Felbrigg Explained

Official Name:Felbrigg
Country:England
Region:East of England
Civil Parish:Felbrigg
Static Image:Felbrigg Village Sign 25th Oct 2007 (2).JPG
Static Image Width:240px
Population:193
Area Total Km2:6.30
Population Ref:(2011)
Os Grid Reference:TG2040
Coordinates:52.9092°N 1.2792°W
Post Town:NORWICH
Postcode Area:NR
Postcode District:NR11
Dial Code:01263
London Distance:136miles

Felbrigg is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is 1.7miles south-west of Cromer and 20miles north of Norwich.

History

Felbrigg's name is of Viking origin and derives from the Old Norse for a plank bridge.[1]

Felbrigg parish has been the site of the discovery of several Roman artefacts including pottery, coins, brooches and a figurine of Priapus. Despite this, no conclusive evidence of a Roman settlement has been identified.[2]

In the Domesday Book, Felbrigg is listed as a settlement of 6 households in the hundred of North Erpingham. In 1086, the village formed part of the East Anglian estates of Roger Bigot.[3]

Geography

According to the 2011 Census, Felbrigg has a population of 193 residents living in 93 households. The parish of Felbrigg has a total area of 6.3km2.[4]

Felbrigg falls within the constituency of North Norfolk and is represented at Parliament by Duncan Baker MP of the Conservative Party. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North Norfolk.

Felbrigg Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is mainly within the grounds and estate of Felbrigg Hall. The woods mainly consist of common beech trees, with many rare species of lichen.

St. Margaret's Church

See main article: St Margaret's Church, Felbrigg. Felbrigg's parish church is dedicated to Saint Margaret of Scotland and dates from the early fifteenth century with extensive nineteenth century restoration. St Margaret's has examples of memorials to historical owners of Felbrigg Hall, notably a carved plaque to William Windham (died 1696) by Grinling Gibbons and a carved bust of William Windham by Joseph Nollekens.[5]

Felbrigg Hall

See main article: Felbrigg Hall. Felbrigg Hall was first built in the seventeenth century in Jacobean style, with an interior completed in Georgian. The hall was the home of the Windham and Ketton-Cremer families until the death of its last, heirless owner R. W. Ketton-Cremer when the property passed to the ownership of the National Trust.

Notable residents

War memorial

Felbrigg's war memorial takes the form of a stone Celtic cross on a square plinth located on the village green. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:

St. Margaret's Church also has private memorial plaque to F/O Richard T. W. Ketton-Cremer of No. 30 Squadron RAF who was killed in action during the Battle of Crete on 31st May 1941.[6]

Notes and References

  1. University of Nottingham. (2022). Retrieved December 2022. http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Felbrigg
  2. Spooner, S. (2005). Retrieved December 29, 2022. https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?TNF59-Parish-Summary-Felbrigg-(Parish-Summary)
  3. Domesday Book. (1086). Retrieved December 29, 2022. https://opendomesday.org/place/TG2039/felbrigg/
  4. Office for National Statistics. (2011). Retrieved December 29, 2022. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E04006413
  5. Knott, S. (2019). Retrieved December 29, 2022. http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/felbrigg/felbrigg.htm
  6. Langley, C and Smith, L. (2004). Retrieved December 29, 2022. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Felbrigg.html