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Erpingham

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"ERPINGHAM, a village and parish on a rivulet, 4 miles N. of Aylsham, gives name to this and an adjoining Hundred, and contains 475 souls, and 1361 acres of fertile land, partly in the Earl of Orford's manor of Calthorpe, and the rest forming the Dowager Lady Suffield's manor of Erpingham, which was anciently held by a family of its own name, one of whom was the chivalrous knight, Sir Thomas Erpingham, who accompanied John, Duke of Lancaster, to Spain, in 1399, and was in all the wars of Henry IV. and V. He was a great benefactor to Norwich, where he built the cathedral gate which bears his name. The copyholders are subject to fines certain. J. Shepheard, and the Rev. George Fish, have neat houses and large estates here. The CHURCH (St. Mary,) is a large fabric, with four bells and a lofty tower, adorned with shields and other ornaments, and formerly having four statues of confessors for pinnacles; but one of them fell down more than a century ago, and killed one of the parishioners. The building was begun by Sir Thomas Erpingham, and finished by Lord Bardolph and his lady. It has recently been new roofed, at the expense of the parish, and handsomely refitted with pews, and open seats, at the cost of the Dowager Lady Suffield, the patroness." [William White, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk (1845) - Transcription copyright © Richard Johns]

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Erpingham is also the name of two hundreds (North Erpingham and South Erpingham), the civil registration district, and the poor law union, so a reference to Erpingham could mean this parish, or this area of Norfolk.

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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 Mary the Virgin.
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Church History

Church of St Mary
Description and pictures.
Church of St Mary
Services, minister, description, etc.
Gray, Philip T.
An architectural guide to the Churches of St Mary, Erpingham and Our Lady and St Margaret, Calthorpe, Norfolk.
[Erpingham, The Church, 1978]
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Church Records

Parish Register Transcripts
Baptisms 1813-1880
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), Erpingham was in Aylsham Registration District.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Civil Registration

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Description & Travel

Erpingham Smock Mill
Description, history and pictures.
Erpingham Tower Mill
Description, history and pictures.
Erpingham Thwaite Common Tower Mill
Description, history and map.
Erpingham Water Mill
Description, history and pictures.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Description and Travel

You can see pictures of Erpingham which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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Historical Geography

Erpingham 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

Mollard, Tom
Notes towards a history of Erpingham.
[2000]
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Land & Property

Great Britain. Inclosure Commissioners
Statement of claims: Erpingham (34), Colby (24), Banningham (19) and Ingworth (20).
Drawn up in pursuance of the Act of Inclosure, 1818.
[1818]
Great Britain: Statute
Erpingham and other parishes Inclosure Act, 1818.
An act for inclosing lands in the parishes of Erpingham, Colby, Banningham, and Ingworth, in the county of Norfolk: (8th May 1818).
[London, George Eyre and Andrew Strahan, 1818]
[London, Ley and Jones, 1818]

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Land and Property

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TG191320 (Lat/Lon: 52.840521, 1.252183), Erpingham 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   52 54 275
1811   46 62 305
1821   70 83 349
1831   86 94 434
1841   99 -- 475
1851 102 -- 436
Year   Inhabited
Houses
Families Population
1861 99 -- 423
1871 96 96 412
1881 89 89 362
1891 94 94 383
1901 85 85 359
1911 -- 83 367

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.

1851 Census
"To the large number of deaths from scarlatina in the Parishes of Erpingham and Thwaite, is ascribed a decrease of population since 1841."
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Schools

Belton, Valerie
Erpingham Voluntary Controlled School, The Early Years, 1862-1908.
[Reepham Printing Services, 1996]