Mattishall
Encyclopedia
Mattishall is a village and civil parish
in the English county of Norfolk
. It is situated in the heart of Norfolk 13 miles from the centre of Norwich
and four miles from Dereham
, at the geographical centre of Norfolk.
It covers an area of 11.89 km² (4.6 sq mi) and had a population of 2,631 in 1,110 households as of the 2001 census
. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district
of Breckland
.
of boulder clay
left by the glaciers about 300,000 years ago. The soil in the area varies from sands around the neighbouring Mattishall Burgh to stickier clays around Mattishall.
Evidence of human activity in these villages reaches back to the period between 8000
and 1000
BC. The discovery in 1968 of a hoard of 110 silver coins provides a link with the Roman
period. However no proof of Roman occupation has been found so far. The four panels of the Mattishall village sign, erected in 1984, depict different periods of history from Roman, the Domesday Survey of 1086, medieval to the mid-twentieth century.
The All Saints Church in Mattishall dates from the late fourteenth century, possibly replacing an earlier church on the site. The patron is Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
and it is thought that Dr. Caius
was instrumental in initiating the building of the larger church. Saint Peter's Church, in Mattishall Burgh, is much smaller and is mainly late thirteenth century.
Mattishall has been divided in a religious sense for many years, first with the Reformation
, then with the growth of Quakerism. The Quakers established a Meeting House in 1687. Almost 100 years later the Old Moor Congregational Chapel was built. Both had their own burial ground. When it become uneconomical to continue at Old Moor, the Congregationalists transferred to their Lecture Room in Welgate built in 1829. It is now the United Reformed Church
. Primitive Methodism
gained a following in the nineteenth century but it was not until 1900 that a site was found for a permanent meeting place along the main road. The second half of the twentieth century saw the establishment of the Evangelical Church.
During the reign of Edward VI, cleric Matthew Parker
married Margaret Harlestone of Mattishall. He became the first Archbishop of Canterbury
to be appointed under Elizabeth I. Local tradition has it that the house behind the butcher's shop in Church Plain was the Harlestone family home.
Some of the very old buildings in Mattishall are hidden behind brick and mortar skins and Georgian
facades, but others remain to be admired. Of the three nineteenth century mills
, the bases of two remain. One has been converted recently into a holiday cottage.
The National School (subsequently Mattishall Primary School and Mattishall Middle School, and since 2005 merged to become simply Mattishall Primary School) was built in 1872. A notable headmistress was Miss Johnson (1884–1919), the daughter of the station master
at Hardingham. Miss Mildred Edwards, a pupil-teacher, was still around when the school celebrated its centenary. It was she who planted the conker
, which grew into the very large chestnut tree
in the garden of Church Cottage near the corner of the school playing field.
The fortunes and well being of the villagers have fluctuated over the centuries. In 1835 the family of Sir William Edward Parry
, the polar
explorer, occupied South Green House (now Mattishall Hall) for a few months. On half pay from the navy
, he was sent to Norfolk as an Assistant Commissioner for the New Poor Law. His sister-in-law wrote to her mother, "...a large population, immense families, and not work for half, and no resident gentleman near to do anything for them... such a disagreeable neighbourhood...".
. A number of them were warned or fined by the court for failing to sell their wool through Norwich Market
. They had found more lucrative outlets in Suffolk
and other places.
Apart from husbandry, wool-combing
and weaving
, many other trades were followed in the area. There was a decline in the wool trade in the eighteenth century, which led to unemployment for combers and weavers. These occupations had almost disappeared by the beginning of the nineteenth century. Some found work on the land but others became chargeable on the Parish and either suffered the indignity of living in accommodation set aside for paupers or worse still were sent to the workhouse
at Gressenhall
.
Most farmers brewed beer but brewing on a larger scale centred on the Malthouse which was demolished in the 1920s. Apart from the Swan Inn, The George and Cross Keys there were several ale houses dotted around the villages and in the nineteenth century included The White House, The Ringers, Ivy Cottage, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Crown and Anchor. Today only The Swan survives as a public house
, in a twentieth-century building, which replaced the old thatched building of centuries past.
Despite the modern settlement's growing size numerous local shops and businesses have not survived the advent of the family car and of supermarket
s and hypermarket
s. The haulage business of A. J. Farrow provided local employment for many people for more than 50 years. Other family business, all names which have now gone, include Dobbs, King, Horne, Fisher, Howard, Turner and Reynolds. Norton's Bakery was run by a member of the family but has ceased trading like Hewitt's Butchers which is just a trade name now. In farming, the names of Hill and Edwards span several generations. DC Gaskins Automotive Engineers remains one of the larger business operations in the village.
ing has taken place resulting in rapid increases in the population.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the English county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. It is situated in the heart of Norfolk 13 miles from the centre of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
and four miles from Dereham
Dereham
Dereham, also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, some 15 miles west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles east of King's Lynn. The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of...
, at the geographical centre of Norfolk.
It covers an area of 11.89 km² (4.6 sq mi) and had a population of 2,631 in 1,110 households as of the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Breckland
Breckland (district)
Breckland District is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in East Dereham.Breckland District derives its name from the Breckland landscape region, a gorse covered sandy heath of south Norfolk and north Suffolk...
.
History
It is situated on a plateauPlateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
of boulder clay
Boulder clay
Boulder clay, in geology, is a deposit of clay, often full of boulders, which is formed in and beneath glaciers and ice-sheets wherever they are found, but is in a special sense the typical deposit of the Glacial Period in northern Europe and North America...
left by the glaciers about 300,000 years ago. The soil in the area varies from sands around the neighbouring Mattishall Burgh to stickier clays around Mattishall.
Evidence of human activity in these villages reaches back to the period between 8000
8th millennium BC
In the 8th millennium BC, agriculture became widely practised in the Fertile Crescent and Anatolia.Pottery became widespread and animal husbandry spread to Africa and Eurasia. World population was approximately 5 million.-Events:*c. 8000 BC—The last glacial period ends.*c...
and 1000
2nd millennium BC
The 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age.Its first half is dominated by the Middle Kingdom of Egypt and Babylonia. The alphabet develops. Indo-Iranian migration onto the Iranian plateau and onto the Indian subcontinent propagates the use of the chariot...
BC. The discovery in 1968 of a hoard of 110 silver coins provides a link with the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
period. However no proof of Roman occupation has been found so far. The four panels of the Mattishall village sign, erected in 1984, depict different periods of history from Roman, the Domesday Survey of 1086, medieval to the mid-twentieth century.
The All Saints Church in Mattishall dates from the late fourteenth century, possibly replacing an earlier church on the site. The patron is Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and it is thought that Dr. Caius
John Caius
John Caius , also known as Johannes Caius, was an English physician, and second founder of the present Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.-Early years:...
was instrumental in initiating the building of the larger church. Saint Peter's Church, in Mattishall Burgh, is much smaller and is mainly late thirteenth century.
Mattishall has been divided in a religious sense for many years, first with the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, then with the growth of Quakerism. The Quakers established a Meeting House in 1687. Almost 100 years later the Old Moor Congregational Chapel was built. Both had their own burial ground. When it become uneconomical to continue at Old Moor, the Congregationalists transferred to their Lecture Room in Welgate built in 1829. It is now the United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
. Primitive Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
gained a following in the nineteenth century but it was not until 1900 that a site was found for a permanent meeting place along the main road. The second half of the twentieth century saw the establishment of the Evangelical Church.
During the reign of Edward VI, cleric Matthew Parker
Matthew Parker
Matthew Parker was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1559 until his death in 1575. He was also an influential theologian and arguably the co-founder of Anglican theological thought....
married Margaret Harlestone of Mattishall. He became the first Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
to be appointed under Elizabeth I. Local tradition has it that the house behind the butcher's shop in Church Plain was the Harlestone family home.
Some of the very old buildings in Mattishall are hidden behind brick and mortar skins and Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
facades, but others remain to be admired. Of the three nineteenth century mills
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
, the bases of two remain. One has been converted recently into a holiday cottage.
The National School (subsequently Mattishall Primary School and Mattishall Middle School, and since 2005 merged to become simply Mattishall Primary School) was built in 1872. A notable headmistress was Miss Johnson (1884–1919), the daughter of the station master
Station master
The station master was the person in charge of railway stations, in the United Kingdom and some other countries, before the modern age. He would manage the other station employees and would have responsibility for safety and the efficient running of the station...
at Hardingham. Miss Mildred Edwards, a pupil-teacher, was still around when the school celebrated its centenary. It was she who planted the conker
Conker
Conkers is a traditional English children's game played using the seeds of horse-chestnut trees – the name 'conker' is also applied to the seed and to the tree itself...
, which grew into the very large chestnut tree
Common Horse-chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum is a large deciduous tree, commonly known as Horse-chestnut or Conker tree.-Distribution:Aesculus hippocastanum is native to a small area in the mountains of the Balkans in southeast Europe, in small areas in northern Greece, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and...
in the garden of Church Cottage near the corner of the school playing field.
The fortunes and well being of the villagers have fluctuated over the centuries. In 1835 the family of Sir William Edward Parry
William Edward Parry
Sir William Edward Parry was an English rear-admiral and Arctic explorer, who in 1827 attempted one of the earliest expeditions to the North Pole...
, the polar
Polar region
Earth's polar regions are the areas of the globe surrounding the poles also known as frigid zones. The North Pole and South Pole being the centers, these regions are dominated by the polar ice caps, resting respectively on the Arctic Ocean and the continent of Antarctica...
explorer, occupied South Green House (now Mattishall Hall) for a few months. On half pay from the navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
, he was sent to Norfolk as an Assistant Commissioner for the New Poor Law. His sister-in-law wrote to her mother, "...a large population, immense families, and not work for half, and no resident gentleman near to do anything for them... such a disagreeable neighbourhood...".
Economy
In the sixteenth century the wool merchants of Mattishall were well-known, or even notorious, in East AngliaEast Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
. A number of them were warned or fined by the court for failing to sell their wool through Norwich Market
Norwich Market
Norwich Market is an outdoor market consisting of around 200 stalls in central Norwich, England. Founded in the latter part of the 11th century to supply Norman merchants and settlers moving to the area following the Norman conquest of England, it replaced an earlier market a short distance...
. They had found more lucrative outlets in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and other places.
Apart from husbandry, wool-combing
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
, many other trades were followed in the area. There was a decline in the wool trade in the eighteenth century, which led to unemployment for combers and weavers. These occupations had almost disappeared by the beginning of the nineteenth century. Some found work on the land but others became chargeable on the Parish and either suffered the indignity of living in accommodation set aside for paupers or worse still were sent to the workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
at Gressenhall
Gressenhall
Gressenhall is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1008 in 443 households as of the 2001 census...
.
Most farmers brewed beer but brewing on a larger scale centred on the Malthouse which was demolished in the 1920s. Apart from the Swan Inn, The George and Cross Keys there were several ale houses dotted around the villages and in the nineteenth century included The White House, The Ringers, Ivy Cottage, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Crown and Anchor. Today only The Swan survives as a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, in a twentieth-century building, which replaced the old thatched building of centuries past.
Despite the modern settlement's growing size numerous local shops and businesses have not survived the advent of the family car and of supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s and hypermarket
Hypermarket
In commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including full groceries lines and general merchandise...
s. The haulage business of A. J. Farrow provided local employment for many people for more than 50 years. Other family business, all names which have now gone, include Dobbs, King, Horne, Fisher, Howard, Turner and Reynolds. Norton's Bakery was run by a member of the family but has ceased trading like Hewitt's Butchers which is just a trade name now. In farming, the names of Hill and Edwards span several generations. DC Gaskins Automotive Engineers remains one of the larger business operations in the village.
Population
The population of the two villages reached a peak of 1,385 in 1841 and then began to decline as, due to mechanisation on farms, people left the area to look for work. By 1931 the figure had dropped to 829 and by 1961 was only 929. Since then substantial development and infillInfill
Infill in its broadest meaning is material that fills in an otherwise unoccupied space. The term is commonly used in association with construction techniques such as wattle and daub, and civil engineering activities such as land reclamation.-Construction:...
ing has taken place resulting in rapid increases in the population.
Modern developments
There have been many developments since the 1960s: a memorial hall, a sports and social club, new school buildings on a large site and a surgery, pharmacy, hairdressers and local shops.Notable people
- James Bailey (UK politician)James Bailey (UK politician)Sir James Bailey JP, DL, MP, was a British Conservative Party politician who served from 1895 to 1906 as Member of Parliament for Walworth in South London...
.