Bixley is a former

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 ...

now in the parish of Caistor St Edmund and Bixley, in the

South Norfolk South Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Long Stratton. The population of the Local Authority District was 124,012 as taken at the 2011 Census. History The district was formed on 1 April 197 ...

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. According to the 2001 census and 2011 census it contained 60 households and a population of 144. It covered an area south of

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 ...

including the village of

Arminghall Arminghall is a small village and former civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, around southeast of Norwich, now in the parish of Caistor St Edmund and Bixley, from April 1935 until April 2019 it was in Bixley parish. Most of the house ...

. On 1 April 2019 the parish was merged with

Caistor St Edmund Caistor St Edmund is a village and former civil parish on the River Tas, in Norfolk, England. The parish covers an area of and had a population of 270 people in 116 households at the 2001 Census which increased to 289 people by the 2011 Census ...

to form Caistor St Edmund and Bixley. The origin the name of Bixley has been studied in a paper by Keith Briggs; it means 'clearing in bushy land'. The name of

Bixley Bixley is a former civil parish now in the parish of Caistor St Edmund and Bixley, in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. According to the 2001 census and 2011 census it contained 60 households and a population of 144. It covered ...

near Ipswich has the same origin. The parish church of St Wandregesilius dates from 1272. Wandregesilius is a Latinised form of Wandrille and it is the only church in England dedicated to this 7th-century

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

abbot. In May 2004 it was set on fire by

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

ists and gutted. The church had no electricity and used gas cylinders for heating which it is believed were used by vandals to start the fire. Near the church is

Bixley medieval settlement Bixley medieval settlement is a deserted medieval village in Norfolk, England, about south-east of Norwich. It is a Scheduled Monument. History The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded that there were 19 adult males in Bixley. The population, shown ...

, the site of a

deserted medieval village In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village (DMV) is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the convent ...

. Sir

Timothy Colman Sir Timothy James Alan Colman (19 September 1929 – 9 September 2021) was a British businessman and a Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk. Biography Colman was from the Colman's mustard family, and was the son of Lettice Elizabeth Evelyn Adeane and ...

lived in Bixley Manor in the grounds of which is the seven-storey stump of Bixley

Tower Mill A tower mill is a type of vertical windmill consisting of a brick or stone tower, on which sits a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the sails into the wind.Medieval science, technology, and medicine: an encyclopedia (2005), 520 Thi ...

, dating from 1838. At eleven storeys this was once the tallest

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called windmill sail, sails or blades, specifically to mill (grinding), mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and ...

in Norfolk and possibly the tallest in Britain. It was reduced to its current height in 1872.Norfolk Mills – Bixley towermill
/ref>

References

External links

The Bixley Report
on St Wandregesilius fire, written by J.R.A. Noyes of

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

St Wandregesilius
on Norfolk Churches website
More photos
from

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...

Bixley Tower MillBixley
on

Genuki GENUKI is a genealogy web portal, run as a charitable trust. It "provides a virtual reference library of genealogical information of particular relevance to the UK and Ireland". It gives access to a large collection of information, with the emphas ...

Former civil parishes in Norfolk Deserted medieval villages in Norfolk South Norfolk {{Norfolk-geo-stub