Little Massingham
Encyclopedia
Little Massingham is a small village
and civil parish
in the English county of Norfolk
. It is located on the northern boundary of Great Massingham
.
It covers an area of 9.27 km² (3.6 sq mi) and had a population of 74 in 37 households as of the 2001 census
.
For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district
of King's Lynn and West Norfolk
.
In 1302, these lands passed into the possession of Sir John de Thorpe, by right of his wife, Alice.
Later the estate of Little Massingham came into the family of the Le Stranges of Hunstanton, and in the 16th century, they passed to the Mordaunt family when Robert Mordaunt married Barbara le Strange.
In 1807 Sir Charles Mordaunt, the eighth baronet decided to sell the estate of Little Massingham and the advowson of the living to Joseph Wilson, Esq., of Highbury Hill, Middlesex.
Mr Wilson was a rich and prosperous merchant and although having purchased Little Massingham he never lived there, but chose to use Stowlangtoft Hall Suffolk as his country estate. However, he did install his son-in-law Charles D. Brereton as rector of Little Massingham.
Joseph Wilson's heir Henry Wilson of Stowlangtoft Hall succeeded him and in 1872 Henry's son Mr Fuller Maitland Wilson sold the estate of Little Massingham.
Since that time there were a few more large landowners of Little Massingham before some of the estate was broken up.
It was recorded that in the early 19th century thirty or forty acres of wheat were grown in Little Massingham. In 1825 the cultivation had increased to between three and four hundred acres.
The church of St. Andrew consists of a chancel and a nave. The nave is divided into aisles by octagonal pillars supporting pointed arches.
The pews were replaced in 1857 at the same time the roof was repaired and re-leaded, the floor tiled, the font (which formally stood behind the south door) removed to its present situation. Other improvements were made, under the supervision of Mr Jeckel, an architect of Norwich. He designed the very handsome pulpit, composed of Caen stone and marble.
The first recorded Rector of Massingham Parva was in 1286.
The early Parish Registers were on parchment and date from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
All the entries, up to the year 1599 were copied from earlier records, in accordance with a canon published in the reign of Elizabeth. The last chapter of Massingham Parva shows the date of 1559 for the first marriage. First burials are recorded as from 1715 and Christenings from 1754.
The church was used during World War II by nearby RAF Great Massingham
. A roll of honour with the names of those who served at the airfield is kept in the church. The church yard contains graves of some of the aircrew from RAF Great Massingham .
A driving force behind the building of the Lynn & Fakenham railway line was the Revd. Joseph Lloyd Brereton
of Little Massingham. Supporters of the project used to meet at his rectory in the 1870s. As a result of their endeavours the line was built from Lynn to Massingham and the station and line was opened on the 16th August 1879. Later the line was extended and continued onto Fakenham opening on the 16th August 1880.
This is a view of the station some thirty years after the trains first ran and a prominent feature is the criss-cross fencing which was found all over the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway.
This was abbreviated to (M&GN), interpreted by many as meaning the Muddle & Get Nowhere Railway. Massingham was also the only station between South Lynn and Fakenham to have a footbridge. When the line was closed in the 1960s the main ticket office and waiting rooms and the stationmaster's house were converted into two houses.
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 county 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 located on the northern boundary of Great Massingham
Great Massingham
Great Massingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It has a primary school , a village shop, a pub , a village hall and a church . It is also notable for the number of ponds in the village - two large ones in the village centre and more in the outskirts...
.
It covers an area of 9.27 km² (3.6 sq mi) and had a population of 74 in 37 households as of 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....
.
For the purposes of local government, it 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 of the parish
At the time of the Great Survey in 1086, William the Conqueror bestowed upon Eudo, the son of Spiruwin, the Barony of Tateshale in Lincolnshire (now known as Tattershall). William also gave him the lands of Hillington, Grimston, Congham and Little Massingham that had belonged to Scula. Scula is thought to have been a general who served under Viking King Ragnald.In 1302, these lands passed into the possession of Sir John de Thorpe, by right of his wife, Alice.
Later the estate of Little Massingham came into the family of the Le Stranges of Hunstanton, and in the 16th century, they passed to the Mordaunt family when Robert Mordaunt married Barbara le Strange.
In 1807 Sir Charles Mordaunt, the eighth baronet decided to sell the estate of Little Massingham and the advowson of the living to Joseph Wilson, Esq., of Highbury Hill, Middlesex.
Mr Wilson was a rich and prosperous merchant and although having purchased Little Massingham he never lived there, but chose to use Stowlangtoft Hall Suffolk as his country estate. However, he did install his son-in-law Charles D. Brereton as rector of Little Massingham.
Joseph Wilson's heir Henry Wilson of Stowlangtoft Hall succeeded him and in 1872 Henry's son Mr Fuller Maitland Wilson sold the estate of Little Massingham.
Since that time there were a few more large landowners of Little Massingham before some of the estate was broken up.
It was recorded that in the early 19th century thirty or forty acres of wheat were grown in Little Massingham. In 1825 the cultivation had increased to between three and four hundred acres.
In the late 1800's:
Good Blue clay suitable for making both white and red bricks was found in the Parish, and near at hand there is a stratum of good sand, and a spring of water which has never been known to fail even in the dryest summers. A brick-yard has been made whence one million bricks are turned out per annum.
Saint Andrew's church
“The Church of Saint Andrew with its square embattled tower, is a small but picturesque building. The principle entrance is by the south porch, which appears to rest on the foundation of some still earlier building. On each side of this entrance there are niches which once held the statues of the Virgin and St. Andrew, while above it are two lichen-covered stone escuteons, bearing the arms of the de Thorpes. The porch is lighted by small perpendicular windows, and around the bottom of the roof runs the inscription, carved in oak:
The hour cometh and now the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
The church of St. Andrew consists of a chancel and a nave. The nave is divided into aisles by octagonal pillars supporting pointed arches.
The pews were replaced in 1857 at the same time the roof was repaired and re-leaded, the floor tiled, the font (which formally stood behind the south door) removed to its present situation. Other improvements were made, under the supervision of Mr Jeckel, an architect of Norwich. He designed the very handsome pulpit, composed of Caen stone and marble.
The present handsome inner roof of the chancel was added in 1880 by the Rev. J. L. Brereton.
The first recorded Rector of Massingham Parva was in 1286.
The early Parish Registers were on parchment and date from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
All the entries, up to the year 1599 were copied from earlier records, in accordance with a canon published in the reign of Elizabeth. The last chapter of Massingham Parva shows the date of 1559 for the first marriage. First burials are recorded as from 1715 and Christenings from 1754.
The church was used during World War II by nearby RAF Great Massingham
RAF Great Massingham
RAF Great Massingham was a World War II era RAF Heavy Bomber airfield located just to the east of the Norfolk village of Great Massingham. The airfield was built as a satellite airfield of RAF West Raynham in 1940. The airfield closed in 1945, although remained in use for storage until the 1950s....
. A roll of honour with the names of those who served at the airfield is kept in the church. The church yard contains graves of some of the aircrew from RAF Great Massingham .
The station at Little Massingham
Joseph Lloyd Brereton
Prebendary Joseph Lloyd Brereton, , was an educational reformer and writer, who founded inexpensive schools for the education of the middle classes. Through his work and writings he influenced others to make similar foundations.-Life:Brereton was born on 19 October 1822 at Little Massingham...
of Little Massingham. Supporters of the project used to meet at his rectory in the 1870s. As a result of their endeavours the line was built from Lynn to Massingham and the station and line was opened on the 16th August 1879. Later the line was extended and continued onto Fakenham opening on the 16th August 1880.
This is a view of the station some thirty years after the trains first ran and a prominent feature is the criss-cross fencing which was found all over the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway.
This was abbreviated to (M&GN), interpreted by many as meaning the Muddle & Get Nowhere Railway. Massingham was also the only station between South Lynn and Fakenham to have a footbridge. When the line was closed in the 1960s the main ticket office and waiting rooms and the stationmaster's house were converted into two houses.
External links
- Norfolk Churches website Description of St Andrews.
- History of St Andrews.