Place:South Walsham, Norfolk, England

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Family History Library Catalog

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

South Walsham is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is adjacent to South Walsham Broad. It covers an area of 11.43 km2 (4.41 sq mi) and had a population of 738 in 303 households at the 2001 UK census, increasing to 845 living in 345 households at the 2011 UK census. For the purposes of local government, since 1974 it has fallen within the District of Broadland.

"In South Walsham, two medieval churches, St Mary’s and St Lawrence’s share the same churchyard. St Mary’s dates from the late 13th century and is still used for worship today. St Lawrence’s was built in the following century but in 1827, most of its building was destroyed by fire. The building has since been restored and is now a Centre for Training and the Arts. St Mary’s is a large church full of interesting features. Bays in the nave are supported by octagonal piers and may once have been side chapels. The benches in the nave with their original ‘poppy head’ ends and the font date back to the 15th century. The rood screen has also survived and still has its doors and iron fittings. The grave slab of Richard de Suthwalsham, Abbot of the nearby St Benet’s Abbey, who died in 1439, is near the altar. The window glass is 19th or early 20th century and much is from the workshop of William Morris. The tapestry on the north wall of the chancel is an 18th Century altar frontal. There is an unusual ‘Annunciation’ carved over the porch door and a niche containing a ‘Coronation of the Virgin’ somewhat damaged by the Reformers." (Source:The Broadside Parishes website)

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

"WALSHAM (South), a village, two parishes, and a [registration] sub-district, in Blofield [registration] district, Norfolk. The village stands 4¼ miles NE of Brundall [railway] station, and 9 ENE of Norwich; and has a post-office under Norwich.

"The parishes are St. Lawrence and St. Mary. Acres, 3,149. Real property, £6,776. Population: 220 and 336. Houses: 47 and 75. Most of the property is divided between two. The living of St. [Lawrence] is a rectory, and that of St. [Mary] is a vicarage, in the diocese of Norwich. Value of St. [Lawrence]: £516; of St. [Mary]: £162. Patron of St. [Lawrence]: Queen's College, Cambridge; of St. [Mary]: Norwich Hospital. The churches stand in one churchyard; and that of St. [Lawrence] was destroyed by fire in 1827, but restored and enlarged in 1832. There are a national school, and charities £52."

Walsham St. Lawrence and Walsham St. Mary were both ancient and civil parishes in Walsham Hundred until 1897 when they were merged as the civil parish of South Walsham. The single parish became part of Blofield Rural District (1897-1935) and Blofield and Flegg Rural District (1935-1974).

Research Tips

• GENUKI provides a list of references for South Walsham. Some entries lead to free online transcriptions of registers and censuses.
• GENUKI also supplies a map illustrating the individual parishes of Walsham 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.