Felmingham 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 authorit ...

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 located west of

North Walsham North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England, within the North Norfolk district. Demography The civil parish has an area of and in the 2011 census had a population of 12,634. For the purposes of local government, the pa ...

and north 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 ...

, along the B1145 between King's Lynn and

Mundesley Mundesley /ˈmʌndz.li/ is a coastal village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is north-north east of Norwich, south east of Cromer and north east of London. The village lies north-north east of the town of Nort ...

History

Felmingham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the

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 settlers in the mid-5th c ...

for the homestead or village of Felma's people. Nearby Stow Heath has evidence of

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

round barrows A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...

and ring ditches at the confluence of the Skeyton and Blackwater Becks. Within the parish, several

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

artefacts have been discovered including pottery remains, busts, figurines, coins and a rare cast for

Iceni The Iceni ( , ) or Eceni were a Brittonic tribe of eastern Britain during the Iron Age and early Roman era. Their territory included present-day Norfolk and parts of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, and bordered the area of the Corieltauvi to the we ...

brooches, which points to the possible site of a Roman temple. The majority of the artefacts were found in 1844 and classified under the Felmingham Hoard, which was acquired by the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

in 1925. 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 manus ...

, Felmingham is listed as a settlement of 33 households in the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

of Tunstead. In 1086, the village was divided between the

East Anglian East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

estates of King William I, Roger Bigod and St Benet's Abbey. During the

Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Blac ...

of 1381, a Felmingham dyer named Geoffrey Litster gathered a group of rebels and attempted to march on

. The rebels were met by the forces of

the crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

, led by Henry le Despenser, Bishop of Norwich, at the

Battle of North Walsham A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. Le Despenser crushed the rebel force and captured Litster and the ringleaders of the rebellion, who were subsequently executed by method of Hanged, drawn and quartered. The quarters of Litster were displayed in

, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Felmingham as a warning to the people. Felmingham Hall was built in the late-Sixteenth Century and still stands today as a Grade II listed building. Ruggs Hall was also built in the Sixteenth Century but was demolished in the Nineteenth Century, with a farmhouse now standing on its original site. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, two B-24 Liberators of the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

collided in mid-air above North Walsham. Both aircraft crashed within the parish, one on Bryant's Heath and another in Lord Anson's Wood.

Geography

According to the 2011 Census, Felmingham has a population of 561 residents living in 234 households. The parish covers a total area of . Felmingham falls within the constituency of North Norfolk and is represented at

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

by Duncan Baker MP of the Conservative Party. 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 county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

of North Norfolk. Felmingham is situated along

Weavers' Way The Weavers' Way is a long-distance footpath in Norfolk, England. Much of the Weavers’ Way footpath follows the old trackbed of the Aylsham to Great Yarmouth railway line, which was operated by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railwa ...

, a footpath between

Aylsham Aylsham ( or ) is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, nearly north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, ...

and Great Yarmouth. The footpath roughly follows the disused trackbed of the Aylsham-Yarmouth route of the

Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR) was a railway network in England, in the area connecting southern Lincolnshire, the Isle of Ely and north Norfolk. It developed from several local independent concerns and was incorporated ...

St. Andrew's Church

Felmingham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew and was rebuilt in the Eighteenth Century on the site of previous worship. The font is made from Purbeck Marble and the church features a brass monument to Robert Moone who died in 1591. St. Andrew's also features numerous examples of stained-glass windows with some salvaged from the demolished St. Philip's Church at

Potter Heigham Potter Heigham is a village and civil parish on the River Thurne in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated north-east of the city of Norwich on the A149 road, and within the Broads. The village is known for its mediaeval bridge and the ...

with further depictions of the Ascension and the Coronation of the Virgin installed by William Morris and

Geoffrey Webb Geoffrey Fairbank Webb CBE (9 May 1898 – 17 July 1970) was a British art historian, Slade Professor of Fine Art and head of the Monuments and Fine Arts section of the Allied Control Commission during World War II. Early life Webb was born in ...

. St. Andrew's has a

peal In campanology (bell ringing), a peal is the special name given to a specific type of performance of change ringing which meets certain exacting conditions for duration, complexity and quality. The definition of a peal has changed considerably ...

of nine bells in the belfry and a hand-carved screen commissioned for the Millennium depicting scenes from the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

Transport

Felmingham railway station Felmingham railway station is a former railway station in 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 ...

opened in 1883 as a stop on the

stretch between

Melton Constable Melton Constable is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 518 in 225 households at the 2001 census. The population had increased to 618 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of ...

and Yarmouth Beach. The station closed in 1959, with the railway infrastructure being diverted for residential use. The closest railway station to the village today is

for the Bittern Line.

Bryant's Heath

Bryant's Heath is a nearby beauty spot and a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. The heath is a good example of wet and dry

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

and fenland with a number of uncommon species of moss and lichen.

War Memorial

Felmingham war memorial takes the form of an inscribed granite slab which was unveiled and re-dedicated in August 2018 in the presence of Graham James, Bishop of Norwich. The memorial is located inside St. Andrew's Churchyard and lists the following names for the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

: * Sgt. Albert J. Whitwood (d.1916), 8th Battalion,

Royal Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

* O-Smn. Frederick W. Self (1889-1918), '' HMS Vehement'' * Pvt. James E. Self (d.1917), 2nd Battalion,

Royal East Kent Regiment The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...

* Pvt. Herbert E. Self (d.1918), 8th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment * Pvt. Torrance A. Brett (1897-1917), 9th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment * Frederick Buck And, the following for the

: * Sgt. George W. Mount (1921-1945), No. 358 Squadron RAF * Pvt. James H. Wright (1914-1942), 1st Battalion,

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the First and Second World W ...

* Pvt. Cecil F. Hall (1922-1944), 5th Battalion,

* Pvt. Leonard J. Hicks (1921-1939), 5th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regt. * Pvt. John Daniels (1921-1942), 4th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment * John E. Beales Peck, M. (2019). Retrieved December 30, 2022. https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/260429

References

External links

Felmingham Village Website
{{authority control Villages in Norfolk North Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk