Kenninghall 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

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 ...

. Kenninghall is located north-west of Diss and south-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

Kenninghall'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 nook of land of ''Cena's'' people. 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 ...

, Kenninghall is listed as a settlement of 36 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 Guiltcross. 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

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 ...

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# ...

. The manor of Kenninghall found its way into the ownership of the

Howard family The Howard family is an English noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has of ...

who held the title of

Dukes of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The premier non-royal peer, the Duke of Norfolk is additionally the premier duke and earl in the English peerage. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the t ...

. The family originally lived at East Hall which was demolished around 1520 and replaced by Kenninghall Place. The palace was built in a 'H' style and was demolished in 1650 though some parts of it remain. In 1836, the Guiltcross Union House was built in Kenninghall which was to serve as a

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

for the surrounding area. By 1916, it was serving as an institute for 'mentally defective boys' and was later used to house

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

prisoners of war 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 ...

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Kenninghall has a population of 1,028 people which shows an increase from the 941 people recorded in the 2011 census.

St. Mary's Church

Kenninghall's parish church is dedicated to

Saint Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and dates from the Fourteenth Century. St. Mary's is located on Church Street and has been Grade I listed since 1958. The church holds Sunday service twice a month. St. Mary's holds a rare set of royal arms from the reign of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

as well as a set from the reign of King Charles I. The church also holds a good set of modern stained-glass windows.

Amenities

Kenninghall Primary School is located on North Lopham Road and is part of the Enrich Learning Trust. The headteacher is Mr. L. Ambrose.

Notable Residents

Jane Howard, Countess of Westmorland Jane Neville (''née'' Howard), Countess of Westmorland (1533/37 – buried 30 June 1593), was an English noblewoman who had a role in the Northern Rebellion in 1569 against Elizabeth I of England. Family Jane was born between 1533 and 153 ...

- (1533-1593) noblewoman, died and buried in Kenninghall. * Elizabeth Leyburne, Duchess of Norfolk- (1536-1567) noblewoman, died in Kenninghall. *

Oliver Bernard Oliver Bernard (6 December 1925 – 1 June 2013) was an English poet and translator. He is perhaps best known for translating Arthur Rimbaud into English as part of the Penguin Classics collection. Biography Bernard was born in London, to th ...

- (1925-2013) poet and translator, lived and died in Kenninghall.

War Memorial

Kenninghall's war memorials are a set of marble plaques in St. Mary's Church which list 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 names were added after the

References

External links

Literary Norfolk
{{authority control Villages in Norfolk Civil parishes in Norfolk Breckland District