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Houghton St Giles

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HOUGHTON-IN-THE-DALE, or Houghton St. Giles, is a parish and small village, 1 mile S.S.W. of Walsingham, and 4 miles N.N.E. of Fakenham, containing 242 inhabitants, and about 1,000 acres of land, belonging to the Rev. D.H. Lee-Warner, the lord of the manor, impropriator, and patron of the CHURCH, (St. Giles,) which is a single pile, with a tower and three bells. The vicarage, valued in the King's Book at £8, and in 1831 at £149, was augmented with £400 of Queen Anne's Bounty, in 1755 and 1787, vested in 16A. of land, at Fulmodeston. The old glebe is 4A., but the parsonage is divided into cottages. The Rev. John Drake Crofts, M.A., of Walsingham, is the present vicar. On the west side of the dale is a small ancient chapel, converted into a barn, and supposed to have been an appendage to Walsingham abbey." [William White, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk (1845) - Transcription copyright © Paul Beesley]

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Houghton St Giles is also known as Houghton in the Dale, Houghton in the Hole, and Houghton next Walsingham.
It is the location of the Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.
See also Houghton, Houghton on the Hill Helhoughton, and Little Walsingham.

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Census

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Censuses

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Church Directories

  • In 1883 the parish was in the Deanery of Walsingham, in the archdeaconry of Norwich.
    It could have been in a different deanery or archdeaconry both before and after this date.
  • The parish church is dedicated to St Giles.
    The Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is here.
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Church History

Church of St Giles
Description and pictures.
Church of St Giles
Services, etc.
Linnell, Charles L.S.
A Short Guide to St Mary's, Little Walsingham with St Giles', Houghton and St Peter's, Great Walsingham.
[Fakenham, Lancaster Press, 1960s]
Winter, C.J.W.
Houghton in the Dale Rood Screen.
[1880s]
 
The Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
History, shrines, maps, pictures, etc.
The Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
Slipper Chapel, Chapel of Reconciliation, and Chapel of the Holy Spirit
Description and pictures.
 
The Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is at Little Walsingham
 
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Church Records

Archdeacons' Transcripts
Baptisms 1729-1812, Marriages 1729-1811 and Burials 1729-1812.
[Parish Register Transcription Society, Dart Series, 2000?]
Marriages
These are not included in Boyd's Marriage Index or Phillimore's Marriage Registers.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Church Records

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Civil Registration

For the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths between 1837 and 1930 (and for the censuses from 1851 to 1901), Houghton St Giles was in Walsingham Registration District.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Civil Registration

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Description & Travel

Jepson, F.M.
Guide to Little Walsingham, Great Walsingham and Houghton-in-the-Hole.
[London, Jarrold and Sons, 1900s]
Houghton St Giles Smock Mill
Description.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Description and Travel

You can see pictures of Houghton St Giles which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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Historical Geography

Houghton St Giles is in North Greenhoe Hundred.

Parish outline and location.
See Parish Map for North Greenhoe Hundred
Description of North Greenhoe Hundred
1845: White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk
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Land & Property

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TF925355 (Lat/Lon: 52.882702, 0.859338), Houghton St Giles which are provided by:

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

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Population

These figures are from the population tables which were produced after the 10-yearly national censuses. The "Families" heading includes families and single occupiers.

Year   Inhabited
Houses
Families Population
1801 25 44 190
1811 37 41 189
1821 43 43 206
1831 47 47 215
1841 49 -- 242
1851 46 -- 233
Year   Inhabited
Houses
Families Population
1861 46 -- 191
1871 41 47 168
1881 41 42 165
1891 43 43 177
1901 40 40 155
1911 -- 35 134

There may be more people living in detached parts of the parish (if there were any) and, if so, the number may or may not be included in the figures above. It is quite difficult to be sure from the population tables.

1861 Census
"The decrease of population in most of the parishes comprising the Walsingham sub-district, and especially in the parishes of Houghton-in-the-Hole and North Barsham, is attributed to migration and want of sufficient cottage accommodation."