Bircham Tofts

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Bircham Tofts
Village
St Andrew's, Bircham Tofts - geograph.org.uk - 425309.jpg
The overgrown ruins of the church of St Andrew in Bircham Tofts
Norfolk UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Bircham Tofts
Location within Norfolk
OS grid reference TF779326
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town King's Lynn
Postcode district PE31
Dialling code 01485
UK Parliament
  • North West Norfolk
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°51′41″N0°38′28″E / 52.86148°N 0.64114°E / 52.86148; 0.64114

Bircham Tofts is a village in the civil parish of Bircham, in the King's Lynn and West Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England.

Contents

Bircham Tofts is located 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of Great Bircham, 12 miles (19 km) north-east of King's Lynn and 32 miles (51 km) north-west of Norwich.

History

Bircham Tofts' name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the curtilage close to Bircham. The origin of 'Bircham' is unknown. [1]

In the Domesday Book, Bircham Tofts is listed as a settlement of 10 households in the hundred of Docking. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of Odo of Bayeux. [2]

According to the 1931 census, Bircham Tofts had a population of 96. [3] This was the last time separate population statistics were collected for Bircham Tofts. On 1 April 1935, Bircham Tofts was merged with Great Bircham and Bircham Newton to form the civil parish of Bircham. [4]

With the village there is a Grade II listed farmhouse which dates from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, known as Pond Farmhouse. [5]

Geography

Bircham Tofts is bisected by the B1155 which runs between Great Bircham and Holkham.

St. Mary's Church

Bircham Tofts' former parish church was dedicated to Saint Mary but during the Second World War found itself within the boundaries of RAF Bircham Newton, making it inaccessible to its congregation. As a result, St. Mary's was abandoned, it's lead roof was taken in 1952 and is now completely overgrown with ivy and elder. [6]

Governance

Bircham Tofts is part of the electoral ward of Bircham with Ruddhams for local elections and is part of the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

The village's national constituency is North West Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative's James Wild since 2010.

War Memorial

Bircham Newton's war memorial is shared with Great Bircham and takes the form of a stone cross atop a marble plaque. The following men from Bircham Newton are listed on the war memorial as having fallen during the First World War: [7]

RankNameUnitDate of DeathOther Commemoration / Burial
2Lt.Sidney A. Wharton8th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment 1 July 1917Dive Copse Cemetery, Sailly-le-Sec
AM1Bertie A. Taylor No. 57 Squadron RAF 30 July 1918British Cemetery, Huby-Saint-Leu
L/Cpl.Sidney H. Easter9th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment 15 September 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Bdr.Albert T. Wacey113th (Heavy) Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery 4 March 1915Communal Cemetery, Merville
Pte.Robert J. Easter6th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment 4 November 1918Communal Cemetery, Preux-au-Bois

And also E. Easter. The memorial also lists the following name for the Second World War:

RankNameUnitDate of DeathOther Commemoration / Burial
LSEric V. Briston HMS Verdun 22 March 1946St. Mary's Church, Great Bircham

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References

  1. ↑ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  2. ↑ "Bircham [Tofts] | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  3. ↑ "Population statistics Bircham Tofts AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time . Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Relationships and changes Bircham Tofts AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  5. ↑ "POND FARMHOUSE, Bircham - 1152442 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  6. ↑ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  7. ↑ "Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Great Bircham". roll-of-honour.com. Retrieved 7 November 2024.

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