Hindringham is a village and a civil parish in the English 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 ...

. Hindringham is located north-east of

Fakenham Fakenham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, about north-west of Norwich. The town is at the junction of several local roads, including the A148 from King's Lynn to Cromer, the A1067 to N ...

and north-west 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 ...

History

Hindringham'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 the settlement of the people living behind the hills. 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 ...

, Hindringham is listed as a settlement of 49 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 Greenhoe. In 1086, the village was divided between the

East Anglia 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, ...

n estates of

William de Beaufeu William de Beaufeu was a medieval Bishop of Thetford and a major landholder mentioned in the Domesday Book.The Domesday Book, Englands Heritage, Then and Now, Editor: Thomas Hinde, Major Domesday landholders page 338 Life William's land holdings ...

King William I William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

Osbern FitzOsbern __NOTOC__ Osbern FitzOsbern (d. 1103) was a Norman churchman. He was a relative of King Edward the Confessor as well as being a royal chaplain.Barlow ''Edward the Confessor'' p. 164 During Edward's reign he received the church at Bosham, near ...

and

Drogo de la Beuvrière Drogo de la Bouerer (also recorded as ''Drogo of la Beuvrière'', ''Drogo de la Bouerer''.) was a Flemish associate of William the Conqueror, who was rewarded after the conquest with a large grant of land in northern and eastern England, primarily ...

. The Duke's Head pub was open in the village from 1784 to 1954 and was the scene of regular cockfights. Lower Green

tower mill A tower mill is a type of vertical windmill consisting of a brick or stone tower, on which sits a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the sails into the wind.Medieval science, technology, and medicine: an encyclopedia (2005), 520 Thi ...

was built in the 19th century and closed in 1900, being converted into a private dwelling.

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Hindringham had a population of 465 people, an increase from the 457 people recorded in the 2011 census.

St. Martin's Church

Hindringham's parish church is dedicated to

Saint Martin of Tours Martin of Tours (; 316/3368 November 397) was the third bishop of Tours. He is the patron saint of many communities and organizations across Europe, including France's Third Republic. A native of Pannonia (present-day Hungary), he converted to ...

and dates from the 14th century. The church is within the village on 'The Street', and has been

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

since 1959. The church is no longer open for Sunday services, but is part of the Waymarker Benefice and is in the care of the

National Churches Trust The National Churches Trust, formerly the Historic Churches Preservation Trust, is a British Charitable organization#United Kingdom, registered charity whose aim is to "promote and support church buildings of historic, architectural and community ...

. St. Martin's was heavily restored in the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

and still holds a 15th century

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...

and a stained-glass window designed by

Ward and Hughes Ward and Hughes (formerly Ward and Nixon) was the name of an English company producing stained-glass windows. History Ward and Hughes was preceded by the company Ward and Nixon, whose studio was at 67 Frith Street, Soho. They created a large w ...

depicting the martyrdom of St. Martin. The church also holds a remarkable 12th century chest, which is generally considered to be one of the oldest in England.

Hindringham Hall

Hindringham Hall is a 16th-century moated brick and flint house located roughly quarter of a mile to the north-west of the village centre. It was built by Martin Hastings, a courtier in the service of

Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (c. 15 June 1519 – 23 July 1536) was the son of Henry VIII of England and his mistress Elizabeth Blount, and the only child born out of wedlock whom Henry acknowledged. He was the younger ...

, the illegitimate son of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

by his mistress

Elizabeth Blount Elizabeth Blount (// – 1540), commonly known during her lifetime as Bessie Blount, was a Mistresses of Henry VIII, mistress of Henry VIII of England. Early life Blount was the daughter of John Blount (died 1531), Sir John Blount and Kather ...

. A lease written in 1562 refers to the house "now being builded and edified". It had fallen into decline until restored in 1900 b
Gerald Gosselin
from Bengeo Hall,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

. The interior was completely refurbished, the exterior largely being retained. The moat and associated fish ponds date from the 12th century. The raised ground within the moat originally provided a secure and dry location for farm buildings and storage. The extensive gardens are the work of the current owners, and include a significant rose collection. They were shortlisted for the Historic Houses 2020 Garden of the Year award. They are open to the public on certain days during the summer months.

Hindringham Fish Ponds and Moat

The medieval fish ponds on the Hindringham Estate cover 3 acres (1.2 hectares). Although somewhat silted up, they remain amongst the best preserved in

. The ponds and the moat are fed from the

River Stiffkey The River Stiffkey is a chalk stream running through an area of north Norfolk, England from its source near Swanton Novers to flow out into the North Sea on the north Norfolk coast near the village of Stiffkey. The river has been dredged histori ...

, a

chalk stream Chalk streams are rivers that rise from springs in landscapes with chalk bedrock. Since chalk is permeable, water easily percolates through the ground to the water table and chalk streams therefore receive little surface runoff. As a result, th ...

running through the grounds. They were built, along with the moat, in around 1150 and their construction would have required moving around 50,000 m³ of soil, an enterprise likely occupying 100 men for 3 years. The ponds were managed by the monks of Norwich Priory, and comprised an important food source for the priory, as well as for the Benedictines at

Binham Priory St Mary's Priory, Binham, or Binham Priory, is a ruined Benedictine priory located in the village of Binham in the England, English county of Norfolk. Today the nave of the much larger priory church has become the ''Church of St. Mary and the Ho ...

and the Augustinians and Friars at

Walsingham Walsingham () is a civil parish in North Norfolk, England, famous for its religious shrines in honour of Mary, mother of Jesus. It also contains the ruins of two medieval Christian monasticism, monastic houses.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Expl ...

(about 5 km or 3 miles to the west), as well as for the thousands of pilgrims who came to Walsingham from all over Europe. Eel, perch and pike were farmed, with European carp introduced later. It is likely that the ponds were abandoned following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1534, but even if not, it is almost certain that they were finally abandoned in the

Little Ice Age The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of regional cooling, particularly pronounced in the North Atlantic region. It was not a true ice age of global extent. The term was introduced into scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939. Mat ...

of the 17th century. However the shortage of labour following the Plague of 1349 may have resulted in their earlier decline.

Amenities

Hindringham Church of England Primary School caters to local children and is part of The Pilgrim Federation. The headmaster is Mr. T. Snowdon. Hindringham has a popular sports and social club and this acts as the clubhouse for Hindringham FC on matchdays.

Sports and recreation

Hindringham FC

The village football club, Hindringham F.C. was originally formed in 1910 and re-formed in 1986. The club has worked its way up to senior status in the Football Association National Pyramid since the re-formation. They were elected from the North East Norfolk League to the

Anglian Combination The Anglian Combination (currently known as the Fosters Solicitors Anglian Combination for sponsorship reasons) is an English association football, football league that operates in East Anglia. The league specifically covers Norfolk and northern ...

in 1998 and eventually won promotion to the Premier Division from Division 1 in the 2006–07 season and in dramatic fashion. With only a win good enough in their final game away at Sprowston Wanderers, a goal in second half stoppage time sealed a 1–0 victory and a runner's-up spot. Hindringham stayed in the Premier Division for two seasons before finally being relegated in the 2008–09 season. They had been relegated the previous season but the withdrawal of Halvergate United and Lowestoft Town from the division meant that the club stayed in the Premier Division for another season. They have been in Division 1 ever since the 2008-09 relegation. From the 2005–06 to the 2007–08 season, the club ran a successful youth team which won their league the first season and made two cup final appearances during this time. (Captain Yotis Alamanous Vice Captain Adrian Belton) Hindringham's last home match in front of the old clubhouse was a 6–1 defeat to Norwich St.Johns in Division 1 on 24 April 2010. In May 2010 the old clubhouse was demolished and a new clubhouse opened in March 2011. The clubhouse used to also act as the village pub but is now solely a clubhouse. The building is called 'The Pavilion'. Because of the ongoing work to the clubhouse, the 2010–11 season up to March saw Hindringham play their home games at Kelling Road, Holt and Clipbush Park, Fakenham. Some home games were played on the opposition's ground. The first game after the completion of the new clubhouse was on 12 March 2011 against Sprowston Athletic. Hindringham won 3–0. The club's home ground can either be called The Elms or Wells Road. During their early Anglian Combination years up to the late 2000s, first team matches regularly attracted crowds of around 30–50 with some matches managing to attract crowds close to 100. In an Anglian Combination Division 1 match against Sheringham in May 2005, an attendance of over 100 was recorded. The attendance was confirmed by the then chairman of the club later on. The team play in black and white striped shirts, black shorts and black socks. Their away kit is black and royal blue striped shirts and royal blue shorts and socks. Hindringham's main rivals are Fakenham Town, Holt United and Wells Town. Other clubs nearby include Walsingham (who Hindringham have traditionally played in an annual pre-season cup competition) and Binham.

Governance

Hindringham 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 Priory 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

Hindringham War Memorial is a stone cross with an emblazoned sword of sacrifice in St. Martin's Churchyard. The memorial lists the following names for the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

: The following name was added after 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 ...

References

# Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council, 2001.
Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes
.

External links

{{authority control Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk North Norfolk