Caston

This article is about the village. For the surname, see Caston (surname).

Caston
Church of the Holy Cross
Caston Location within Norfolk
Area	6.37 km2 (2.46 sq mi)
Population	480 (2021)
•  Density	75/km2 (190/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TL955978
Civil parish	Caston
District	Breckland
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ATTLEBOROUGH
Postcode district	NR17
Dialling code	01953
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Mid Norfolk
Website	http://www.castonparishcouncil.co.uk/
List of places UK England Norfolk 52°32′36″N0°52′59″E / 52.54346°N 0.88295°E / 52.54346; 0.88295

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

Caston is located 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south-east of Watton and 18 miles (29 km) west of Norwich.

History

Caston's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for "Catt's farmstead or settlement". ^[1]

In the Domesday Book, Caston is recorded as a settlement of 56 households in the hundred of Wayland. The village was divided between the estates of King William and William de Warenne. ^[2]

The remains of a fifteenth century stone cross are mounted on the village green, this monument was originally larger and more ornately carved until it was smashed by Puritans during the seventeenth century. The stone was originally a waypoint for pilgrims travelling to the Walsingham Shrines. ^[3]

During the sixteenth century, Caston was the residence of Edward Gilman, who was one of the earliest recorded ancestors of Abraham Lincoln. ^[4]

Caston Windmill was built in the nineteenth century for Edward Wyer. Today, the mill is in private ownership and is Grade II listed. ^[5]

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Caston has a population of 480 people which shows an increase from the 443 people recorded in the 2011 census. ^[6]

The B1077 road, between Carbrooke and Ipswich, runs through the parish.

Church of the Holy Cross

Caston's parish church dates from the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, stands at the junction between Stow Bedon and Attleborough Roads and has been Grade I listed since 1958. ^[7] The church was heavily restored in 1850s and features several Medieval, stained-glass roundels which were re-set after damage during the Second World War. The church also boasts a grand candelabra which originally came from Hampton Court Palace and came to Caston via Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. ^[8]

Governance

Carbrooke is part of the electoral ward of All Saints & Wayland for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.

The village's national constituency is Mid Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative's George Freeman MP since 2010.

War Memorial

Caston's war memorial is a wheel-cross made of Aberdeen granite on the Village Green which was unveiled in 1920. ^[9] The memorial lists the following names for the First World War: ^{[10] [11]}

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial
2Lt.	Frederick C. Corley	8th Bn., Border Regiment	12 Apr. 1918	Ploegsteert Memorial
Sgt.	Edgar Hannant	1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment	23 Apr. 1917	Arras Memorial
Cpl.	Horace Tye	13th Bn., Essex Regiment	28 Apr. 1917	Arras Memorial
LCpl.	Herbert Cooper	108th Coy., Machine Gun Corps	17 Aug. 1917	Tyne Cot
Pte.	Leonard A. Tye	7th Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment	3 May 1917	Arras Memorial
Pte.	Robert W. Reynolds	8th (Winnipeg Rifles) Bn., C.E.F.	2 Jun. 1916	Woods Cemetery
Pte.	Reginald W. Partridge	16th (Scottish) Bn., C.E.F.	20 May 1915	Vimy Memorial
Pte.	John Lawes	8th Bn., Gloucestershire Regiment	21 Oct. 1918	Jeumont Cemetery
Pte.	Dick Hannant	8th Bn., Middlesex Regiment	25 Apr. 1915	Menin Gate
Pte.	Harry Cator	1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	19 Apr. 1917	Jerusalem Memorial
Pte.	Edward J. Hunt	9th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	14 May 1917	Nœux-les-Mines Cem.
Pte.	George W. Anthony	4th Bn., Northumberland Fusilers	26 Oct. 1917	Tyne Cot
Pte.	Albert E. Reynolds	5th Bn., Northumberland Fus.	26 Oct. 1917	Poelcapelle Cemetery
Spr.	James T. Bambridge	4th (Prov.) Coy., Royal Engineers	24 Apr. 1916	Holy Cross Churchyard

And, the following from the Second World War:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial
LAC	Robert G. Curtis	Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve	9 Jun. 1945	Pioneer Cemetery
Gnr.	Reginald J. Lawes	65 (Field) Regt., Royal Artillery	22 Mar. 1943	Medjez-El-Bab Memorial
Yeo.	Frederick H. Thorpe MiD	HMS Cleopatra	22 Mar. 1942	Chatham Naval Memorial

Village sign for Caston

References

1. "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
2. "Caston | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
3. "MNF5775 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
4. "Abraham Lincoln Family Group | Edward Gilman | Ahnentafel No: 516 (7637)". famouskin.com. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
5. "Norfolk Mills - Caston tower windmill". www.norfolkmills.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
6. "Caston (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
7. "CHURCH OF HOLY CROSS, Caston - 1076784 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
8. "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
9. "Caston War Memorial, Caston - 1442404 | Historic England". historicengland.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 - Caston". www.roll-of-honour.com. Retrieved 6 December 2024.