Crimplesham
Encyclopedia
Crimplesham is a village
and civil parish
in the English
county
of Norfolk
. It is situated 4 km west of the small town of Downham Market
, 20 km south of the larger town of King's Lynn
, and 60 km west of the city of Norwich
.
The civil parish has an area of 6.63 km2 and in the 2001 census
had a population of 221 in 94 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district
of King's Lynn and West Norfolk
.
of Crimplesham.
In 1066 William the Conqueror seized the manor and gave it to Rainald, one of his barons.
And so on through medieval history, possession of Crimplesham passed from baron to baron, its owner often holding manors all over England. At one time it had ties to Bexwell
, Downham Market
and the Abbey at West Dereham
.
In 1541 Francis Dereham
of Crimplesham was hung, drawn and quartered by order of Henry VIII
, accused of a pre-marital relationship with Catherine Howard
.
In 1806 the Bagge family of Stradsett
bought the manor from the daughter of the late Edward Soames, Lord of the manors of Dereham and Crimplesham.
In 1880 a Liverpool banker called John Grant Morris purchased some of the land , including the manor house, and built a new Hall
as a gift on the marriage of his daughter to the second son of the Bagge family
.
Crimplesham Hall
was designed by the eminent Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse
and completed in 1881.
Across the Main Road to the East of Crimplesham Hall
is the Moated Site
of another Manor
House. A square moat
exists but no trace of a building within. Norfolk Archeological Unit call it Talbots Manor, and Crimplesham Hall
they call The Prior of Tonbridge
or Hall Manor
St Mary’s Church dates from 12C – 13C with later additions.
From the parish Registers: "Be it recorded in ye surviving memory of ye living, ye memorable act of Mr. Richd. Ward, Gent., then inhabitant in the towne of Crimplesham, who gave a trebble bell of three hundred and fifty weight to ye sayd towne, in the year of our Lord, 1651. May she be heard beyond the bounds of Ingratitude ; thus wisheth Thom. Wardner, Minist."
The church was restored by John Grant Morris in 1897.
In 1854 Mrs Elizabeth Doyle, living at Crimplesham Hall
, invited Benjamin Benson, a former slave, to address the schoolchildren on the horrors of slavery
. .
Mrs Doyle used to help clothe the poorer school children .
The school closed in 1984.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. It is situated 4 km west of the small town of Downham Market
Downham Market
Downham Market is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies on the edge of the Fens, on the River Great Ouse, some 20 km south of the town of King's Lynn, 60 km west of the city of Norwich and the same distance north of the city of Cambridge....
, 20 km south of the larger town of King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
, and 60 km west of the city of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
.
The civil parish has an area of 6.63 km2 and in the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
had a population of 221 in 94 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of King's Lynn and West Norfolk
King's Lynn and West Norfolk
King's Lynn and West Norfolk is a local government district and borough in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in the town of King's Lynn.-History:...
.
History
In Saxon times , around 1040, Ailid a Freewoman is recorded as the owner of the manorManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Crimplesham.
In 1066 William the Conqueror seized the manor and gave it to Rainald, one of his barons.
And so on through medieval history, possession of Crimplesham passed from baron to baron, its owner often holding manors all over England. At one time it had ties to Bexwell
Bexwell
Bexwell is a small village in Norfolk, England.Its church, St. Mary, is one of 124 existing round-tower churches in Norfolk.-External links:*, a round-tower church...
, Downham Market
Downham Market
Downham Market is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies on the edge of the Fens, on the River Great Ouse, some 20 km south of the town of King's Lynn, 60 km west of the city of Norwich and the same distance north of the city of Cambridge....
and the Abbey at West Dereham
West Dereham Abbey
West Dereham Abbey was an abbey in Norfolk, England.St Mary’s Abbey, West Dereham, was founded in 1188 by Hubert Walter, Dean of York, at his birthplace. It was to be a daughter house of Welbeck Abbey , Nottinghamshire, for canons regular of the Premonstratensian order...
.
In 1541 Francis Dereham
Francis Dereham
Francis Dereham was a Tudor courtier whose involvement with Henry VIII's fifth Queen, Catherine Howard, in her youth was a principal cause of the Queen's execution.-Life:...
of Crimplesham was hung, drawn and quartered by order of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, accused of a pre-marital relationship with Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard , also spelled Katherine, Katheryn or Kathryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn"....
.
In 1806 the Bagge family of Stradsett
Bagge Baronets
The Bagge Baronetcy, of Stradsett Hall in the County of Norfolk, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 13 April 1867 for William Bagge, Conservative Member of Parliament for West Norfolk...
bought the manor from the daughter of the late Edward Soames, Lord of the manors of Dereham and Crimplesham.
In 1880 a Liverpool banker called John Grant Morris purchased some of the land , including the manor house, and built a new Hall
Crimplesham Hall
Crimplesham Hall is a Grade II Listed manor house in Crimplesham, Norfolk, England. Although records indicate a house existed at the site as far back as 1040, the current house was completed in 1881 and designed by Alfred Waterhouse.-History:...
as a gift on the marriage of his daughter to the second son of the Bagge family
Bagge Baronets
The Bagge Baronetcy, of Stradsett Hall in the County of Norfolk, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 13 April 1867 for William Bagge, Conservative Member of Parliament for West Norfolk...
.
Crimplesham Hall
Crimplesham Hall
Crimplesham Hall is a Grade II Listed manor house in Crimplesham, Norfolk, England. Although records indicate a house existed at the site as far back as 1040, the current house was completed in 1881 and designed by Alfred Waterhouse.-History:...
was designed by the eminent Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse
Alfred Waterhouse was a British architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. He is perhaps best known for his design for the Natural History Museum in London, and Manchester Town Hall, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the...
and completed in 1881.
Across the Main Road to the East of Crimplesham Hall
Crimplesham Hall
Crimplesham Hall is a Grade II Listed manor house in Crimplesham, Norfolk, England. Although records indicate a house existed at the site as far back as 1040, the current house was completed in 1881 and designed by Alfred Waterhouse.-History:...
is the Moated Site
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
of another Manor
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
House. A square moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
exists but no trace of a building within. Norfolk Archeological Unit call it Talbots Manor, and Crimplesham Hall
Crimplesham Hall
Crimplesham Hall is a Grade II Listed manor house in Crimplesham, Norfolk, England. Although records indicate a house existed at the site as far back as 1040, the current house was completed in 1881 and designed by Alfred Waterhouse.-History:...
they call The Prior of Tonbridge
Tonbridge Priory
Tonbridge Priory was a priory in Tonbridge, Kent, England that was established in 1124. It was destroyed by fire in 1337 and then rebuilt. The priory was disestablished in 1523. The building stood in 1735, but was a ruin by 1780...
or Hall Manor
St Mary’s Church dates from 12C – 13C with later additions.
From the parish Registers: "Be it recorded in ye surviving memory of ye living, ye memorable act of Mr. Richd. Ward, Gent., then inhabitant in the towne of Crimplesham, who gave a trebble bell of three hundred and fifty weight to ye sayd towne, in the year of our Lord, 1651. May she be heard beyond the bounds of Ingratitude ; thus wisheth Thom. Wardner, Minist."
The church was restored by John Grant Morris in 1897.
In 1854 Mrs Elizabeth Doyle, living at Crimplesham Hall
Crimplesham Hall
Crimplesham Hall is a Grade II Listed manor house in Crimplesham, Norfolk, England. Although records indicate a house existed at the site as far back as 1040, the current house was completed in 1881 and designed by Alfred Waterhouse.-History:...
, invited Benjamin Benson, a former slave, to address the schoolchildren on the horrors of slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. .
Mrs Doyle used to help clothe the poorer school children .
The school closed in 1984.
External links
.- Information from Genuki Norfolk on Crimplesham.
- Norfolk Heritage Explorer