Deopham

Deopham
St. Andrew's Church
Deopham Location within Norfolk
Area	9.79 km2 (3.78 sq mi)
Population	542 (2021 census)
•  Density	55/km2 (140/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TG051008
Civil parish	Deopham
District	South Norfolk
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WYMONDHAM
Postcode district	NR18
Dialling code	01953
UK Parliament	Mid Norfolk
List of places UK England Norfolk 52°34′02″N1°01′34″E / 52.567106°N 1.026074°E / 52.567106; 1.026074

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

Deopham is located 3.9 miles (6.3 km) west of Wymondham and 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Norwich.

History

Deopham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a homestead close to a deep body of water, likely the nearby Sea Mere. ^[1]

In the Domesday Book, Deopham is listed as a settlement of 75 households in the hundred of Forehoe. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of William de Warenne and Ralph de Beaufour. ^[2]

In 1830, a windmill was built in Deopham which burnt down in the 1920s. ^[3]

RAF Deopham Green opened in 1943 for use by the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The base was originally home rear echelon units until it was handed over to the 452nd Operations Group of the Eighth Air Force flying B-17 Flying Fortresses against strategic targets in Continental Europe. In October 1945, the base reverted to the Royal Air Force which closed the base in 1948 and allowed it to revert to agricultural use. ^[4]

RAF Deopham Green, 1946

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Deopham has a total population of 542 people which demonstrates an increase from the 541 people listed in the 2011 census. ^[5]

St. Andrew's Church

Deopham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew and dates at its earliest from the late-Fourteenth Century. St. Andrew's is located on Church Road and has been Grade I listed since 1959. ^[6]

St. Andrew's has suffered from vandalism and theft over the last few decades but still boasts pews from the Seventeenth Century. ^[7]

Notable Residents

• Dr. Messenger Monsey- (1694-1788) humourist and physician to the Royal Hospital Chelsea

Governance

Deopham is part of the electoral ward of Hingham & Deopham for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.

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

War Memorial

Deopham's war memorial is two marble plaques topped with a crown and cross inside St. Andrew's Church. ^[8] The memorial lists the following names for the First World War: ^[9]

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial/Commemoration
Pte.	Harry Kerry	1st Bn., Essex Regiment	13 Aug. 1915	Helles Memorial
Pte.	Arthur J. Morter	1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment	15 Jun. 1915	Sanctuary Wood Cemetery
Pte.	Percy R. Hurrell	1/4th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	19 Apr. 1917	Jerusalem Memorial
Pte.	Alfred W. Barrett	1st Bn., Northumberland Fusiliers	16 Sep. 1914	La Ferté Memorial

And, the following for the Second World War:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial/Commemoration
Pte.	Charles H. Bowen	4th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment	11 Feb. 1942	Kranji War Memorial
Pte.	Wilfred C. Everett	4th Bn., Royal Norfolks.	3 Jan. 1944	Chungkai War Cemetery

References

1. "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
2. "Deopham | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
3. "mnf16743 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
4. "mnf4260 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
5. "Deopham (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
6. "CHURCH OF ST ANDREW, Deopham - 1373039 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
7. "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
8. "Deopham - WW1". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
9. "Geograph:: Denton to Dunton cum Doughton :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2024.

External links

Media related to Deopham at Wikimedia Commons