Sloley is a village and a

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

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county 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 ...

. The village is north-north-east 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 ...

, south-south-east of Cromer and northeast of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The village lies south of the town of North Walsham.

Worstead railway station Worstead railway station is on the Bittern Line in Norfolk, England, serving the villages of Worstead and Sloley. It is down the line from and is situated between to the south and to the north. The station is managed by Greater Anglia (tra ...

, on the

Bittern Line The Bittern Line is a railway branch line in Norfolk, England, that links to . It passes through the Broads on its route to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the north Norfolk coast. It is named after the bittern, a rare bird found in t ...

between Cromer and Norwich, is about from the centre of the village. The nearest airport is

Norwich International Airport Norwich Airport is an international airport in Hellesdon, Norfolk, England, north of Norwich. In 2017, Norwich Airport was the 28th busiest airport in the UK and busiest in the East Anglia region. Norwich Airport has a CAA Public Use Aero ...

. The parish had a population of 257 at the 2011 Census. The civil parish of Sloley has an area of and includes the small village of Frankfort. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

North Norfolk North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Cromer. The population at the 2011 Census was 101,149. History The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. It was a ...

Description

The parish of Sloley lies in the northwest of the county of

. It is bounded on the southeast with the parish of Tunstead, whilst to the west lies the parish of

Scottow Scottow is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is located some 2.5 miles north of Coltishall and 5 miles south of North Walsham. The villages name means 'Scots' hill-spur'. The civil parish has an area of and in 20 ...

. The northern boundary is with the parishes of Westwick and

Worstead Worstead is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It lies south of North Walsham, north of Wroxham, and north of Norwich. The village is served by Worstead railway station on the Bittern Line. For the purposes of local ...

. The northeast corner is crossed north to south by the Bittern railway line which runs between Cromer and Norwich. Dissecting the parish east to west is New Barn lane, which follows the route of an old Roman road that was an extension to the

Fen Causeway Fen Causeway or the Fen Road is the modern name for a Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built fro ...

and is thought to be a major east–west route which continued to

Smallburgh Smallburgh is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is fourteen miles (21 km) south-east of Cromer, fourteen miles (21 km) north-east of Norwich and north-east of London. The village lies five miles ...

, and possibly continued to Caister or an important port since eroded by the sea. The name Sloley comes from the 7th-century

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 ...

for "sla" meaning "sloe", plus "leah", a wood or clearing; hence, "leah where sloes grew".

The Domesday Book

Sloley has an entry in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 where it, its population, land ownership and productive resources were extensively detailed. In the survey Sloley is recorded by the name of ''Slaleia''. The abbot of Holme, Ralph de Beaufour and Reynald Fitzlvo are recorded as the main tenants. The survey also lists is a church.

Notable buildings and structures

The parish church of Saint Bartholomew

The parish church of Saint Bartholomew is located to the south-east of the village. The church tower is offset to the north of the main body of the church, the result of rebuilding and extensions built on to this church in the 14th and 15th centuries.Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East, By

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...

and Bill Wilson, Sloley entry, page 316. The north aisle has been constructed on what was the site of the original Norman church in the 15th century.The Popular Guide to Norfolk Churches,1:North-East Norfolk, By D.P. Mortlock & C.V. Roberts, 1981, Pub:Acorn Editions, Page 84 Sloley St Batholomew, The arcades and

clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...

were built in the 15th century, along with a south aisle and new south porch and the top of the tower added. Also during this time the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

arch was moved south and it to is now off-centre. The south aisle is larger than the north in order to accommodate an altar tomb to Oliver le Gros who was Lord of the Manor who lived at Sloley Old Hall, and who died in 1448. Other internal features are some 15th-century carved bench ends, 17th- and 18th-century floor tombs, 19th-century box pews and a two-decker

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

and 18th- and 19th-century monuments, some in Gothic Revival style. The

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design. In mod ...

is a fine example and is octagonal carved stone showing the

seven sacraments There are seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, which according to Catholic theology were instituted by Jesus and entrusted to the Church. Sacraments are visible rites seen as signs and efficacious channels of the grace of God to all those ...

and the Baptism of Christ with four small lions on the corners of the foot.

Sloley Old Hall

Sloley Old Hall belonged to the Le Gros family, who were at one time Lords of the manor of Sloley with family records which run back to the reign of King Steven. At one time the Le Gros family were major holders of land within the county of

and Sloley Old Hall was numbered among their manorial establishments. The existing house, which was known as Frankfort Manor, was built by Oliver Le Gros in the 16th century. Harman, who married the last of the Le Gros family, sold to Robert Walpole. The house then passed into the ownership of the Neville family, whose descendants still own the surrounding estate. The house as part of the Sloley Estate. The hall was once lived in by

Sylvia Townsend Warner Sylvia Nora Townsend Warner (6 December 1893 – 1 May 1978) was an English novelist, poet and musicologist, known for works such as ''Lolly Willowes'', '' The Corner That Held Them'', and ''Kingdoms of Elfin''. Life Sylvia Townsend Warner wa ...

, a well-known author, who lived there with her lover

Valentine Ackland Valentine Ackland (born Mary Kathleen Macrory Ackland; 20 May 1906 – 9 November 1969) was an English poet, and life partner of novelist Sylvia Townsend Warner. Their relationship was strained by Ackland’s infidelities and alcoholism, but s ...

also a poet. Alarmed by the growing threat of fascism, both women were active in the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

, and visited

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. They lived together from 1930 until Ackland's death in 1969.

References

External links

.
Information from Genuki Norfolk
on Sloley. {{authority control Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk North Norfolk