Horsham St. Faith
Encyclopedia
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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...
, England
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...
. The village lies close and to the east of the A140 road
A140 road
The A140 is an 'A-class' road in Norfolk and Suffolk, East Anglia, England partly following the route of the Roman Pye Road. It runs from the A14 near Needham Market to the A149 south of Cromer. It is of primary status for the entirety of its route. It is approximately 56 miles in length...
and is 5 mi north of Norwich and some 8 miles (12.9 km) south of Aylsham
Aylsham
Aylsham is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, about north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain,...
It takes its name from the River Hor
River Hor
The River Hor is a short river in the County of Norfolk, England....
, which runs through it on its way from Horsford to Horstead; and a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
priory
Horsham St. Faith Priory
Horsham St. Faith Priory was a monastic house in Norfolk, England.-See also:*List of monastic houses in Norfolk*Horsham St Faith...
, founded in honour of St. Faith that, until the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, stood there. It is near Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs....
, which began in 1939 as RAF Horsham St. Faith and home of the City of Norwich Aviation Museum
City of Norwich Aviation Museum
The City of Norwich Aviation Museum is a volunteer run museum and charitable trust dedicated to the preservation of the aviation history of the county of Norfolk, England. The museum is located on the northern edge of Norwich International Airport and is reached by road through the village of...
. Administratively it is in the 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...
of Horsham St Faith and Newton St Faith
Horsham St Faith and Newton St Faith
Horsham St Faith and Newton St Faith is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, consisting of the former parishes of Horsham St Faith and Newton St Faith...
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 Broadland
Broadland
Broadland is a local government district in Norfolk, England, named after the Norfolk Broads. Its council is based in Thorpe St Andrew, which is a suburb of the City of Norwich.-History:The district was formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of St...
.
It has the remains of a motte and bailey
Horsford Castle
Horsford Castle is situated in the village of Horsford, 6 miles to the north of the city of Norwich.-Details:Before the Norman conquest of England, Horsford was held by an Anglo-Saxon named Edric but after the conquest William the Conqueror granted the land to Robert Malet, the Lord of Eye...
castle, on the Horsford side of the A140 road
A140 road
The A140 is an 'A-class' road in Norfolk and Suffolk, East Anglia, England partly following the route of the Roman Pye Road. It runs from the A14 near Needham Market to the A149 south of Cromer. It is of primary status for the entirety of its route. It is approximately 56 miles in length...
, reached by following a track to the north of Church Street, which joins Horsford
Horsford
Horsford is a village six miles north of Norwich, England. Its population has seen a steady increase since the Second World War, growing from 750 in 1945 to just under 4000 today .There are various explanations of the village name...
and Horsham St. Faith.
On 17 October from the early 12th century until 1872 it played host to one of the country's largest cattle fairs. This fair was held to the south of Spixworth Road around Bullock Hill and Calf Lane.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Manor House and the land that in 1939 became RAF Horsham St. Faith, was owned by John Thomas Spurrell
Spurrell
Spurrell is a surname found in a number of parts of England and Wales, as well as other parts of the world.- The Spurrells of Norfolk, England :...
, youngest son of Richard James Spurrell, of Thurgarton
Thurgarton (Norfolk)
Thurgarton is a village in the North Norfolk district of the English county of Norfolk. It lies north of Aylsham and south-west of Cromer, and was in the Erpingham Hundred. It forms part of the civil parish of Aldborough....
. Inside the church at Horsham St. Faith there is a memorial to his eldest son, John Francis Brabazon Spurrell, who was killed by buffalo
African Buffalo
The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...
at Kibaya, Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
, in 1927.
The Church of St Mary and St Andrew
The present day church dates back to the 13th century and has undergone many changes. Much of the building was restored in 1873 with a £1400 donation from the TwiningsTwinings
Twinings is a marketer of tea based in Andover, Hampshire, England.- History :The founder of Twinings, Thomas Twining, opened the first known tea room, at 216 Strand, London, in 1706, which is still operating today. The firm's logo, created in 1787, is one of the world's oldest in continuous use...
tea family. Of interest inside the church is the rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
dated 1528 and adorned with 12 panels depicting saints. Also, of note is the elaborate Jacobean
Jacobean
Jacobean indicates the period of English history that coincides with the reign of James I of England :*Jacobean era*Jacobean architecture*Jacobean literature*Jacobean English...
font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
cover.
Notable residents
- St Robert Southwell - Jesuit priest, poet and martyr.
Further reading
- Horsham and Newton St Faith (Towns and Villages)
- The Priory of Horsham St Faith
- Drayton and St Faith Medical Practice history.
- Information on the Parish Church of St Mary and St Andrew Horsham St Faith