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Wimbotsham

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"WIMBOTSHAM, a parish and village, 1 mile N.N.E. of Downham, comprises 582 inhabitants, and 1,771 acres of land, mostly the property of Sir Thomas Hare, the lord of the manors of Wimbotsham, Ingoldesthorpe, Tonwell, and Ramsey. The CHURCH, (St. Mary,) is a high thatched fabric, with a square tower ... The rectory, valued in the King's Book at £5 6s. 8d., is consolidated with Stow Bardolph. In Sept. 1835, Mr. Green, the aeronaut, descended here,  ... The parish was enclosed and drained, under acts passed in 1798 and 1801. The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists have chapels here." [William White, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk (1845) - Transcription copyright © Pat Newby] 

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Census

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Church Directories

  • In 1883 the parish was in the Deanery of Fincham, in the archdeaconry of Norfolk.
    It could have been in a different deanery or archdeaconry both before and after this date.
  • The parish church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
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Church History

Church of St Mary the Virgin
Description and pictures.
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Services, etc.
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Description of the bells and picture of the church.
Dashwood, Rev George Henry; and Boutell, Rev. Charles
Notes on the Parish and Church of Wimbotsham.
With extracts from the parish registers.
[Norwich, Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society, in "Norfolk Archaeology", vol.2, 1849]
Turner, J.C.
Notes on the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Wimbotsham.
[Wimbotsham, The Church, c.1964]
 
Methodist Church
Minister, services, location, picture, etc.
Methodist Church
Minister, services, picture, etc.
Follow the link to the home page, then search for the church.
 
Primitive Methodist Church
Description, picture and map.
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Church Records

Marriages
These are not included in Boyd's Marriage Index or Phillimore's Marriage Registers.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Church Records

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Civil Registration

For the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths between 1837 and 1930 (and for the censuses from 1851 to 1901), Wimbotsham was in Downham Registration District.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Civil Registration

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Description & Travel

Wimbotsham Parish Council
Councillors, meetings, minutes, etc.
Pictures of Wimbotsham
Old postcards and new photographs.
King's Lynn Arts Centre
Portrait of a Village: Wimbotsham.
[ISBN 1898328005, West Norfolk Living Histories, 1993]
Wimbotsham Tower Mill
Description, history and map.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Description and Travel

You can see pictures of Wimbotsham which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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Historical Geography

Wimbotsham is in Clackclose Hundred.

Parish outline and location.
See Parish Map for Clackclose Hundred
Description of Clackclose Hundred
1845: White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk
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History

Description, history, people, pictures, etc, of Wimbotsham
and other parishes near Downham Market.
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Land & Property

Inclosure

Great Britain: Statute
Downham Market, Wimbotsham and Bexwell inclosure act, 1801.
An act for dividing, allotting, and inclosing certain open field and other lands within the several parishes of Downham Market, Wimbotsham, and Bexwell, in the county of Norfolk: 21st May 1801.
[London, George Eyre and Andrew Strahan, 1801]

Drainage

Great Britain: Statute
Outwell and other parishes drainage act, 1798.
An act for draining and preserving certain lands and fen grounds lying in the parishes of Outwell, Stow Bardolph, Wimbotsham, and Downham in the county of Norfolk: 28th June 1798.
[London, George Eyre and Andrew Strahan, 1798]
Great Britain: Statute
Downham Market and other parishes drainage act, 1802.
An act for draining and improving certain fen lands and low grounds, within the several parishes of Downham Market, Wimbotsham, Stow Bardolph, and Denver, in the county of Norfolk: 15th April 1802.
[London, George Eyre and Andrew Strahan, 1802]
Great Britain: Statute
Fenland drainage act, 1814.
See Stoke Ferry
Great Britain: Statute
Stoke Ferry and other parishes drainage act, 1834.
See Stoke Ferry
Great Britain: Statute
Downham Fen drainage act, 1851, An act for amending an act passed in the forty-second year of the reign of His Majesty George the Third, for draining and improving certain fen lands and low grounds in the parishes of Downham Market, Wimbotsham, Stow Bardolph, and Denver, in the county of Norfolk: 20th May 1851.
[London, George Edward Eyre and William Spottiswoode, 1851]

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Land and Property

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TF619052 (Lat/Lon: 52.620715, 0.390699), Wimbotsham which are provided by:

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Military Records

Roll of Honour for Wimbotsham and Stow Bardolph
World Wars 1 and 2.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Military Records

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

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Population

These figures are from the population tables which were produced after the 10-yearly national censuses. The "Families" heading includes families and single occupiers.

Year   Inhabited
Houses
Families Population
1801   50 55 260
1811   52 69 305
1821   64 85 413
1831   62 95 476
1841 112 -- 582
1851 122 -- 606
Year   Inhabited
Houses
Families Population
1861 112 --- 508
1871 134 139 574
1881 158 159 677
1891 140 141 573
1901 139 139 563
1911 --- 141 548

There may be more people living in detached parts of the parish (if there were any) and, if so, the number may or may not be included in the figures above. It is quite difficult to be sure from the population tables.

1841 and 1851 Censuses
"Part of Wimbotsham Parish lying on the Tongs Drain is in Downham Subdistrict."
1861 Census
"The decrease of population in the parish of Wimbotsham (part of which lying on the Tongs Drain is in Downham Sub-district) is mainly attributed to the removal of dilapidated cottages."