East Runton is a village in the

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 ...

Runton Runton is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk consisting of the villages of East Runton and West Runton. It covers an area of and had a population of 1,633 in 784 households at the 2001 census, the population increasing to 1,667 ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

county 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 ...

. East Runton is located west of Cromer and north of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

. The village lies on the A149 coast road but most of the dwellings can be found just south of the road, nestled around the two village greens.

History

East Runton's name is of

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

origin and derives from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

for ''Runa's'' or ''Runi's'' settlement. 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, East Runton is listed alongside

West Runton West Runton is a village in North Norfolk, England, on the North Sea coast. Toponymy The villages name means either, Runa's farm/settlement' or 'Runi's farm/settlement'. Overview West Runton and East Runton together form the parish of Runt ...

as a settlement of 24 households in the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

of North Erpingham. In 1086, the village was divided between the

East Anglian East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

estates of Roger Bigod and

William d'Ecouis William d'Ecouis (sometimes referred to as William de Schoies) was an early Anglo-Normans, 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, Norfolk# ...

. East Runton Windmill was first recorded in 1826 and was in operation until the machinery was removed in 1949, with the mill later being converted into a private residence.

Geography

East Runton's population statistics are shared with that of

. According to the 2021 census, Runton has a population of 1,524 people which shows a decrease from the 1,667 people recorded in the 2011 census. East Runton sits on the A149, between

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 north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

and

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

Public houses

There are two public houses in East Runton: the Fishing Boat and the White Horse Inn. The Fishing Boat is the older of the inns, and is on the tithe map of 1840,''East and West Runton: Two Villages, One Parish'' by G.F. Leake, Poppyland Publishing, . although it was simply called the ‘Boat Inn’ then. In 1734 it is recorded that a court was held at the inn and it was then called the ‘Three Horse Shoes’. The White Horse Inn is first recorded in 1851. There is also a social club in the village which is known as ‘Bernies’ Corner House in Beach Road which in years prior was an amusement arcade but this changed to current usage in around 1987. Bernie's was named after Bernie Parkin whose father Reginald (Snr) originally had bought the place and had run it as an amusement arcade. Next door is a fish and chip shop. This was run for some time (especially during the 1980s) by John Parkin (Bernie's brother).

Story of James Leak

James Leak James Leak was a bare-knuckle prize fighter who was born in the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom. James Leak was a resident of East Runton, Norfolk around the early part of the 19th century. Leak was the local blacksmith and renowned ba ...

was a resident of East Runton around the early part of the 19th century. Leak was the local

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

and renowned Bare-Knuckle prize fighter. He lived in one of six thatched cottages that once stood on the cliff top near Runton gap. His blacksmith's

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...

was at East Runton. In 1827 Leak had a big problem. The story goes that he had developed a

gangrenous Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

toe Toes are the digits of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being ''digitigrade''. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being ''plantigrade''; ...

and was in fear of it spreading and causing his death. In his desperation, Leak came up with his own solution to his problem. He went to his forge in East Runton, rested his foot on his anvil and with one mighty blow removed the infected toe with a

hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...

and

chisel A chisel is a hand tool with a characteristic Wedge, wedge-shaped cutting edge on the end of its blade. A chisel is useful for carving or cutting a hard material such as woodworking, wood, lapidary, stone, or metalworking, metal. Using a chi ...

. He then cauterized the stump with a red hot

poker Poker is a family of Card game#Comparing games, comparing card games in which Card player, players betting (poker), wager over which poker hand, hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, with varying rules i ...

from out of his forge. This desperate surgery had been as a consequence of Leak being unable to afford surgeon's fees. He made a full recovery and his home surgery seems to have had little effect on the man as he continued his prize-fighting and lived to the age of 82.

Surfing

The beach at East Runton is popular with the surfing fraternity. Located on a cliff-top, the Surfers' Memorial was unveiled in 2003. The

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

is topped with a figure depicting a surfer. At the base of the memorial a plaque commemorating the lives of four young surfers is inscribed with the words ''Waves come & go my friends but your lights shine on'' .

Governance

East Runton is part of the

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

of Beeston Regis & The Runtons for local elections and is part of 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, municip ...

North Norfolk North Norfolk is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Cromer, and the largest town is North Walsham. The district also includes the towns of Fakenham, Holt, Norfolk, Holt, Shering ...

. The village's national constituency is

, which has been represented by the

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...

Steff Aquarone MP since 2024.

War Memorial

East and West Runton War Memorial is a flint memorial with marble plaques located close to the Church of the Holy Trinity in West Runton. The funds for the memorial were raised between 1919 and 1921 with the memorial being erected by the

Sheringham Sheringham (; population 7,367) is a seaside town and civil parish in the county of Norfolk, England.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East''. . The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District ...

-based stonemason, H. Palmer. The memorial was unveiled in 1921 and re-furbished in 1951. The memorial lists the following names of residents from East Runton: In 1951, the following names of soldiers from East Runton who died during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

were added: The memorial also lists the name of a 12 year old girl, Doris Emma King, who was killed on a bombing raid on

Cromer Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the North Norfolk district of the county of Norfolk, England. It is north of Norwich, northwest of North Walsham and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline. The local ...

on 17 November 1940.

Gallery

File:StAndrewsChurchEastRunton(JohnSalmon)Apr2005.jpg, St. Andrew's Church, East Runton File:East Runton.jpg, Looking towards

File:Fishing Boat Inn East Runton 30th Jan 2008 (1).JPG, The Fishing Boat Inn File:Views into East Runton from the North west 30 Jan 2008 (2).JPG, View into East Runton from the north-west File:East Runton A149.jpg, A149 passing through the village

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:East Runton Villages in Norfolk North Norfolk Populated coastal places in Norfolk