Methwold ("Middle forest") is a 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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the English county of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, on the edge of the Norfolk

Fens A fen is a type of wetland. Fen, Fenn, Fens, Fenns, may also refer to: People * Fen (name), a Chinese given name and surname * Fen Cresswell (1915–1966), New Zealand cricketer * Fen McDonald (1891–1915), Australian rules footballer * Kees ...

and Breckland. With an area of it is the second largest parish in Norfolk. It had a population of 1,476 in 591 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 1,502 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. The parish also includes the hamlets of Methwold Hythe, approximately east of the town and on the edge of the fens, and Brookville to the north west. (quoted online at: ) Its economy is based on agriculture with a little light industry. The village is situated about from King's Lynn and north west of

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24, ...

(its postal town). The Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School is located in the parish. The secondary and sixth form departments of Iceni Academy are also located in Methwold, previously being known as Methwold High School. Methwold parish is the second largest parish in Norfolk in terms of land. The parish currently has approximately 20 farms ranging from about up to . Farming in Methwold and the surrounding areas accounts for a vast majority of jobs in the fens. Even if people don't farm, much of the work is connected with the land. Methwold became famous for its abundance and excellence of its rabbits which were sold by poulterers as "Muel Rabbits". According to

John Marius Wilson John Marius Wilson (c. 1805–1885) was a British writer and an editor, most notable for his gazetteer A gazetteer is a geographical index or directory used in conjunction with a map or atlas.Aurousseau, 61. It typically contains informati ...

, Methwold was formerly a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

. A meal of Muel Rabbits was reputed to have pleased the king to such an extent that he granted the village a charter for the market to be held. The village was struck by an F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.

Notable residents

* William Thorold M.Inst.C.E., millwright, architect and civil engineer was born in Methwold on 9 October 1798. *

Richard Maurice Bucke Richard Maurice Bucke (18 March 1837 – 19 February 1902), often called Maurice Bucke, was a prominent Canadian psychiatrist in the late 19th century. An adventurer during his youth, Bucke later studied medicine. Eventually, as a psychiatrist ...

, M.D., psychiatrist, author and philosopher was born in Methwold 18 March 1837.

References

External links

Methwold Parish Website Methwold.net

Methwold History Group
{{authority control Villages in Norfolk King's Lynn and West Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk