Coltishall

Coltishall
Church of St. John the Baptist
Coltishall Location within Norfolk
Area	7.27 km2 (2.81 sq mi)
Population	1,446 (2021 census)
•  Density	199/km2 (520/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TG271197
Civil parish	Coltishall
District	Broadland
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORWICH
Postcode district	NR12
Dialling code	01603
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Broadland and Fakenham
List of places UK England Norfolk 52°43′41″N1°21′43″E / 52.7281°N 1.36189°E / 52.7281; 1.36189

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

Coltishall is located on the River Bure and within the Norfolk Broads, 2.4 miles (3.9 km) north-west of Wroxham and 7.7 miles (12.4 km) north-east of Norwich.

Etymology

Coltishall's name is of Old English origin and first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086 in the forms Cokereshala and Coketeshala. From 1200 onwards, it is attested in the contracted form Couteshal(e), in which form it has more or less remained to the present day (the l in the modern spelling is due to hypercorrection). The second part of the name is thought to derive from the Old English word halh ('nook') but the origin of the first part is uncertain; one guess is that it was an otherwise unattested personal name Coccede or Cohhede, and thus meant 'Coccede's nook'. ^[1] But The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names concludes that "the recorded forms are too few and contradictory for satisfactory explanation". ^[2]

History

In the Domesday Book, Coltishall is recorded as a settlement of 16 households in the hundred of South Erpingham. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of William de Warenne and Roger de Poitou. ^[3]

In 1231, Coltishall was made a 'free-town' by King Henry III.^{[ citation needed ]}

Furthermore, from the mid-Eighteenth Century, Coltishall was a centre for the malting industry with many wherries being built in the village. ^[4]

In the late-Eighteenth Century, parts of the Bure Navigational Canal were dug in the parish to make the River Bure more easily navigable for watercraft. ^[5]

In 1939, RAF Coltishall was opened as a base for the Hawker Hurricanes of No. 242 Squadron RAF, with the famous fighter ace Douglas Bader being based in Coltishall during the Second World War. RAF Coltishall continue to be used by the Royal Air Force until its closure in November 2006 following a Ministry of Defence review. ^[6] The site is today operated as HM Prison Bure, which houses male prisoners convicted of sex offences. ^[7]

Horstead Watermill, close to the village, was one of the most photographed mills in Britain until it burned down in 1963. ^[8]

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Coltishall has a population of 1,446 people which shows a decrease from the 1,503 people recorded in the 2011 census. ^[9]

Coltishall is located on the River Bure and within the Norfolk Broads. The village is also located at the junction of the B1150, between Norwich and North Walsham, and the B1354, between Thursford and Hoveton.

Church of St. John the Baptist

Coltishall's parish churches is dedicated John the Baptist and dates at its earliest to the Fifteenth Century. St. John's is located on Church Street and has been Grade I listed since 1984. ^[10]

The church was largely re-built in 1865 and boasts a Twelfth Century font made from Purbeck Marble. In addition, there is a good collection of stained-glass windows including some from the workshops of James Powell and Sons (depicting the Risen Christ) and memorial glass by Alfred Wilkinson. ^[11]

Within the parish there is a ruined church dedicated to Saint Theobald of Provins which was built in the Eleventh Century and was abandoned in the Nineteenth Century. ^[12]

Notable Residents

• Reverend John Alen- (1476-1534) priest and church lawyer, born in Coltishall.
• Sir John Alan- (1500-1561) statesman and Irish Lord Chancellor, born in Coltishall.
• Doctor John Smith- (1711-1795) academic and astronomer, born in Coltishall.
• Thomas Holloway- (1748-1827) painter and engraver, lived & died in Coltishall.
• Chaplain William Addison VC- (1883-1962) Church of England priest and army chaplain, Rector of Coltishall from 1938-1958.
• Gwyneth Johnstone- (1915-2010) painter, born & died in Coltishall.
• Robin Huggins- (b.1947) Norfolk cricketer, born in Coltishall.

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate). ^[13]

Climate data for Coltishall 17m asl, 1991-2020
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	7.5 (45.5)	8.1 (46.6)	10.4 (50.7)	13.2 (55.8)	16.3 (61.3)	19.2 (66.6)	21.7 (71.1)	21.7 (71.1)	18.9 (66.0)	14.9 (58.8)	10.8 (51.4)	8.0 (46.4)	14.2 (57.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.8 (35.2)	1.7 (35.1)	3.0 (37.4)	4.8 (40.6)	7.8 (46.0)	10.5 (50.9)	12.7 (54.9)	12.5 (54.5)	10.5 (50.9)	7.8 (46.0)	4.3 (39.7)	2.3 (36.1)	6.6 (43.9)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	55.1 (2.17)	45.2 (1.78)	46.2 (1.82)	38.6 (1.52)	46.5 (1.83)	63.2 (2.49)	57.5 (2.26)	66.5 (2.62)	59.6 (2.35)	70.4 (2.77)	71.2 (2.80)	64.0 (2.52)	684 (26.93)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm)	11.5	11.0	9.2	8.8	7.9	9.5	9.4	9.2	9.4	11.4	12.8	12.9	123
Mean monthly sunshine hours	58.9	80.4	129.6	174.5	207.0	181.3	205.6	184.8	154.4	113.1	66.5	55.2	1,611.3
Source: Met Office [14]

Governance

Coltishall is an electoral ward for local elections and is part of the district of Broadland.

The village's national constituency is Broadland and Fakenham which has been represented by the Conservative Party's Jerome Mayhew MP since 2019.

War Memorial

Coltishall's war memorial is a stone cross on the High Street which is shared with the nearby village of Great Hautbois. The memorial was unveiled in August of 1920 ^[15] and lists the following names for the First World War: ^[16]

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial
Capt.	Charles W. Archdale	5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	20 Nov. 1917	Cambrai Memorial
2Lt.	Edgar H. Collison	Norfolk Regt.	26 Jun. 1916	St. Mary's Churchyard
CSM	Charlie Wells	8th Bn., East Surrey Regiment	1 Jul. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Sgt.	Stanley W. Nicholson	12th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	30 Dec. 1917	Shatby Memorial
Cpl.	William H. Lemon	7th Bn., Border Regiment	3 Jul. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
LCpl.	Bertie E. Gilham	7th Bn., Buffs	7 Aug. 1918	Beacon Cemetery
LCpl.	Horace A. Daniels	10th Bn., East Yorkshire Regiment	2 Apr. 1918	St. Sever Cemetery
Pte.	Frederick J. Hilling	4th Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment	16 Jan. 1918	Mont-Huon Cemetery
Pte.	Charles A. Earl	8th Bn., Bedfordshire Regt.	14 Oct. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	Edward G. Billing	7th Bn., Border Regiment	2 May 1918	Forceville Cemetery
Pte.	Alfred H. Brighton	1st Bn., Cameronian Rifles	7 Nov. 1918	Dourlers Cemetery
Pte.	Sidney Feek	54th (Kootenay) Bn., CEF	30 Sep. 1918	Cantimpre Cemetery
Pte.	David Tunmore	2nd Bn., Duke of Wellington's Regt.	17 Nov. 1918	Cambrai East Cemetery
Pte.	Jacob H. Landamore	8th Bn., East Surrey Regiment	9 Aug. 1917	Menin Gate
Pte.	George F. Bean	103rd Coy., Machine Gun Corps	1 Jul. 1916	Bapaume Post Cemetery
Pte.	Charles H. Brown	1st (Drake) Bn., Royal Naval Division	26 Feb. 1917	St. Sever Cemetery
Pte.	John Bean	1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment	31 May 1915	Perth Cemetery
Pte.	William R. Chaplin	1st Bn., Norfolk Regt.	14 Sep. 1914	La Ferté Memorial
Pte.	Arthur H. Riseborough	1st Bn., Norfolk Regt.	28 May 1918	Tannay Cemetery
Pte.	Jonathan E. Feltham	1/4th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	19 Apr. 1917	Gaza War Cemetery
Pte.	Herbert J. Gilham	1/4th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	14 Sep. 1915	Helles Memorial
Pte.	Benjamin Bean	7th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	12 Oct. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	George B. Burton	8th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	1 Jul. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	John R. Davison	8th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	21 Oct. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	Harry Graveling	9th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	10 Feb. 1917	Bethune Town Cemetery
Pte.	Ivan J. A. Spinks	9th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	18 Oct. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	Arthur E. Youngs	9th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	17 Nov. 1915	Hollybrook Cemetery
Pte.	Leslie Wells	1/5th Bn., Northumberland Fusilers	14 Nov. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	George H. Pye	2/7th Bn., Royal Warwickshire Regt.	18 Aug. 1918	Tannay Cemetery
Pte.	Arthur T. Bullen	3rd Bn., Worcestershire Regiment	11 Oct. 1916	Pozières Cemetery
Pte.	Ernest Riseborough	4th Bn., Worcestershire Regt.	2 Jun. 1917	Arras Memorial
Spr.	Arthur Tunmore	55th Coy., Royal Engineers	27 Jul. 1915	St. John's Churchyard
App.	Wilfred C. D. Walton	S.S. Arab	7 Jan. 1918	Bizerte Cemetery

And, the following for the Second World War:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial
WO	Peter H. Watson	Royal Air Force Reserve	7 Apr. 1945	Karachi War Cemetery
Sgt.	Basil G. Crisp	No. 75 Squadron RAF	16 Aug. 1943	Olonne-sur-Mer Cemetery
Sgt.	Frederick H. Hilling	Royal Air Force	30 Dec. 1942	St. John's Churchyard
Pte.	Arthur Y. Woods	2nd Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment	27 May 1940	Dunkirk Memorial
Pte.	Benjamin H. Goodson	5th Bn., Royal Norfolks.	16 Jun. 1944	Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
Pte.	Leonard M. Neville	5th Bn., Royal Norfolks.	21 Sep. 1944	Kranji War Memorial

References

1. University of Nottingham. (2022). Retrieved December 18, 2022. http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Coltishall.
2. The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, Based on the Collections of the English Place-Name Society, ed. by Victor Watts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), s.v. Coltishall.
3. "Coltishall | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
4. "MNF19209 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
5. "MNF29856 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
6. "MNF7697 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
7. "Bure Prison". GOV.UK. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
8. "Norfolk Mills - Horstead watermill". norfolkmills.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
9. "Coltishall (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
10. "PARISH CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, Coltishall - 1177913 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
11. "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
12. "Church of St Theobald, Coltishall - 1295280 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
13. Climate Summary for closest city on record
14. "Coltishall 1991–2020 averages". Met Office. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
15. "Coltishall and Hautbois War Memorial, Coltishall - 1442412 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
16. "Geograph:: Caister to Croxton :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2024.