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Great Cressingham
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Great Cressingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
Key Information
Great Cressingham is located 6 miles (10 km) south of Swaffham and 24 miles (39 km) west of Norwich.
History
[edit]Great Cressingham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the larger settlement of Cressa's people.[1]
In the Domesday Book of 1086, Great Cressingham is listed as a settlement of 49 households in the hundred of South Greenhoe. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of Count Alan of Brittany, William d'Ecouis, Bishop of Thetford and Ralph de Tosny.[2]
Priory Farm is the former site of a Fifteenth Century manor house which was owned by the Priory of Norwich.[3]
A school was founded in Great Cressingham in 1840, it was closed in 1992. After its closure, the school was bought by Tom & Sally North who restored the school to its Victorian state and keep it open for educational visits.[4]
The Olde Windmill Inn has been open in the village since 1789.[5][6]
Geography
[edit]According to the 2021 census, Great Cressingham has a population of 439 people which shows an increase from the 421 people recorded in the 2011 census.[7]
Great Cressingham is located along the course of the River Wissey.
St. Michael's Church
[edit]Great Cressingham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael and dates from the Fifteenth Century. St. Michael's is located on Watton Road and has been Grade I listed since 1960.[8] St. Michael's is no longer open for Sunday services.[9]
St. Michael's features a good range of Fifteenth Century stained-glass from Norwich and several brass and marble memorials, largely to the Rysle family.[10]
Governance
[edit]Great Cressingham is part of the electoral ward of Ashill for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.
The village's national constituency is South West Norfolk which has been represented by Labour's Terry Jermy MP since 2024.
War Memorial
[edit]Great Cressingham War Memorial is a granite wheel cross with a sword of sacrifice inside St. Michael's Churchyard.[11] The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:[12]
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial/Commemoration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cpl. | George R. Cockerill | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 11 Oct. 1917 | Tyne Cot |
| LCpl. | Cecil Newton | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 15 Sep. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Gnr. | Arthur J. Buckle | 47 Div Ammo Col., Royal Field Artillery | 5 May 1917 | Lijssenthoek Cemetery |
| Gnr. | Charles E. Reynolds | 7th Bty., Royal Garrison Artillery | 21 Jun. 1918 | St. Omer Cemetery |
| Pte. | Bertie Garrod | 2nd Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment | 9 Apr. 1917 | Bucquoy Road Cemetery |
| Pte. | Robert J. Reynolds | 1st Bn., Cambridgeshire Regiment | 31 Jul. 1917 | Menin Gate |
| Pte. | Thomas E. Cockerill | 13th Bn., East Surrey Regiment | 25 Mar. 1918 | Bac-du-Sud Cemetery |
| Pte. | William J. Anthony | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 27 Jul. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Hubert A. Alderton | 3/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 25 Sep. 1917 | St. Michael's Churchyard |
| Pte. | Alec J. Matthews | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 4 Feb. 1917 | Vermelles Cemetery |
| Pte. | Bertie Sutton | 1st Bn., Northamptonshire Regiment | 9 May 1915 | Le Touret Memorial |
| Spr. | Albert G. Hoggett | 208th Coy., Royal Engineers | 9 Aug. 1916 | Flatiron Copse Cemetery |
References
[edit]
- ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "[Great] Cressingham | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "mnf4687 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "Victorian School, Great Cressingham Norfolk". www.victorianschool.com. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "WINDMILL - GREAT CRESSINGHAM". www.norfolkpubs.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "The Olde Windmill Inn | Hotel, Restaurant & Pub". oldewindmillinn.co.uk. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "Great Cressingham (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL, Great Cressingham - 1304980 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "Great Cressingham: St Michael". www.achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "Great Cressingham War Memorial, Great Cressingham - 1446436 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "Geograph:: Garboldisham to Gunton :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2025.