Woodrising is a village and 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

, now in the parish of

Cranworth Cranworth is a village and civil parish in the Breckland district of the English county of Norfolk. Cranworth is located north-east of Watton and west of Norwich. History Cranworth's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old ...

, in the

Breckland Breckland in Norfolk and Suffolk is a 39,433 hectare Special Protection Area (SPA) under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The SPA partly overlaps the 7,544 hectare Breckland Special Area of Conservation. As a la ...

district, in the county of

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, England. The village of Woodrising is south of

Dereham Dereham (), also known historically as East Dereham, is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of the England, English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, about west of the city of Norwich ...

. In 1931 the parish had a population of 103. The parish church of St Nicholas dates mainly to the 14th century, its tower collapsing in the early 18th century. The bell frame (

bell-cot A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...

or bell-cote), with a thatched roof, is preserved nearby, although the bell within it may be of 19th century origin.

History

The villages name means 'Risa's people' or perhaps, '

Brushwood Brushwood can mean: * Brian Brushwood, American magician, podcaster, author and comedian known for ''Scam School'' * Brushwood, New South Wales, a rural community in the central east part of the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia * Br ...

place' or 'people of the brushwood'. 'Wood' was a 13th century addition. The lords of the manor were the De Rising family, followed by the Southwell family, owners of Woodrising Hall, including Sir Richard Southwell (d. 1563) whose tomb is within the church, Sir Robert Southwell (d. 1598), and Thomas Southwell who sold the family estates to

Francis Crane Sir Francis Crane ( 1579 – c. 1636) was the founder of Mortlake Tapestry Works at Mortlake on the south bank of the river Thames in South West London. Biography His parentage is obscure, but his family had close links to Cornwall, and b ...

. The old Hall was demolished in the 18th-century leaving a moated site.

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

stayed at the Hall for four days in 1578. She travelled from

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

and went on to

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road (England), A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, coverin ...

. It was formerly in the Mitford Hundred. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Cranworth.

References

{{Reflist Villages in Norfolk Former civil parishes in Norfolk Breckland District