Lynford

Lynford
Lynford Location within Norfolk
Area	9.54 sq mi (24.7 km2)
Population	123 (2021 census)
•  Density	13/sq mi (5.0/km2)
OS grid reference	TL820911
District	Breckland
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Thetford
Postcode district	IP26
Dialling code	01842
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	South West Norfolk
List of places UK England Norfolk 52°29′16″N0°40′47″E / 52.48768°N 0.67977°E / 52.48768; 0.67977

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

The village is located 6.5 miles (10.5 km) north-west of Thetford and 27 miles (43 km) south-west of Norwich, along the A134 and with the Stanford Training Area.

History

Within the parish are two sites of pre-historic interest. One is Lynford Quarry, a site which shows evidence of hunting by the Neanderthals and Grime's Graves, a neolithic flint mine, which is currently operated by English Heritage.

Lynford's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for flax ford. ^[1]

In the Domesday Book, Lynford is listed as a settlement of 10 households in the hundred of Grimshoe. In 1086, the village was divided between the East Anglian estates of Roger Bigod and Walter Giffard. ^[2]

The current Lynford Hall was built between 1857 and 1863 by William Burn for Stephens Lyne-Stephens MP on the site of several earlier halls. Today, the hall features a Japanese Water Garden and is open as a luxury hotel. ^[3] Within the grounds, is a Roman Catholic chapel which was built for Lyne-Stephens' wife, Yolande Lyne-Stephens. ^[4]

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Lynford has a population of 123 people which shows a decrease from the 179 people recorded in the 2011 census. ^[5]

Lynford sits along the A134, between King's Lynn and Colchester.

Governance

Lynford is part of the electoral ward of Forest 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

Cranwich's war memorial is located in Mundford and is a stone memorial topped with a metal cross, which also lists the fallen for Mundford and West Tofts. The memorial lists the following from the First World War: ^{[6] [7]}

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial/Commemoration
LCpl.	Sidney Jenkinson	7th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	14 Oct. 1917	Monchy British Cemetery
Gnr.	Frederick Wicks	223rd Bty., Royal Garrison Artillery	11 May 1917	Bucquoy Road Cemetery
Pte.	Edward Jones	8th Bn., Border Regiment	5 Jul. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	Robert E. Harris	20th (Central Ontario) Bn., CEF	7 Jul. 1916	St. Mary's Churchyard

References

1. "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
2. "Lynford | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
3. "Lynford-Hall-Park - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
4. "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
5. "Lynford (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
6. "Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Mundford". roll-of-honour.com. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
7. "Geograph:: Lakenham to Lyng :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2025.