North Runcton is a village and a civil parish 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 Nor ...

. The village is west of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

, south-south-west of

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, nor ...

and north of London. The village is located a small distance south-west of the A47 between King's Lynn and Swaffham. The nearest railway station is at

for the Fen Line which runs between King's Lynn and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. The nearest airport is

Norwich International Airport Norwich Airport is an international airport in Hellesdon, Norfolk, England, north of Norwich. In 2017, Norwich Airport was the 28th busiest airport in the UK and busiest in the East Anglia region. Norwich Airport has a CAA Public Use Aer ...

. The parish of North Runcton in the 2001 census, has a population of 266, increasing to 549 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, the parish 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 counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

King's Lynn and West Norfolk King's Lynn and West Norfolk is a local government district with borough status in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in the town of King's Lynn. The population of the Local Authority at the 2011 Census was 147,451. History The district w ...

Description

The parish of North Runcton is situated in the west of Norfolk, and is directly southeast of the town of King's Lynn. The name ''North Runcton'' is thought to originate from the Old English for ''settlement at the north bridge'', or ''northern settlement at the bridge''. The village is close to the village of West Winch, which is west along Rectory Lane. Half a mile from the village green is the junction with the A47. The road south from the common leads to Setchey away. Other nearby villages include Middleton and Blackborough End. The village surrounded by arable farmland. In the centre of the village is the green and All Saints' parish church. Also on the green are the buildings which used to house the school and the post office which closed in October 1975. The village school closed in July 1983 but the building now serves as the village meeting place and is also holds a nursery which opened 1996. As a boy, the English actor Michael Caine was evacuated to North Runcton from London during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

History

Roman period

Evidence suggests that there had been a settlement in the parish during the

Roman period The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

. Crop marks visible on

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

oblique aerial photographs taken in 1976 showed a complex series of features including rectangular and sub-rounded enclosures, linear features and pits. Evidence to back Roman occupation have been backed up with archaeological finds which have includes a bracelet, coins, a dolphin

brooch A brooch (, also ) is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with enamel or with g ...

and a plate brooch.

Anglo-Saxons

During the 1920s and '30s archaeologist unearthed an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...

burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

containing beads and a brooch within the parish. Also discovered and excavated was an early Anglo-Saxon

cremation Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a Cadaver, dead body through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India ...

cemetery. A few metal objects have also been recovered from the parish including a late Anglo-Saxon stirrup strap of an unusual form found at Brooke Farm.

The Normans and the Domesday Book

North Runcton has an entry in 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 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 where its population, land ownership and productive resources were extensively detailed In the great book North Runcton is recorded by the name of ''Runghetuna'' and ''Rynghetona''. The main tenants being Hermer de Ferrers and

William d'Ecouis William d'Ecouis (sometimes referred to as William de Schoies) was an early Anglo-Norman baron, who is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'' of 1086 as a substantial holder of land and manors. William d'Ecouis founded Middleton castle, a motte-an ...

. The survey also records always 11 villagers, 7 smallholders, 2 slaves, meadow, . Always 2 ploughs in lordship, 1 men's plough, 1½ mills. In the Domesday survey fractions were used to indicate that the entry, in this case a mill was situated within more than one parish. woodland at 20 pigs, 4 salt-houses and one third of a fifth. Always 1 cob, 4 head of cattle, 27 pigs, 100 sheep. 1 church, . 13 Freemen appertain to this manor, . Always 1 plough. Value always £6 4s 0d. The whole has 1 league in length and in width, of a 20s King's tax, it pays 12d. West Winch is in this measurement.

All Saints' Parish Church

All Saints' Church was built by the architect Henry Bell, a contemporary of

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 church ...

, who also built the

Custom House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

in King's Lynn. At the time Bell lived within the parish at North Runcton Hall. The church is built on the site of the previous church, which was flattened when the tower collapsed in 1701. Most of the exterior is constructed from brick and

carrstone Carrstone (or carstone, also known as Silsoe, heathstone, ironstone or gingerbread) is a sedimentary sandstone conglomerate formed during the Cretaceous period. It varies in colour from light to dark rusty ginger. Used as a building stone it can be ...

, but earlier Norman and possibly

materials have been incorporated. Four Ionic columns support the domed roof with other columns supporting the tripartite

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

arch. The

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for e ...

panelling is the work of Bell. The tower has been re-built from Norman materials with carved fragments that might be older. The church was extended and altered in the late 19th century. The church's internal furnishings date from the 1713 reconstruction by Bell. The font is from St Margaret's, King's Lynn. Bell had died in 1711, two years before the work was completed. It is a Grade I listed building.
church image and description In the 19th century the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...

was "in the gift" of

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

and the banker, Daniel Gurney. Appointments as rector included the

Astronomer Royal Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. There are two officers, the senior being the Astronomer Royal dating from 22 June 1675; the junior is the Astronomer Royal for Scotland dating from 1834. The post ...

Nevil Maskelyne Nevil Maskelyne (; 6 October 1732 – 9 February 1811) was the fifth British Astronomer Royal. He held the office from 1765 to 1811. He was the first person to scientifically measure the mass of the planet Earth. He created the ''British Nau ...

, chemist James Cumming and, as curate, the chemistry professor

Joseph George Cumming Joseph George Cumming, MA Cantab., (15 February 1812 – 21 December 1868) was an English geologist and archaeologist. His major works concerned the geology and history of the Isle of Man. Biography Born at Matlock in Derbyshire where his moth ...

Governance

North Runcton is a parish of the

Kings Lynn and West Norfolk King's Lynn and West Norfolk is a local government district with borough status in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in the town of King's Lynn. The population of the Local Authority at the 2011 Census was 147,451. History The district w ...

district council, which is responsible for the most local services. Norfolk County Council is responsible for roads, some schools and social services. For Westminster elections the parish forms part of the North West Norfolk constituency, represented by James Wild (Conservative).

References

External links

Village Website
{{authority control Villages in Norfolk King's Lynn and West Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk