Castle Rising

For the castle, see Castle Rising Castle.

Castle Rising
Castle Rising
Castle Rising Location within Norfolk
Area	8.65 km2 (3.34 sq mi)
Population	200 (2021)
•  Density	23/km2 (60/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TF655245
Civil parish	Castle Rising
District	King's Lynn and West Norfolk
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	KING'S LYNN
Postcode district	PE31
Dialling code	01553
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	North West Norfolk
List of places UK England Norfolk 52°47′35″N0°28′08″E / 52.7929393°N 0.4689556°E / 52.7929393; 0.4689556

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

Castle Rising is located along the course of the River Babingley, separating the village from the lost village of Babingley. The village is located 3.4 miles (5.5 km) north-east of King's Lynn and 37 miles (60 km) north-west of Norwich.

History

Castle Rising's name is of Norman and Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from a mix of the Old English and Norman French for a castle close to the settlement of Risa's people. ^[1]

In the Domesday Book, Castle Rising is listed as a settlement of 41 households in the hundred of Freebridge. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of Bishop Odo of Bayeux. ^[2]

Castle Rising Castle was built in the 1140s on the orders of William d'Aubigny and was most famously the residence of Queen Isabella after her role in the murder of King Edward II. The castle was subsequently passed to Edward of Woodstock and, today, the site is managed by English Heritage. ^[3]

Before the Reform Act 1832, Castle Rising was a parliamentary borough, yet due to its small population, it was often labelled as an example of a pocket borough. Samuel Pepys was the member of parliament for the constituency of Castle Rising between 1673 and 1679, as was Robert Walpole between 1701 and 1702. ^[4]

Geography

According to the 2021 census, the population of Castle Rising is 200 people, which shows a slight decrease from the 216 people listed in the 2011 census. ^[5]

The River Babingley runs through the parish.

St. Lawrence's Church

View of Castle Rising Castle from the surrounding village

Castle Rising's parish church is dedicated to Saint Lawrence and was built in the Twelfth Century on the orders of William d'Aubigny, Earl of Arundel. St. Lawrence's is located on Church Lane and has been Grade I listed since 1960. ^[6] The church was restored first by Anthony Salvin in the 1840s and subsequently by George Edmund Street in the 1860s, both at the expense of Fulk Greville Howard. The church boasts a carved Twelfth Century font and stained-glass designed by William Wailes. ^[7]

In popular culture

Castle Rising church in July 2017

Castle Rising appeared as a Danish village in Out of Africa (1985). ^[8]

Castle Rising was also the setting for Grass, a 2003 spin-off of The Fast Show.^{[ citation needed ]}

Notable Residents

• William d'Aubigny, Earl of Arundel – (1109–1176) nobleman, lived at Castle Rising.
• Isabella of France – (1295–1358) Queen of England, lived at Castle Rising.
• Colonel Robert Walpole – (1650–1700) politician and militia officer, Member of Parliament for Castle Rising.
• Sir Robert Walpole, Earl Orford – (1676–1745) Prime Minister, Member of Parliament for Castle Rising.
• Colonel Fulk Greville Howard – (1773–1846) politician and soldier, lived in Castle Rising.
• Horace Farquhar, Earl Farquhar GCB GCVO – (1844–1923) financier and politician, lived in Castle Rising.
• Reverend Ean Campbell – (1856–1921) Anglican Bishop, Rector of Castle Rising 1885–1891.
• Greville Howard, Baron Rising – (b.1941) politician, lived at Castle Rising.
• James Donaldson – (b.1943) Norfolk cricketer, born in Castle Rising.

Governance

Castle Rising is part of the electoral ward of The Woottons 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 Conservatives' James Wild MP since 2010.

War Memorial

Castle Rising's war memorials feature two engraved lantern posts in the village as well as a stone plaque inside St. Lawrence's Church. ^[9] The memorials lists the following names for the First World War: ^{[10] [11]}

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial
Pte.	George Twaite	6th Bn., East Kent Regiment	3 May 1917	Arras Memorial
Pte.	Arthur R. Chilvers	23rd (County) Bn., London Regiment	9 May 1918	Pozières Memorial
Pte.	Eric J. Marsters	1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	28 Aug. 1915	Helles Memorial
Pte.	Josiah Cooper	9th Bn., York and Lancaster Regiment	13 Mar. 1916	Rue-David Cemetery

And, the following for the Second World War:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial
Gnr.	Albert D. Ward	65 (Norfolk Yeo.) Regt., Royal Artillery	24 Jan. 1942	Alamein Memorial
Pte.	Hubert A. Bocking	4th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment	21 Sep. 1944	Kranji War Memorial

References

1. "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
2. "[Castle] Rising | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
3. "Castle Rising Castle". English Heritage. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
4. Plumb, J. H. (John Harold). Sir Robert Walpole. Publication date 1973 pg. 95
5. "Castle Rising (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
6. "CHURCH OF ST LAWRENCE, Castle Rising - 1077602 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
7. "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
8. "West Norfolk Film History". King's Lynn: Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk. 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
9. "Castle Rising War Memorial East Lantern". www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
10. "Geograph:: Caister to Croxton :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
11. "Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Castle Rising". roll-of-honour.com. Retrieved 6 December 2024.