Place:Wacton, Norfolk, England

redirected from Place:Wacton, Norfolk
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NameWacton
Alt namesWacton-Magnasource: Family History Library Catalog
Wacton-Parvasource: Family History Library Catalog
Wacton Magnasource: unhyphenated
Wacton Parvasource: unhyphenated
TypeParish (ancient), Civil parish
Coordinates52.4737°N 1.1937°E
Located inNorfolk, England
See alsoDepwade Hundred, Norfolk, Englandhundred in which it was located
Depwade Rural, Norfolk, Englandrural district in which it was located 1894-1974
South Norfolk District, Norfolk, Englanddistrict municipality covering the area since 1974
source: Family History Library Catalog


Wacton is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is located about one mile southwest of Long Stratton and 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Norwich. It covers an area of 4.54 km2 (1.75 sq mi) and has a population of 302 people as of the UK census of 2011.

One of Wacton's most prominent features is Wacton All Saints round tower church.

A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Wacton from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1871-72:

"WACTON-MAGNA and [Wacton-]Parva, two parishes in Depwade [registration] district, Norfolk; 1 mile ESE of Foncett [railway] station, and 1½ SW of Long Stratton. Post town: Long Stratton. Acres: 1,044. Real property: £1,981. Population: 244. Houses: 54. The property is much subdivided. The livings are conjoint rectories in the diocese of Norwich. Value: £302. Patron: the Rev.Grain. The church was recently restored."

Sources do not give a date for the merger of Wacton Magna ("Great Wacton") and Wacton Parva ("Little Wacton"), but it would appear to be before 1900. In other words they were always one civil parish, but separate ecclesiastically.

Research Tips

  • GENUKI provides a list of references for Wacton. Some entries lead to free online transcriptions of registers and censuses.
  • 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.