GENUKI: Norfolk: Shouldham, Norfolk

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William White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk 1883

SHOULDHAM is a pleasant village, on a small green, 5½ miles N.E. of Downham, and 10 miles W. of Swaffham. It is in Downham union and county court district, Clackclose hundred and petty sessional division, Lynn bankruptcy district, Downham polling district of West Norfolk, Fincham rural deanery, and Norfolk archdeaconry. It had 633 inhabitants in 1881, living on 3892A. 3R. of land, and has a rateable value of £4306 15s. 2674 acres of land belong to Thomas L. Hare, Esq., the lord of the manor; and the rest is the property of the Rev. Stephen Allen, D.D., Sir A.T. Watson, Bart., and others. In some old writings it is called Market Shouldham, and it has still two fairs for horses, cattle, and sheep, on September 19 and October 11.

Here was anciently a Priory, founded in the reign of Richard I. for monks of the order of St. Gilbert, by Jeffery Fitzpiers, Earl of Essex, and Chief Justice of England, who died in 1212, and endowed it with this manor and twelve houses in London. Robert Swyft, the last prior, subscribed to the King's supremacy in 1526. At the Dissolution, the priory and its possessions was granted to Thomas Mildmay. On removing the priory ruins, in 1831, a decayed painted window, two stone coffins, and a vessel containing a human skull, were found; and on clearing the foundations in 1840, a walled passage, 30 yards long and 2 feet broad, was discovered. To this priory was attached a large Grammar School, of which John Elvedon was master in 1462. It had also a church, dedicated to St. Margaret, which was standing in 1519.

The parish CHURCH (All Saints) is at the east end of the village, and is a small edifice, comprising nave, chancel, and tower with four bells. It was thoroughly restored some years ago by the late Sir Thomas Hare. The east window is filled with stained glass, and the church contains two stained glass windows to the Catton family. Here is a handsome marble monument, in memory of the late T. Allen, Esq., bearing a finely-executed figure of Faith.

The living is a vicarage, annexed to Shouldham-Thorpe, in the incumbency of the Rev. William Maxey Allen, M.A., who has a handsome parsonage-house near the church, erected a few years ago, and patronage of Thomas L. Hare, Esq., who is also impropriator of the tithes, out of which he pays the curate's stipend, £120 per annum.

Here are chapels belonging to the Wesleyans and Methodist Free Church.

The Church School has about 130 scholars.

On Mr. Catton's estate was a fine chalybeate spring called Silver Well, as noticed on page 842 of our last edition, but it has all been done away with. Fragments of Roman urns and a few coins have been found in the parish.

The Fuel Allotment, 95 acres, was awarded at the enclosure in 1794, and is let for £57 a year, which is distributed to the poor at Christmas. One rod of old poor's land is let for 30s.

POST OFFICE at Mr. James R. Dawes's. Letters arrive at 8.45 a.m., and are despatched at 5 p.m., viâ Downham, which is the nearest Telegraph Office. Fincham is the nearest Money Order Office. Magdalen Road is the nearest railway station.

         Allen        Rev. Stephen,
                        D.D.         The Hall
         Allen        Rev. William
                        Maxey, M.A.  vicar, The Vicarage
         Black        Jacob          bootmaker
         Bowen        Robert         grocer and butcher
         Buckenham    John           grocer and draper
         Clifton      Daniel         corn miller & farmer
         Cocks        Wm.            beerhouse & chimneyswpr
         Coe          Henry          carter
         Craft        Robt.          vict. Three Horse Shoes
         Dane         Robert         bricklayer
         Dawes        James Rolfe    grocer, draper, outfitter, dealer
                                       in paperhangings, and postmaster
         Drake        Oliver         blacksmith
         Dye          Frederick      baker
         Dye          Harry          grocer and draper
         Edwards      Robert         farmer
         Edwards      William        farmer
         Edwards      William        bootmaker
         Gilbert      Henry          victualler, Chequers
         Hawes        Mrs Ann        vict. Victory Inn, & carrier
         Hovells      Robert         bootmaker
         Lemmon       Charles        farmer, Colts hall
         Mace         Zeamira        bricklayer
         Offley Bros.                farmers, Hall farm
         Offley       Daniel         (Bros.)
         Offley       Henry John     (Bros.)
         Offley       Michael        (Bros.)
         Pickersgill  Miss Hannah    schlmistress
         Pikett       Daniel         butcher
         Pikett       Fountain       carrier
         Preston      Harvey         victualler, King's Arms, and carrier
         Proctor      Anthony        farmer, Heath
         Stark        John           bailiff to Dr. Allen
         Starne       Peter          victualler, Rampant Horse, blacksmith,
                                       grocer & draper
         Steeles      Robert         carpenter & whlwrght
         Watson       Mr William
         West         William        farmer
         Witherington Joseph         farmer

CARRIERS to Lynn, Fountain Pikett & Harvey Preston, Tues. and Sat.

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Norfolk: Shouldham

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William White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk 1883