Stiffkey
Encyclopedia
Stiffkey is a village and civil parish on the north coast of the English
county of Norfolk
. It is situated on the A149 coast road
, some 6 km (3.7 mi) east of Wells-next-the-Sea
, 6 km (3.7 mi) west of Blakeney
, and 40 km (24.9 mi) north-west of the city of Norwich
.
The civil parish has an area of 14.55 km² (5.6 sq mi) and in the 2001 census
had a population of 223 in 105 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district
of North Norfolk
.
The place-name 'Stiffkey' is first evidenced in the Domesday Book
of 1086, and means 'stump island, island with stumps of trees'.
The village is remembered as the parish
whose rector
, Harold Davidson
, faced charges of immorality and was defrocked in 1932. He was a popular priest in the area and the villagers asked his family to allow him to be buried in Stiffkey when he died, rather than in the family tomb in Sholing
, where he was born. (He was killed, rather improbably, by a lion). They have cared for his grave for many years.
The author Henry Williamson
bought a farm in Stiffkey. The Story of a Norfolk Farm (1941) is his account of his first years of farming here.
On 11 May 1978, the author, soldier and politician Aubrey Buxton
was created a life peer
as Baron Buxton of Alsa, of Stiffkey in the County of Norfolk. He died there in 2009.
Stiffkey is also famous for cockles
Cerastoderma edule which still retain the old name of "Stiffkey blues". These are stained blue by the mud in which they live.
The River Stiffkey
runs through the village, from which it takes its name, and used to power the Stiffkey watermill which was built before 1579. It was a small mill, running two pairs of stones, and it operated until 1881 when it was put up for auction as a warehouse. Little now remains of the mill: just a few low ruined walls showing the position of the building.
The Norfolk Coast Path runs between the village and the sea.
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 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 on the A149 coast road
A149 road
The A149 is a major route in Norfolk, linking Kings Lynn to Great Yarmouth. It runs via the coast rather than on a more direct route such as the A47. The eastern section runs through The Broads.-Kings Lynn to Wells next the Sea:...
, some 6 km (3.7 mi) east of Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea, known locally simply as Wells, is a town, civil parish and seaport situated on the North Norfolk coast in England.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 2,451 in 1,205 households...
, 6 km (3.7 mi) west of Blakeney
Blakeney, Norfolk
Blakeney is a coastal village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Blakeney lies within the Norfolk Coast AONB and the North Norfolk Heritage Coast. The North Norfolk Coastal Path passes through the village...
, and 40 km (24.9 mi) north-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 14.55 km² (5.6 sq mi) 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 223 in 105 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 North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
.
The place-name 'Stiffkey' is first evidenced in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086, and means 'stump island, island with stumps of trees'.
The village is remembered as the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
whose rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
, Harold Davidson
Harold Davidson
Harold Francis Davidson , sometimes known as the "Prostitutes' Padre", was a Church of England priest, often referred to as the "Rector of Stiffkey". In 1932 he was defrocked on charges of immorality...
, faced charges of immorality and was defrocked in 1932. He was a popular priest in the area and the villagers asked his family to allow him to be buried in Stiffkey when he died, rather than in the family tomb in Sholing
Sholing
Sholing, previously Scholing, is a district on the eastern side of the city of Southampton in southern England. It is located between the districts of Bitterne, Thornhill and Woolston....
, where he was born. (He was killed, rather improbably, by a lion). They have cared for his grave for many years.
The author Henry Williamson
Henry Williamson
Henry William Williamson was an English naturalist, farmer and prolific author known for his natural and social history novels. He won the Hawthornden Prize for literature in 1928 with his book Tarka the Otter....
bought a farm in Stiffkey. The Story of a Norfolk Farm (1941) is his account of his first years of farming here.
On 11 May 1978, the author, soldier and politician Aubrey Buxton
Aubrey Buxton, Baron Buxton of Alsa
Major Aubrey Leland Oakes Buxton, Baron Buxton of Alsa KCVO, MC, DL was a British soldier, politician, television executive and writer.-Career:...
was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Buxton of Alsa, of Stiffkey in the County of Norfolk. He died there in 2009.
Stiffkey is also famous for cockles
Cockle (bivalve)
Cockle is the common name for a group of small, edible, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Cardiidae.Various species of cockles live in sandy sheltered beaches throughout the world....
Cerastoderma edule which still retain the old name of "Stiffkey blues". These are stained blue by the mud in which they live.
The River Stiffkey
River Stiffkey
The River Stiffkey is a chalk stream running through an area of north Norfolk, England from its source near Swanton Novers to flow out into the North Sea on the north Norfolk coast near the town of Stiffkey...
runs through the village, from which it takes its name, and used to power the Stiffkey watermill which was built before 1579. It was a small mill, running two pairs of stones, and it operated until 1881 when it was put up for auction as a warehouse. Little now remains of the mill: just a few low ruined walls showing the position of the building.
The Norfolk Coast Path runs between the village and the sea.