Holme Hale

Holme Hale
Holme Hale Village Sign
Holme Hale Location within Norfolk
Area	4.13 sq mi (10.7 km2)
Population	525 (2021 census)
•  Density	127/sq mi (49/km2)
OS grid reference	TF88420724
District	Breckland
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	THETFORD
Postcode district	IP25
Dialling code	01760
UK Parliament	South West Norfolk
List of places UK England Norfolk 52°37′49″N0°46′58″E / 52.63019°N 0.78264°E / 52.63019; 0.78264

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

Holme Hale is located 5.5 miles (8.9 km) east of Swaffham and 21 miles (34 km) west of Norwich.

Correct pronunciation

"Hoom Hale" ^{[1] [2]}

History

Holme Hale's name is of Anglo-Saxon and Viking origin and derives from an amalgamation of the Old English and the Old Norse for the island and the nook of land. ^[3]

In the Domesday Book, Holme Hale is listed as a settlement of 5 households in the hundred of South Greenhoe. In 1086, the village was divided between the East Anglian estates of King William I and Ralph de Tosny. ^[4]

Bury's Hall was built in the parish in the Sixteenth Century and later expanded in later centuries. The building is the scene of a reported haunting of a priest who was murdered by Roundheads during the English Civil War. ^[5]

Holme Hale Railway Station opened in 1875 as a stop on the Watton and Swaffham Railway. The station closed in 1964 to both passengers and freight. ^[6]

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Holme Hale has a population of 525 people which shows an increase from the 494 people recorded in the 2011 census. ^[7]

St. Andrew's Church

Holme Hale's parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew and dates from the Fourteenth Century. St. Andrew's is located on Church Road and has been Grade I listed since 1960. ^[8] The church holds Sunday service twice a month and is part of the Necton Benefice. ^[9]

St. Andrew's has had a several bat problem in recent years but holds some interesting carved wooden pew ends. The church also holds a stained-glass window depicting the crucifixion designed by James Powell and Sons. ^[10]

Governance

Holme Hale is part of the electoral ward of Necton for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.

The village's national constituency is South West Norfolk which has been represented by Labour's Terry Jermy MP since 2024.

War Memorial

Holme Hale War Memorial is a wheelheaded cross in St. Andrew's Churchyard which lists the following names for the First World War: ^{[11] [12]}

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial/Commemoration
Sgt.	Arthur J. Smith	2nd Bn., Australian Imperial Force	19 May 1915	Lone Pine Memorial
Sjt.	Charles Dixon	35th Coy., Machine Gun Corps	10 Dec. 1918	Terlincthun Cemetery
St1C	Charles Sturman	HMS Zealandia (Battleship)	1 Jun. 1918	St. Andrew's Churchyard
Pte.	Robert F. Eagle	Army Veterinary Corps	15 May 1917	All Saints' Churchyard
Pte.	William A. J. Copsey	85th (NS Highlanders) Bn., CEF	30 Oct. 1917	Menin Gate
Pte.	Albert Eagle	5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	6 Nov. 1918	Hadra War Cemetery
Pte.	Sidney E. Eagle	5th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	19 Apr. 1917	Gaza War Cemetery
Pte.	Louis C. Heyhoe	8th Bn., Norfolk Regt.	26 Oct. 1917	Dozinghem Cemetery
Pte.	Reginald R. Thurrell	Norfolk Yeomanry	7 Sep. 1916	Heilly Station Cemetery
Pte.	William Buxton	1st Bn., Northamptonshire Regiment	9 May 1915	Le Touret Memorial
Pte.	George W. Thurrell	7th Bn., Northamptonshire Regt.	27 Aug. 1917	Tyne Cot

The following names were added after the Second World War:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial/Commemoration
Sgt.	Leonard C. Fitt	No. 115 Squadron RAF (Wellingtons)	11 Apr. 1943	Le Thour Cemetery
Bdr.	Eric Hird	Royal Artillery	12 Feb. 1944	Nairobi War Cemetery

References

1. https://www.literarynorfolk.co.uk/norfolk_place_names.htm
2. https://friendsofnorfolkdialect.com/portfolio-items/norfolk-placenames/
3. "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
4. "Holme [Hale] | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
5. "The Paranormal Database - Norfolk". www.paranormaldatabase.com. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
6. "Disused Stations:Holme Hale Station". www.disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
7. "Holme Hale (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
8. "CHURCH OF ST ANDREW, Holme Hale - 1152077 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
9. "Holme Hale: St Andrew". www.achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
10. "The Norfolk Churches Site". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
11. "Holme Hale War Memorial, Holme Hale - 1450916 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
12. "Geograph:: Hackford to Hunworth :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2025.