Place:Caister next Yarmouth, Norfolk, England

Watchers
NameCaister next Yarmouth
Alt namesCaistor-next-Yarmouthsource: old spelling,hyphenated
Caister-on-Seasource: GENUKI, Wikipedia
TypeParish (ancient), Civil parish
Coordinates52.647°N 1.724°E
Located inNorfolk, England     ( - 1926)
See alsoEast Flegg Hundred, Norfolk, Englandhundred in which it was located
East and West Flegg Rural, Norfolk, Englandrural district in which it was located 1894-1926
East Caister, Norfolk, Englandcivil parish formed from Caister next Yarmouth in 1926
West Caister, Norfolk, Englandcivil parish formed from Caister next Yarmouth in 1926
source: Family History Library Catalog

NOTE: Caister on Sea (often hyphenated to Caister-on-Sea) replaced Caister next Yarmouth in 1935 after a 9-year hiatus when the parish was divided into two and called East Caister and West Caister. Both Caister on Sea and Caister next Yarmouth exist in WeRelate. Caister next Yarmouth should be used for events that occur before 1926 and Caistor on Sea for events which occur after 1935.


NOTE:GENUKI states "This is the Caister near Great Yarmouth. There is also Caistor St Edmund (or Caistor-next-Norwich). The spellings are different, but it is quite common for "Caistor" and "Caister" to be used interchangeably. References to Caistor may also occur in texts about Great Yarmouth."

A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Caister next Yarmouth from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72 (note the spelling from the 19th century gazetteer):

"CAISTOR-NEXT-YARMOUTH, a village and a parish in Flegg [registration] district, Norfolk. The village stands on the coast, near the river Bure, 2½ miles N of Yarmouth; is supposed, by some antiquaries, to occupy the site of the Roman Garianonum; has a post office, of the name of Caistor, under Yarmouth; and is a coastguard station. The parish comprises 2,832 acres of land and 215 of water. Real property: £7,290. Population: 1,203. Houses: 298. The property is much subdivided. A strong moated castle was built, about a mile from the village, in the 15th century, by Sir John Fastolf, a native, the capturer of John II of France, sometimes mistaken for the Falstaff of Shakspeare; and a lofty round tower and part of the north and west walls are still standing. An ancient free chapel stood on the manor as early as the time of Edward I.; and was erected into a college for seven monks or priests, either by Sir John Fastolf or by one of his successors; and some remains of it exist near the castle ruins. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Norwich. Value, £942. Patron, the Rev. G. W. Steward. The church is decorated and later English, and has a lofty square tower. There was formerly another church, with parochial jurisdiction, called St. Edmunds; but only a part of the tower remains. There are a chapel of ease, three Methodist chapels, a reading room, a national school, and charities £97."

In 1926 the civil parish of Caister next Yarmouth was abolished and replaced by two civil parishes named East Caister and West Caister.

Research Tips

  • GENUKI provides a list of references for Caister next Yarmouth. Some entries lead to free online transcriptions of registers and censuses.
  • GENUKI also supplies a map illustrating the individual parishes of the Hundreds of East and West Flegg.
  • GENUKI also advises that the following lists for Norfolk are to be found in FamilySearch:
  • 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.