Place:Wretham, Norfolk, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Family History Library Catalog

East Wretham and West Wretham were separate ecclesiastical and civil parishes until 1935 and normally this would mean they would have separate articles. But even in 1870, when Wilson's Gazetteer was compiled, they were being considered as one entity named Wretham. Therefore, all references to both former parishes are being redirected here.

Illington (see below) also joined the civil parish in 1935. Stonebridge was a hamlet on the border between East Wretham and Illington parishes.

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

Wretham is a civil parish and village in the English county of Norfolk. The village, which is also referred to as East Wretham, is situated some 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of the town of Thetford and 25 miles (40 km) south west of the city of Norwich.

The civil parish, which also includes the villages of West Wretham, Stonebridge and Illington, has an area of 32.25 km2 (12.45 sq mi). In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 366 in 137 households, including Stonebridge and increasing to a population 0f 374 in 141 households at the 2011 UK census. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the District of Breckland.

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

"WRETHAM (East and West), two parishes, with Stonebridge hamlet and a [railway] station, in Thetford [registration] district, Norfolk; on the Thetford and Watton railway, 5½ miles NNE of Thetford. Post town: Thetford. Acres: 6,442. Real property: £1,204 and £1,467. Population: 257 and 207. Houses: 47 and 44. The manor, with [Wretham] Hall, belongs to W. Birch, Esq. The livings are conjoint rectories in the diocese of Norwich. Value: £547. Patron, W. Birch, Esq. East [Wretham] church was rebuilt in 1865, and is in the decorated English style. West [Wretham] church is now a ruin. There is a school.

Research Tips

• GENUKI provides a list of references for East Wretham. Some entries lead to free online transcriptions of registers and censuses.
• GENUKI also supplies a map illustrating the individual parishes of Shropham Hundred. Parishes labelled with letters should be identifiable from the Ordnance Survey Map of 1900.
• 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.