The Norfolk Burnhams are a group of adjacent villages on the north coast of

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, England. The villages are located near a large natural bay named Brancaster Bay and the

Scolt Head Island Scolt Head Island is an offshore barrier island between Brancaster and Wells-next-the-Sea in north Norfolk. It is in the parish of Burnham Norton and is accessed by a seasonal ferry from the village of Overy Staithe. The shingle and sand islan ...

National Nature Reserve. A medieval verse speaks of "

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

and

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

and the Seven Burnhams by the sea". The

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086 also mentions some of the Burnhams (see external links). At one time there were indeed seven Burnham villages, all within a radius of two miles. These were: *

Burnham Deepdale Burnham Deepdale is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Brancaster, in the English county of Norfolk. Burnham Deepdale is located north-east of King's Lynn and north-west of Norwich. History Burnham Deepdale's name is of ...

Burnham Norton Burnham Norton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Burnham Norton is located north-east of King's Lynn and north-west of Norwich. The village is one of the seven original Norfolk Burnhams. History Burnham Norto ...

Burnham Overy Burnham Overy is a civil parish on the north coast of Norfolk, England. In modern times a distinction is often made between the two settlements of Burnham Overy Town, the original village adjacent to the medieval parish church and now redu ...

* Burnham Sutton *

Burnham Thorpe Burnham Thorpe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is famous for being the birthplace of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, victor at the Battle of Trafalgar and one of Britain's greatest heroes. At the time of his bi ...

Burnham Ulph Burnham may refer to: Places Canada *Burnham, Saskatchewan England *Burnham, Buckinghamshire **Burnham Beeches, a nature reserve **Burnham railway station **Burnham Grammar School **East Burnham, a hamlet *Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex *Burnham Green, ...

Burnham Westgate Burnham may refer to: Places Canada *Burnham, Saskatchewan England *Burnham, Buckinghamshire **Burnham Beeches, a nature reserve **Burnham railway station **Burnham Grammar School **East Burnham, a hamlet *Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex *Burnham Green, ...

Hence the

mnemonic A mnemonic device ( ), memory trick or memory device is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval in the human memory, often by associating the information with something that is easier to remember. It makes use of e ...

for the seven Burnhams: ''Nelson Of Thorpe Died Well Under Sail''. It is thought that

Burnham Market Burnham Market is a village and civil parish in the England, English county Norfolk. The village is located north-east of King's Lynn and north-west of Norwich. It is one of The Norfolk Burnhams, the Burnhams, a group of three adjacent vill ...

is one of the original seven Burnhams, but this is incorrect. Burnham Market is a modern merging of three Burnhams: Burnham Sutton, Burnham Westgate and Burnham Ulph. Over the years those three central villages have merged to form the larger village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

, which forms the principal centre for the Burnhams and several other nearby villages. The most westerly of the villages, Burnham Deepdale, has more or less merged with the neighbouring village of Brancaster Staithe, and both are now part of the civil parish of

Brancaster Brancaster is a village and civil parish on the north coast of the English county Norfolk. The civil parish of Brancaster comprises Brancaster itself, together with Brancaster Staithe and Burnham Deepdale. The three villages form a more or le ...

and

still exist as separate villages and civil parishes, much as they always have.

is still a single civil parish, but in modern times a distinction is often made between the two settlements of ''Burnham Overy Town'' (actually a small settlement adjacent to the parish church) and ''Burnham Overy Staithe'' (a rather larger settlement about a mile away and next to the creek-side harbour). The Burnhams are all located either on the River Burn, or adjacent to its mouth, and the name Burnham may derive from this.

Burnhamthorpe Road Burnhamthorpe Road is a major arterial road in the cities of Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario; beginning at Dundas Street (from which it initially angles away from before running parallel with), near Islington Avenue, running west and becoming a ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

was named after Burnham Thorpe.Burnhamthorpe, Dixie, Summerville
/ref>

References

External links

lists Burnham, Burnham Deepdale, Burham Overy and Burnham Thorpe
Webcam at Burnham Overy StaitheBurnham Deepdale website
King's Lynn and West Norfolk Villages in Norfolk {{Norfolk-geo-stub