Beighton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the Broadland district of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, England, about two miles (3 km) South-West of

Acle Acle ( ) is a market town on the River Bure on the Norfolk Broads in Norfolk, located halfway between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It has the only bridge across the River Bure between Wroxham and Great Yarmouth.Ordnance Survey (2005). ''OS Explorer ...

about 12.8 miles (20.6 km) to

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

. It covers an area of 7.63 km² (2.95 sq mil) and has a population of 436 in 185 households according to the 2011 census. Today, Beighton incorporates the old parish of Moulton St Mary, and both parishes are mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The All Saints church is situated within Beighton, along Church Hill. The church was described in 1870 as:

The church is decorated English, and was recently restored.

History

The name of the town was first recorded as ''Begetuna'' in 1086. The meaning of the world comes from the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

language meaning 'farmstead of a woman called Beage or of a man called Baega.'

Demographics

Population

Overall, the population of Beighton has increased. From 1850 till 1910 there was a rapid decline in population due to the industrial revolution which attracted the rich families whom were previously living in large estates in Beighton countryside, into the busy city centres such as London to profit from the industrial boom. From 1910 to around 1920 population started to grow, however it then dropped due to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

where a large number of men whom where of fighting age joined their local regiments. From 1960 till 2010 the population has steadily grown, to the current population of 436. The ethnic make up of the area is predominantly white; 96.3% of the population in this area are White (English, Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish) alongside various minority races. 25% of the population in the Parish are 25-44 and 29% of the population is between the age of 45–64 years old.

Occupation

From the population of Beighton, 84 people have no qualifications. According to the 2011 census 101 people have a qualification of a degree and 172 have qualifications below degree level. Between males and females in 1881 there was a large contrast between the occupation field. Males tended to do the more manual jobs such as agriculture and construction whilst females tended to either be house wives or work in the domestic field. According to the 2011 census, the occupation structure has dramatically changed. Majority of the working women in Beighton are employed in the Education, Health and Social work in 2011 rather than being in the domestic sector or with no known work in 1881. The men of the village have moved from agricultural work in to construction and manufacturing. This shift for both males and females has come from an improvement in education and the change in industry due to the industrial revolution. There is dramatic change in that from 1881 to 2011 women started working and thus got educated and become qualified to have occupations which were once male dominated. In Beighton 20% of the population between the age of 16-74 are socio-economically classified as "Lower managerial and professional occupations" Examples of "Lower managerial and professional occupations" are social workers, nurses, journalists, retail managers and teachers.

Church of All Saints

The earliest work is from the 13th century but the rest of the church seems to be of 14th century date. All Saints is a small to medium-sized church built of flint and stone dressing. The church went under restoration in the 19th century with rebuilding of the north aisle and the upper stage of the west tower. Restoration also included the addition of a number of stained glass windows which added beauty and interest to the building. All Saints is now a grade I listed building.

Barn at Hall's farm

A 17th century building with six bays made from red brick on a timber frame with flint and brick gables. There are two cart entrances and a thatched roof. As of 1952 the building has become grade II listed.

Cedar House

Cedar House is grade II listed building and is the largest building in the village of Beighton. Cedar House is a former rectory house built in the mid 19th century from red bricks and slated roof. Cedar House is now a residential home which was last sold in 1998 for £405,000.

Church of St Mary

A grade I listed church built in the 13th century with extra additions which have been added in the 14th century. The church was originally the parish church for Moulton. The church consists of nave, chancel, south porch and round tower. Red brick from the 16th century show that the church was further rebuilt in that century.

Manor House

A grade II listed country house built by local builder's as their version of a small but grand brick house in the early 18th century. The building is two storeys high with an attic and cellar. Although the house had been modified in the 19th century and 20th century, it still remains largely unchanged and in its original form. The grounds around the house have stables.

Notable people

* Edward Fellowes (1845–1896), cricketer

War Memorial

Beighton War Memorial is located just outside All Saints' Churchyard and is a stone

Celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...

. It lists the following names for the

: * Lance-Corporal Samuel Ebbage (1895-1917), 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment * Private Lewis E. Myhill (1888-1916), 102nd Battalion, Calgary Rifles,

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

* Private Frederick Brown (1893-1916), 8th Battalion,

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

* Private William Myhill (1897-1917), 4th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment * Private William D. Rose (1889-1918), 2nd Battalion,

Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Reg ...

* Deckhand Frederick G. Hubbard (1896-1918), ''HM Drifter Vintage'' * William Godfrey, Royal Army Ordnance Corps * Hubert H. Spooner (1881-1917), '' HMS Attentive II'' And, the following for the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

: * Leading-Stoker William B. Cator (1916-1942), ''

HMS Blean (L47) HMS ''Blean'' was a Type III of the Royal Navy. She was named after the Blean Beagles Hunt at the village of Blean just north of Canterbury. She had the shortest career of any of the Hunt-class destroyers. Built at Hebburn-on-Tyne by Hawtho ...

'' Peck, M. (2017). Retrieved October 31, 2022. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Beighton.html

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk Broadland