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Cawston

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"CAWSTON is a considerable village and parish, 2 miles E. of Reepham, and 4 miles W.S.W. of Aylsham, comprising 1130 inhabitants, 4296A. of land (only 3805A. assessable,) and the scattered hamlets of Eastgate, Southgate and Woodrow, the latter of which has a good inn on the Norwich and Holt road, 1 mile E. of the village. Three FAIRS are held here annually on Feb. 1st, and the last Wednesdays in April and August; the latter of which is a large sheep fair. W.E.L. Bulwer, Esq., owns a great part of the soil, and is lord of the manor, which he holds in free soccage of the Duchy of Lancaster . . . The Church (St. Agnes,) is a noble Gothic structure of freestone, in the crucifix form, with a fine square tower, containing six bells . . . The Rectory, valued in the King's Book at £15. 13s. 11d, is in the gift of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, and incumbency of the Rev. A.E.L. Bulwer, B.A., who has a yearly rent of £1023, awarded in 1845, in lieu of tithes." [William White, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk (1845) - Transcription copyright © Richard Johns]

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It includes the hamlets of Eastgate, Southgate, and Woodrow.
See also Caston.

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Cemeteries

Not all memorials may be included, even when a transcription is marked as complete, for example when stones are not legible enough to be read or photographed.

Church of St Agnes, the Aylsham Road Cemetery, and other memorials See Collections.
Monumental inscriptions, name index, and photographs of gravestones, including the illegible ones, with plans of the churchyard and the cemetery. Produced by Cawston Historical Society.
Church of St Agnes
Transcriptions and photographs of gravestones in the churchyard.
Aylsham Road Cemetery
Transcriptions and photographs of gravestones in the cemetery.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Cemeteries

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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 Ingworth, 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 Agnes.
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Church History

Church of St Agnes
Services, map, parochial church council, etc.
Church of St Agnes
Services, etc.
Church of St Agnes
Description and pictures.
Ames, E.F.W.
Notes on the Church of St Agnes, Cawston.
[Cawston, The Church, 1962]
Kett, John
St Agnes Church, Cawston: Notes on the history of the church.
[Cawston, The Church, 1970s]
Wilkins, Felicity
St Agnes, Cawston.
[Cawston, The Church, 1982]
 
Church of St Agnes (this is a link to an archived copy)
Wall paintings in the church.
Bulwer, James
Notice of a mural painting discovered in the south transept of Cawston Church.
[Norwich, Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society, in "Norfolk Archaeology", vol.3, 1852]
Cawston Methodist Church. Browse Collections for Churches and Chapels.
Description and picture.
Cawston Wesleyan Reform Church. Browse Collections for Churches and Chapels.
Description, pictures, reminiscences, etc.
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Church Records

Parish Register Transcripts
Baptisms 1813-1880
Parish Register Transcripts
Baptisms, Banns, Marriages and Burials.
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), Cawston was in Aylsham Registration District.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Civil Registration

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Description & Travel

Cawston Parish
Description, history, pictures, parish council, churches, maps, organisations, etc.
There is a lot of information here.
Cawston Parish Council
Councillors, meetings, minutes, etc.
Kett, John
Yesterday's Children: Tales of Cawston's past.
[Cawston Village Hall, 1980]
Cawston Smock Mill
Description, history and pictures.
Cawston Sygate Black and White Mills - Browse items and use search for "Mills"
Description and pictures.
Cawston Sygate Black Tower Mill
Description, history and pictures.
Cawston Sygate White Tower Mill
Description, history and pictures.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Description and Travel

You can see pictures of Cawston which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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Historical Geography

Cawston is in South Erpingham Hundred.

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

Rye, Walter
An Account of the Church and Parish of Cawston, in the county of Norfolk.
[Norwich, Agas H. Goose, 1898]
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Maps

Map of Cawston. Browse Collections and select one.
Streets, buildings, etc.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TG136238 (Lat/Lon: 52.769903, 1.164463), Cawston which are provided by:

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Military Records

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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
FamiliesPopulation
1801172172  840
1811180180  811
1821191192  929
18312222291110
1841243---1130
1851251---1184
Year  Inhabited
Houses
FamiliesPopulation
1861245---1019
18712472641043
18812542821096
18912562561068
1901255257  986
1911---2621023

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 the parishes of Themelthorpe, Wood-Dalling, Reepham, Cawston, and Corpusty is mainly attributed to the migration of labourers to other parts."
1901 Census
"Including Eastgate and Southgate."
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Schools

Cawston Schools Browse Collections for Schools.
Description, history and pictures.
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Societies

Cawston Historical Society
Meetings, heritage centre, archives, etc.