Place:Brisley, Norfolk, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Brisley is a village and civil parish in the Norfolk, England located about halfway between Fakenham and East Dereham. It covers an area of 4.90 km2 (1.89 sq mi) and had a population of 276 in 117 households at the 2001 UK census. The population at the 2011 UK census was 281. For the purposes of local government it now falls within the Breckland District Council. The village is located along the B1145 road, a route which runs between King's Lynn and Mundesley.

Brisley although not recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, had risen to become the 8th most affluent, out of 31 parishes in the Launditch Hundred by the time of the 1334 Lay Subsidies (explanation in the FamilySearch Wiki).

Name derivation

English: habitational name from a place in Norfolk named in Old English with briosa ‘gadfly’ (Horsefly) + leah ‘woodland clearing’.

St. Bartholomew's Church

St. Bartholomew's Church was entirely rebuilt in the period 1370–1460. It seems probable that the money for this great rebuilding was derived from wool, which was Brisley’s main source of wealth at that time and the probable reason for its rapid rise in prosperity in the 14th century.

Inside the church, two wall paintings of St Christopher, dating back to medieval times can be found opposite both the North and South doorways. These were whitewashed over at the Reformation and so only traces survive. The fact that there are two indicates that this was an important church for travellers.

The crypt under the sanctuary may be entered through an old oak door in the chancel. It has been called a charnel house but at one time it was a place where civil prisoners could be forced to spend a night on the journey by foot to Norwich gaol.

Richard Taverner

The village sign stands next to the church of St Bartholomew’s and depicts Richard Taverner who was born here and translated the Bible into English for which he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was released by Henry VIII and died in 1575.

Research Tips

• GENUKI provides a list of references for Brisley. Some entries lead to free online transcriptions of registers and censuses.
• A map illustrating the individual parishes of Launditch Hundred may be useful.
• GENUKI also advises that the following lists for Norfolk are to be found in FamilySearch:

• England, Norfolk, Parish Registers (County Record Office), 1510-1997
• England, Norfolk Archdeacon's Transcripts, 1600-1812
• England, Norfolk Bishop's Transcripts, 1685-1941
• England, Norfolk Marriage Bonds, 1557-1915
• England, Norfolk Non-conformist Records, 1613-1901

• Ancestry.co.uk has the following lists as of 2018 (UK or worldwide Ancestry membership or library access required). With the exception of the index to wills these files are browsible images of the original documents. The files are separated by type and broken down into time periods (i.e., "Baptism, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812" is more than one file). The general explanatory notes are worth reading for those unfamiliar with English parish records.

• Index to wills proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich : and now preserved in the District Probate Registry at Norwich
• Norfolk, England, Bishop's Transcripts, 1579-1935
• Norfolk, England, Church of England Baptism, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812
• Norfolk, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1915
• Norfolk, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1990
• Norfolk, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1940

• FindMyPast is another pay site with large collection of parish records. As of October 2018 they had 20 types of Norfolk records available to browse including Land Tax Records and Electoral Registers.