Hide

Bressingham

hide
Hide

"BRESSINGHAM, is a large scattered village, on the north side of the open vale of the Waveney, 2 miles W. by N. of Diss, and has in its parish 647 inhabitants, and 2287A. of land, lying mostly in the Duke of Norfolk's manors of Bressingham and Boyland, (fines arbitrary,) and partly in the rectory manor, and Buckenham Priory manor. L. Palmer, Esq., is lord of the latter. Boyland Hall, an ancient mansion, with a large farm, is the Duke's property, and was built by Sir Richard de Boyland, an itinerant judge of the time of Edward I., who formed here a subterraneous walk, or conduit, by which water was brought to his baths and moats from an overflowing well, which still remains. The Church (St. John the Baptist,) was rebuilt by Sir Roger Pilkington, in 1526, and repaired after the civil wars. It is a large structure, with a fine tower and five bells. The east window has four figures in stained glass. The rectory, valued in the King's Book at £15, is in the gift of the Duke of Norfolk, and incumbency of the Rev. G.H.C. Bidwell, A.B., who has 36A. 12P. of glebe, a handsome Rectory-House, built in 1842, and a yearly rent of £613, awarded in 1843 in lieu of tithes." [William White, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk (1845) - Transcription copyright © Ann Duncan]

Hide

See also Bessingham.

Hide
topup

Cemeteries

Church of St John the Baptist
Transcriptions of gravestones in the churchyard.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Cemeteries

topup

Church Directories

  • In 1883 the parish was in the Deanery of Redenhall, in the archdeaconry of Norfolk.
    It could have been in a different deanery or archdeaconry both before and after this date.
  • The parish church is dedicated to St John the Baptist.
topup

Church History

Church of St John the Baptist
Description and pictures.
Church of St John the Baptist
Services, etc.
Cotton, Simon; and Tricker, Roy
St John the Baptist, Bressingham: a brief guide.
[Norfolk Churches Trust, 1980s]
 
Methodist Church
Minister, services, picture, etc.
Follow the link to the home page, then search for the church.
topup

Church Records

Campling, Arthur
Index of Marriages, Bressingham, 1559-1755.
[Norwich Local Studies Library, Handwritten document, 1930s]
Marriages
These are included in Boyd's Marriage Index.
They are not included in Phillimore's Marriage Registers.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Church Records

topup

Civil Registration

For the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths between 1837 and 1902 (and for the censuses of 1851 to 1901), Bressingham was in Guiltcross Registration District.

This district was abolished on 1st April 1902 and, from then until 1930, Bressingham was in Depwade Registration District for civil registration.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Civil Registration

topup

Description & Travel

Bressingham and Fersfield
Parish council, organisations, news, pictures, etc.
Handy, Elizabeth
Behind the view: portraits of a Norfolk village, Bressingham, then and now.
[ISBN 0952754908, Bressingham, 1996]
Bressingham Common Smock Mill
Description, history and map.
Bressingham Fen Street Smock Mill
Description, history and picture.
Bressingham Lopham Road Smock Mill
Description, history and picture.
Bloom, Alan
Steam alive: the story of Bressingham steam museum.
[ISBN 0948251565, Picton Publishing, 1992]

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Description and Travel

You can see pictures of Bressingham which are provided by:

topup

Gazetteers

topup

Historical Geography

Bressingham is in Diss Hundred.

Parish outline and location.
See Parish Map for Diss Hundred
Description of Diss Hundred
1845: White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk
topup

Land & Property

Great Britain: Statute
Bressingham and Fersfield Inclosure Act, 1799.
An act for dividing, allotting, and inclosing, the Lammas meadows, fen grounds, commons, and waste lands, within the parishes of Bressingham and Fersfield, in the county of Norfolk, and for extinguishing all rights of common, sheepwalk, and shackage, in, over, and upon, all the lands and grounds within the said parishes.
[1799]

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Land and Property

topup

Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TM083814 (Lat/Lon: 52.390844, 1.060349), Bressingham which are provided by:

topup

Military Records

War Memorial
World Wars 1 and 2.
This is a link to an archived copy.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Military Records

topup

Poor Houses, Poor Law

topup

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
FamiliesPopulation
1801  75108650
1811  84122635
1821  88126702
1831  91155655
1841132--647
1851145--674
Year  Inhabited
Houses
FamiliesPopulation
1861137--596
1871138138595
1881125125509
1891124124553
1901118118482
1911--129504

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.

1831 Census
"The Parish of Bressingham has experienced a decrease of Population (47 Persons), partly attributed to Families emigrating to the United States."
1861 Census
"GUILTCROSS. The decrease of population in most of the parishes of this District is attributed partly to the migration of labourers to towns and manufacturing districts. In some parishes it has also been consequent upon the failure of hand-loom hemp-cloth weaving."
1901 Census
"Including Bressingham Common, and Fen Street."