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Wood Norton Village
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A brief guide
Entering through the late 15th Century porch, which could have been a gift from a wealthy benefactor, from the heraldic crown and feathers, to face the bulbous font, which is from around 1400 AD. Standing in the Nave we are in a space which is almost certainly late Saxon, ie. Pre-Conquest of 1066. At the time of the census (the Doomsday Book ) of 1086, there were two churches recorded in Nortuna (i.e. Northern Farm). The 14th century Perpendicular, period windows, added later, led to the addition of the buttresses, as the much larger windows would have caused the Saxon walls with their large amounts of ironstone amongst the flint, to become unstable. The Chancel dates from around 1215 or earlier, suggested by the evenly laid flint, which was a Norman technique. The tower, also, is 13th century at the base but its upper part became ruinous so for a while its three bells were housed in a timber structure in the Churchyard. By 1700 the tower had been rebuilt with local brick, probably from the brick-clay pit at the corner of Ryor’s Lane. In 1753 the three bells were recast into one large bell. Looking around…
All Saints Church leaflet
The tower of this church was started in the 1530,s just before the Reformation changed so many things.Wills dated 1531, 1532 and 1533 have been found leaving money to the building of the tower, which was of highly skilled, sophisticated work with knapped (cut) flints and galleting (small pieces of flint inserted in the mortar between the larger stones). The ground floor stage alone of this tower survives, but the upper parts became dilapidated. There were three bells mentioned in the survey for Edward VI, but by 1699 the steeple was down and the bells were cracked and hung in a low shed in the churchyard. The Bishop was requested to give leave for the three bells to be melted down and made into one, and the upper tower was then rebuilt in classical style with red bricks. The belfry openings are filled with a lattice work of bricks, giving a honeycomb effect, and the tower is finished with a battlemented parapet with short pinnacles at the corners, all in brick except for the stone gargoyles. The one bell was made in 1753 by Thomas Gardiner. (See the Bell Report) The south porch also shows fine flint and stone work,…
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Heritage
History
Blomefield’s History of Norfolk
Early Wood Norton Part of this town belonged to the bishops of East Angles, and to the see, when it was at North Elmham, in this county, and when the see was at Thetford, we have this account from the survey. – Norton was a beruite to the bishop of Thetford’s manor [a] of Hilderston, consisting of 200 acres of land, held by 9 villians and 6 borderers, with 2 fervi, there was always one carucate in demean, and two among the tenants, 8 acres of meadow, paunage for 30 swine, there was the 3d part of a church belonging to it, endowed with 2 acres and a half of land. Valued at 4d. and 8 socmen had 51 acres, 3 borderers , 2 carucates and 4 acres of meadow, &c. and Hugo held this under the bishop. This beruite with the lordships of Hilderton, Geist, Geistweit, belonging to the bishop, were valued together at 13l. viiis. Per ann. Herbert, bishop of Norwich, on his foundation of the priory of Norwich, gave this lordship to it as part of their endowment, and also granted lands, &c. to Edric le Cat, in this town, Geist and Hilderton. Godfrey Le Gross, a…
Kelly’s History of Norfolk
The Post Office Directory MDCCCLXIX, (1869) WOODNORTON is a parish, 3 miles east from Ryburgh station, 6 east-by-south from Fakenham, and 8½ south-west from Holt, in the North Eastern division of the county, Eynsford hundred, Aylsham Union and county court district, rural deanery of Sparham, and archdeanory and diocese of Norwich. The church of All Saint’s is a plain build- having a brick tower containing 1 bell, chancel and porch. The register dates from the year 1722. The living is a rectory, consolidated with Swanton Novers, joint yearly value £446 10s, with 60 acres of glebe land and residence, in the gift of the dean and chapter of Christ Church, Oxford, and held by the Rev. John Shuldham, M. A. of Christ Church. The Wesleyans have a chapel here. The soil is mixed, subsoil clay and marl. The chief crops are wheat, roots, barley and hay. The Dean and Chapter of Christ Church are lords of the manor and chief owners of the parish. Lord Hastings, Mrs Gill, William Norris, Esq., the Rev. Philip Francis, and W. S. Phillips, Esq., are also owners. The parish contains 1,726 acres, and the population in 1861 was 250 The Parish Clerk, William Wright Letters…
Charters of the Augustinian Canons
The Early Charters of The Augustinian Canons of Waltham Abbey Essex 1062 – 1230 AD Extracts grant by Geoffrey, I de Scalers who had earlier become a monk with them, taking with him his seals and rings. A second formal charter was issued for the canons by Geoffrey II where he takes pains to spell out the validity of his grant by describing the earlier ceremony at which his father had publicly divested himself of his worldly goods and established Geoffrey II as heir to all his fee: any grant made after that date was invalid. The abbot of Sawtry’s first formal act towards gaining lawful possession was to acquire papal confirmation in February 1195 of the monks’ advowson (126), but by midsummer 1197 on the intervention of Archbishop Hubert Walter, the abbot of Sawtry demised his claim before it came into the court of the papal judges delegate and he granted the church to the canons in free alms with all tithes except tithe on newly cultivated land. His quitclaim (127) was made in the presence of only one of the judges delegate, William prior of Hertford and of the abbots of Stratford Langthorne and Tilty who each issued…
Early Measurements
1. The rod is a historical unit of length equal to 5.5 yards. It may have originated from the typical length of a mediaeval ox-goad. 2. The furlong (meaning furrow length) was the distance a team of oxen could plow without resting. This was standardized to be exactly 40 rods. 3. An acre was the amount of land tillable by one man behind one ox in one day. Traditional acres were long and narrow due to the difficulty in turning the plow. 4. An oxgang was the amount of land tillable by one ox in a plowing season. This could vary from village to village, but was typically around 15 acres. 5. A virgate was the amount of land tillable by two oxen in a plowing season. 6. A carucate was the amount of land tillable by a team of eight oxen in a plowing season. This was equal to 8 oxgangs or 4 virgates. Latin, carucata. In most of the Danelaw counties, the public obligations were assessed in carucates and bovates. The word carucate is derived from caruca, Latin for a plough; bovate from bos, Latin for an ox. Since the standard Domesday plough team was drawn by eight oxen, the carucate contained eight bovates. An eight-oxen plough…
Images
Old and New Images of Wood Norton
[gallery] If you have any comments or information regarding any of the images, please click on this link to email me at david.kingsnorth@mypostoffice.co.uk
Wood Norton from Above
Both of these images were provided by Diana & Terry Stevens. I will try to find out the dates they were taken. Or if you have any idea please send me an email. The image below was provided by Kay & Ian Dive, and shows the cottages in front of the Sun Public House very clearly. Note the two fuel pumps to the right hand side. On the image below you can see Hall Barn Farm, just prior to its conversion in living accomodation. The image below was taken from the Web Program “Google Earth” And shows that big brother is really watching us all. It simulates a height of approx 250m a.s.l. The image below is an image provided by Ray Rollins, and shows Rectory Rd, Church Rd,Stibbard Rd, Hall Farm Rd and just about catches Manor Farm at the top of the picture. Below are two aerial pictures of the Village Green. The one on the top was taken, looking from the green towards the Rectory Road. And the one below is from Rectory Road towards, what was the The Sun Public House. Notice the row of cottages in front of the Sun. Also one of Smith’s coaches…
Exhibitions in the Church
War Memorial
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Tree list plus when to pick and use periods
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Agendas 2025
16th July 2025
19th March 2025
15th January 2025
