GENUKI: Norfolk: Honingham, Norfolk

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William White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk 1883

HONINGHAM is a neat village on the East Dereham road, 8 miles W. of Norwich. Its parish is in St. Faith's union, Forehoe hundred and petty sessional division, Norwich county court district and bankruptcy district, Norwich polling district of South Norfolk, Forehoe division of Hingham rural deanery, and Norfolk archdeaconry. It had 343 inhabitants in 1881, living on 2563 acres, and has a rateable value of £3487.

All the parish is the property and manor of the Right Hon. Lady Bayning. She resides at Honingham Hall, a fine Elizabethan mansion, situated in a well-wooded park, ornamented with an extensive lake. The Hall was erected (except the more modern south front) by Lord Chief-Justice Richardson, and afterwards sold to the Hon. William Townshend, fourth son of Viscount Townshend, who married the heiress of Lord William Powlett. His son Charles was created Lord Bayning of Foxley (Berks) in 1797, and was for many years ambassador to the court of Spain. He died in 1819, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Charles, who died unmarried in 1823, when his brother Henry William succeeded to the title, and assumed the names of his maternal great-grandfather in lieu of his patronymic. The late lord died in 1866, and the barony became extinct, his only son having died two years previously.

The CHURCH (St. Andrew) stands a mile east of the village, and is a well-proportioned substantial building of the Decorated period, comprising nave, chancel, south porch, and lofty square tower. The latter is surmounted by figures of the four evangelists at the angles, and contains five bells. There are 250 sittings. In the porch is a holy water stoup, and in the chancel are tablets of the Townshend family and Baron Richardson. The interior of the church is well fitted and was restored more than forty years ago. Several of the windows are filled with beautiful stained glass. Two of those in the chancel represent scenes from the life of our Saviour, and were inserted in 1860 by Lord Bayning in memory of his sisters the Hon. Anne and Annabella Townshend. The carved oak reredos was first put up by Lord Bayning in 1864.

The north window of the chancel, representing the widow of Nain, was put up by Lady Bayning in memory of her son the Hon. Charles Wm. Powlett, and the east window, representing our Saviour's commission to St. Peter ('Feed my lambs'), in memory of her husband the late Right Hon. and Rev. Henry William Powlett, Lord Bayning, M.A., rector of Honingham and East Tuddenham, to whom the tenantry on the Norfolk and Lincolnshire estates have erected a handsome mural monument. Her ladyship also presented a large fine-toned organ in 1878. The nave has recently been paved with Minton's tiles at the expense of the late Rev. W. C. Ward, who was curate of the parish for 32 years, to whose memory the parishioners have placed a massive granite cross in the churchyard.

Lady Bayning is patroness of the living, which is a discharged vicarage, valued in the King's Book at £8 12s. 6d., and now, with East Tuddenham annexed, is worth £655. The tithes of Honingham were commuted in 1840 for £543 5s. to the impropriator, and £210 to the vicar. The Rev. J.R. Feilden is incumbent, and the Rev. Hugh Fuller Maitland, M.A., curate.

The Vicarage House and School are in East Tuddenham parish.

About 1790 the Rev. Roger Du Quesne charged his estate here with the yearly payment of 34s. for the poor of this parish, 10s. for the clerk, and 10s. for distribution in religious books amongst the poor of East Tuddenham.

POST OFFICE at Mr. William Doubleday's. Letters arrive at 6 a.m., and are despatched [at] 4.50 p.m., via Norwich. Mattishall is the nearest Money Order and Telegraph Office.

         Atkins    James               estate carpenter
         Bayning   The Rt. Hon. Lady   Honingham Hall
         Bird      Chas.               farmer, Honingham grange
         Blyth     John N.             butler at the hall
         Campling  John Rushbrook      farmer
         Child     James               blacksmith
         Doubleday William             parish clerk and sub-postmaster
         Feilden   Rev. John R., M.A.  vicar
         Grand     William             farmer and victualler, Buck Inn
         Hipkin    Stephen             farmer
         Hipkin    Thomas              farmer
         Jiggle    Thomas              gardener
         Maitland  Rev. Hugh Fuller,   curate of Honingham & Tuddenham
                     M.A.
         Millett   Stephen             farmer, corn merchant and miller
         Rackham   James               carrier
         Read      Clare Sewell,       farmer, Honingham Thorpe
                     Esq., J.P.
         Reeve     William             farmer
         Secker    John                shopkeeper
         Shearing  William             farmer, Wood farm

CARRIERS - Jas. Rackham to Norwich on Wednesday & Saturday, & others from Dereham to Norwich pass through on Wednesday & Saturday.

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Norfolk: Honingham

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William White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk 1883