Wiveton 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

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 A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 ...

. It is situated on the west bank of the

River Glaven The River Glaven in the eastern English county of Norfolk is long and flows through picturesque North Norfolk countryside to the North Sea. Rising from a tiny headwater in Bodham the river starts miles before Selbrigg Pond where three sma ...

, inland from the coast and directly across the river from the village of

Cley next the Sea Cley next the Sea (, , is a village and civil parish on the River Glaven in England, English county of Norfolk, England, Norfolk, north-west of Holt, Norfolk, Holt and east of Blakeney, Norfolk, Blakeney. The main A149 road, A149 coast road ...

. The larger village of Blakeney is to the west, the town of

Cromer Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is north of Norwich, north-northeast of London and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline. The local government authorities are Nor ...

is to the east, and the city 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 ...

is to the south-east. The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 158 in 74 households, the population reducing to 127 at the 2011 census. For the purposes of local government, the parish 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 ...

History

The villages name origin is uncertain. 'Wife's farm/settlement' or 'women's farm/settlement'. Until the 17th century, the

was navigable and Wiveton was a port. The outline of the former harbour can still be seen in the fields between Wiveton and

Cley Cley next the Sea (, , is a village and civil parish on the River Glaven in English county of Norfolk, north-west of Holt and east of Blakeney. The main A149 coast road runs through the centre of the village, causing congestion in the su ...

. Alongside this, marks from mooring ropes belonging to large transport barges can still be seen etched into the wall on the east side of the church. Wiveton was in the national news in 1779 when

James Hackman James Hackman (baptized 13 December 1752, hanged 19 April 1779), briefly Rector of Wiveton in Norfolk, was the man who murdered Martha Ray, singer and mistress of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. Rawlings, Philip, ''Hackman, James (bap. 1752, ...

, its newly appointed

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

, was hanged for the murder of

Martha Ray Martha Ray (1746 – 7 April 1779) was a British singer of the Georgian era. Her father was a corsetmaker and her mother was a servant in a noble household. Good-looking, intelligent, and a talented singer, she came to the attention of many of ...

, mistress of

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS (13 November 1718 – 30 April 1792) was a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten. During his life ...

. Wiveton church has a memorial to

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

Gold Medal Winner Lt. Colonel

Frederick Marshman Bailey Frederick Marshman Bailey (3 February 1882, Lahore, British India – 17 April 1967, Stiffkey, Norfolk) was a British political officer and one of the last protagonists of ''The Great Game.'' His expeditions in Tibet and Assam Himalaya gave h ...

, one of the heroes of '

The Great Game The Great Game is the name for a set of political, diplomatic and military confrontations that occurred through most of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century – involving the rivalry of the British Empire and the Russian Empi ...

'. Inside the church there is the joint memorial to

Anne Fleming and Catherine Jennis Anne Fleming (1723 – 16 January 1796) and Catherine Jennis are buried together in their vault in Wiveton parish church in the English county of Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It b ...

. A series of archaeological test pits were dug around the settlement between 2006 and 2008. The report was published in 2018.

References

External links

.
Wiveton Information
from Genuki Norfolk

at norfolkchurches.co.uk

at NorfolkCoast.co.uk {{authority control Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk North Norfolk