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Winfarthing

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"WINFARTHING, a pleasant village and parish, 4 miles N. of Diss, has 696 inhabitants, and 2566 acres of land. The Earl of Albemarle owns a great part of the soil, is lord of the manor, (fines arbitrary,) and patron of the rectory, valued in the King's Book at £12, and now enjoyed by the Rev. Wm. Jas. Carver, M.A., with 31A. 1R. 22P. of glebe. The tithes were commuted in 1840. The Church (Virgin Mary,) has a square tower and five bells, and was, in the superstitious and corrupt age of monachism, in high repute among the ignorant for a certain sword preserved in it by the monks,  ... The sword had previously belonged to a thief, who had taken sanctuary in the church. The manor has all the privileges of ancient demesne, and remained in the Crown till Henry III. gave it to Sir William Montecaniso, or Munchensy, in consideration of his military services against the French. . . In the village is a small Primitive Methodist Chapel." [William White, History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk (1845) - Transcription copyright © Pat Newby] 

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Census

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Censuses

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Church Directories

  • In 1883 the parish was in the Deanery of Redenhall, 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 St Mary the Virgin.
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Church History

Church of St Mary the Virgin
Description and pictures.
Church of St Mary the Virgin
Services, etc.
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Church Records

Campling, Arthur
Index of Marriages, Winfarthing, 1614-1736.
[Norwich Local Studies Library, Handwritten document, 1930s]
Parish Register Transcripts
List of Surnames of People who come from other Parishes
(these people are often known as "Strays")
Marriages
These are included in Boyd's Marriage Index.
They are not included in Phillimore's Marriage Registers.
Folland, Heywood Gerard Benson
Churchwardens' Accounts: Winfarthing Parish Books.
[Norwich, Bishop of Norwich's Committee for Books and Documents, 1968]

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 1902 (and for the censuses of 1851 to 1901), Winfarthing was in Guiltcross Registration District.

This district was abolished on 1st April 1902 and, from then until 1930, Winfarthing was in Depwade Registration District for civil registration.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Civil Registration

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Description & Travel

Winfarthing Smock Mill
Description, history and picture.

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Description and Travel

You can see pictures of Winfarthing which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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Historical Geography

Winfarthing is in Diss Hundred.

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

Fitch, Alan John
Winfarthing: the village - the church - the chapel.
[ISBN 0947843051, Winfarthing, Farthing Press, 1991]
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Land & Property

Great Britain: Statute
Winfarthing Inclosure Act, 1781.
An act for dividing and inclosing the Lammas meadows, heaths, commons and waste lands within the parish of Winfarthing, in the county of Norfolk.
[1781]
Kelly, Geoffrey Ian
Winfarthing Fighting Cocks: a history.
[2006]

See also Norfolk Parish Links: Land and Property

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TM108859 (Lat/Lon: 52.430321, 1.100004), Winfarthing which are provided by:

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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   87 114 565
1811   91 118 588
1821 110 149 683
1831 135 142 703
1841 143 -- 696
1851 147 -- 691
Year   Inhabited
Houses
Families Population
1861 146 -- 615
1871 138 153 597
1881 141 157 604
1891 130 130 543
1901 118 118 461
1911 -- 114 397

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.

1861 Census
"GUILTCROSS. The decrease of population in most of the parishes of this District is attributed partly to the migration of labourers to towns and manufacturing districts. In some parishes it has also been consequent upon the failure of hand-loom hemp-cloth weaving."
1901 Census
"Including Short Green."