Norfolk: Holme Hale

William White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk 1845

HOLME-HALE, perhaps a corruption of Holme-on-the-Hill, is a scattered village, chiefly on a bold acclivity, above the small river Wissey, 5 miles E. by S. of Swaffham. The parish contains 488 inhabitants, and about 2547 acres, belonging to several proprietors, one of the largest of whom is Robt. Farrand, Esq., the lord of the manor, who built a neat mansion here about 12 years ago.

The CHURCH (St. Andrew) was commenced in the reign of Richard III., but not finished till 1435. It has a large nave, a small chancel, and a square tower with six bells. It has two fine brasses to Sir Edmund Illey and Wm. Curteys. The tower was built about 1431. The Church has recently been thoroughly repaired. In 1826, the sexton found in the churchyard six base groats of Henry VIII., enclosed in a woollen cloth, which crumbled to pieces on being touched.

The rectory, valued in the King's Book at £12.16s.5d., was held with that of Necton, by the late Chancellor Yonge, of Swaffham, who died in 1844. The two livings are now separated. The Rev. Henry Milne, M.A. is now rector and patron of Holme-Hale, and has 58A. of glebe, and a yearly rent of £583, awarded in 1839 in lieu of tithes.

Here is a small chapel and a National School.

The Town Lands were exchanged at the enclosure in 1804, for a house and 38A.3R.16P., let for £47 a year, which is applied to repairing the church and Earnford Bridge. The Widows' Pightle is let for £2 a year. The Fuel Allotment, 21A.3R.33P., was awarded at the enclosure, and is let to about 30 poor parishioners, who pay for it only about 5s. per acre.

DIRECTORY: (marked * are land owners):

         * Emerson    Robt.             gentleman
         * Farrand    Robert, Esq.
           Gainsbury  John              vict.
           Milne      Rev. Henry, M.A.  Rectory
           Weston     Wm.               grocer and draper
 
              farmers
 
           Andrews    John
           Barnett    Robert
           Bayfield   Fras.
           Chamberlin Wm.
         * Gibson     Wm.
           Hudson     Robert
           Lambert    Jeremiah
         * Look       James
         * Stretton   Thos.
           Tuttle     Benj.
         * Weston     Thos
 

See also the Holme Hale parish page.

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Copyright © Pat Newby.
June 1999