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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

, now in the parish of

Cranworth Cranworth is a village and civil parish in the Breckland district of the English county of Norfolk. History Cranworth's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for an enclosed part of land with cranes and herons. In t ...

, in the Breckland district, in the 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 ...

, England. The village of Woodrising is south of

Dereham Dereham (), also known 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 15 miles (25 km) west of the city ...

. 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 18th century lasted from January 1, 1701 ( MDCCI) to December 31, 1800 ( MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions. During the century, slave trad ...

. 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: * ''Melaleuca uncinata'' or Broombrush * Brushwood, New South Wales, a rural community in the central east part of the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia * Brian Brushwood Brian Allen Brushwood (born January 17, ...

place' or 'people of the brushwood'. '

Wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

' 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 Sir Robert Southwell PRS (31 December 1635 – 11 September 1702) was a diplomat. He was Secretary of State for Ireland and President of the Royal Society from 1690. Background and education Robert Southwell was born near Kinsale in County ...

(d. 1598), and Thomas Southwell who sold the family estates to Francis Crane. The old Hall was demolished in the 18th-century leaving a moated site. Queen Elizabeth stayed at the Hall for four days in 1578. She travelled from Kimberley and went on to

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24,340 ...

. It was formerly in the

Mitford Hundred Mitford may refer to: People * Mitford family ** Algernon Freeman-Mitford, 1st Baron Redesdale (1837–1916), British diplomat, collector and writer, he was the paternal grandfather of the Mitford sisters ** Bertram Mitford (novelist) (1855–191 ...

. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Cranworth.

References

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