Billingford, Breckland

Billingford
St Peter's parish church
Billingford Location within Norfolk
Area	7.36 km2 (2.84 sq mi)
Population	253 (2011 Census)
•  Density	34/km2 (88/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TG014193
Civil parish	Billingford
District	Breckland
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Dereham
Postcode district	NR20
Dialling code	01362
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Mid Norfolk
Website	Billingford Parish Council
List of places UK England Norfolk 52°44′00″N0°59′00″E / 52.7333°N 0.9833°E / 52.7333; 0.9833

Billingford is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.

Billingford is located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of Dereham, with the civil parish being approximately 2.84 square miles (7.4 km²) in area.

History

The origin of the name 'Billingford' is uncertain, although it is certainly of Anglo-Saxon origin. It derives from Old English, either a ford at the ridge or the ford of the hill people. ^[1]

Despite this, Billingford parish shows signs of earlier habitation. Several artefacts from the Neolithic and Bronze Age have been found in Billingford. Furthermore, the Fen Causeway, a Roman road, ran through Billingford which has left many Roman artefacts. ^[2] This led to excavations along the banks of the River Wensum during the 1990s. It was discovered that there was a significant Roman settlement in Billingford which is today a Scheduled Monument. ^[3] One of the artefacts uncovered at the site is the golden medallion pictured below.

Billingford is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as consisting of 43 households in the hundred of Eynesford. At this time, Billingford was divided between the estates of Alan of Brittany, Ranulf Peverel and Humphrey, son of Aubrey. ^[4]

Billingford Hall is also located within the village. This manor house was built in the Eighteenth Century and has been Grade II listed since 1984. ^[5] Within the grounds of the hall is an Eighteenth Century icehouse, which was also Grade II listed in 1984. ^[6]

Geography

Billingford is located along the northern bank of the River Wensum and straddles the B1145 which runs from King's Lynn and Mundesley.

The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 253. ^[7]

St. Peter's Church

Roman gold amulet found at Billingford

Billingford's parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter and was largely built in the Fourteenth Century. The lectern within the church is shaped like an eagle and originates from the Sixteenth Century. ^[8] The structure has been Grade I listed since 1960. ^[9]

Within the grounds of the church there is a Nineteenth Century schoolhouse, which is Grade II listed. ^[10]

Governance

Billingford is part of the electoral ward of Upper Wensum for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.

Bexwell's national constituency is Mid Norfolk, which has been represented by the Conservative George Freeman since 2010.

War Memorial

St. Peter's Church also contains Billingford's War Memorial. The memorial is a wooden plaque which commemorates 31 men who served and returned, alongside nine men who died. ^[11] The names of the dead are as follows:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Other Commemoration/Burial
Private	Horace A. Lake	1st Battalion, Essex Regiment	13 August 1915	Helles Memorial
Private	Ernest A. Peachment	176 Company, Machine Gun Corps	27 August 1917	New Irish Farm Cemetery
Private	John C. Dack	1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment	27 July 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Private	Stephen Howard	1st Bn., Norfolk Rgt.	5 August 1917	Military Cemetery, Roclincourt
Private	James W. Canham	1/4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment	28 November 1917	War Memorial Cemetery, Alexandria

And, Arthur E. Clarke, Albert Howard and Harry Overman.

Notable People

• Thomas Anson (1818-1899), cricketer
• Robert Curzon (c. 1491–1550), Member of Parliament
• Gordon Flowerdew (1885-1918), Canadian soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Peter Parfitt (born 1936), cricketer
• Horatio Walpole (1663 – 1717), Member of Parliament

References

1. "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
2. "Billingford-(Breckland)-(Parish-Summary) - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
3. "A Roman roadside settlement 150m south-west of Billingford Hall, Billingford - 1021458 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
4. "Billingford | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
5. "BILLINGFORD HALL, Billingford - 1169883 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
6. "BILLINGFORD HALL ICEHOUSE AT TG0109200, Billingford - 1342537 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
7. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Billingford Parish (1170215935)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 26 August 2018.
8. "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
9. "CHURCH OF ST PETER, Billingford - 1077412 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
10. "SCHOOL ROOM IN THE CHURCHYARD WEST SOUTH WEST OF CHURCH OF ST PETER, Billingford - 1169873 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
11. "St Peter's, Billingford - WW1". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 30 October 2024.

Bibliography

• Blomefield, Francis (1808). "Eynford Hundred: Billingford". An Essay Towards A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk. Vol. VIII. London: W Miller. pp. 192–195.
• Ekwall, Eilert (1960) [1936]. Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Billingford. ISBN   0198691033.
• Lewis, Samuel, ed. (1931) [1848]. A Topographical Dictionary of England. Vol. I (Seventh ed.). London: Samuel Lewis. p. 241.
• Pevsner, Nikolaus (1962). North-East Norfolk and Norwich. The Buildings of England. Vol. 1. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 88.

External links

• Billingford Parish Council