The road to the left leads to the 16th century Monks Hall. Below the school is a horse and cart representing agriculture in the area. In the centre of the sign is a group of Morris dancers, known as the Morris Dancers of Little Egypt set up in 1992. There is also a wig at the top of the post representing Arnold and Gould wig makers which were set up to process horsehair in 1907. On the other side is a guardsman helmet. A teachers mortar board and quill pen are there to represent the old college from the Middle Ages. The gap in the middle is the river Glem. The flowers at the bottom of the sign look lie Wood Anemones.

The Name and Population
The population was 3,693 at the 2021 census. It was called Glemesford from 1042-1066 and Clamesforda in 1086. The name probably means "The ford where people assemble for revelry or games", from Old English. The river Glem is a back-formation from the place name.

Other Points of Interest

Monks Hall, which is a medieval timber structure. It is said that a tunnel once connected Monks Hall to the nearby Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, which the monks formerly used to access the church instead of mixing with the ordinary villagers. Only a small part of this tunnel remains.

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin dates back to the early 14th century, with the earliest recorded rector being Hugh de Poynton in 1302. The church features the Golding Chapel, built in memory of the rich Glemsford cloth merchant, John Golding.

Greyhound Public House closed (1907). The final night marked by coffin being carried in procession, after closing time, to the Churchyard (symbolically containing the 'spirit' of the old inn). Free beer was liberally consumed.

Glemsford silk mills have supplied yarn for the Queens coronation robe, Prince of Wales investiture and Princess Anne's wedding dress (1975).

Little Egypt is a name attached to Glemsford, but nobody really knows why. One suggestion is that Glemsford in medieval times was isolated from the life which passed by along the pack routes from Melford to Clare or Bury. Some have suggested that the nickname "Little Egypt" is a survival of the independent and unfriendly inhabitants of this period who kept very much to themselves as a self-sufficient unit upon their hilltop, viewing all strangers with grave suspicion. A characteristic which may well linger on and certainly was common in those days. Another is related to the 1885 Melford Riot, but there seems to be too many inconsistencies. And there are more theories!