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Fincham

Coordinates: 52°37′48″N 0°29′18″E / 52.63010°N 0.48826°E / 52.63010; 0.48826
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(Redirected from Fincham, Norfolk)

Fincham
St. Martin's Church
Fincham is located in Norfolk
Fincham
Fincham
Location within Norfolk
Area4.65 sq mi (12.0 km2)
Population496 (2011)
• Density107/sq mi (41/km2)
OS grid referenceTF685065
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townKING'S LYNN
Postcode districtPE33
Dialling code01366
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°37′48″N 0°29′18″E / 52.63010°N 0.48826°E / 52.63010; 0.48826

Fincham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.

Fincham is located 9.4 miles (15.1 km) south of King's Lynn and 34 miles (55 km) west of Norwich.

History

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Fincham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a homestead or settlement with an abundance of finches.[1]

The Roman Fen Causeway once ran through Fincham[2] meaning the parish has yielded numerous Roman artefacts including three separate hoards of silver coins, a curious figure of a hare and hound and a bust of Jupiter.[3] The foundations of a Roman building have been discovered in the north of the parish, which have been excavated by Norfolk Heritage in the 1990s.[4]

The parish has also yielded many artefacts from the Anglo-Saxon period including rare coins dating from the reign of King Rædwald and another that was minted in Maastricht. With later coins found dating from the reigns of King Cnut and Æthelred the Unready.[5]

In the Domesday Book, Fincham is listed as a settlement of 164 households in the hundred of Clackclose. In 1086, the village was divided between the East Anglian estates of William de Warenne, Hermer de Ferrers, Bury St Edmunds Abbey, St. Etheldreda's Abbey, Ralph Baynard and Reginald, son of Ivo.[6]

Fincham Hall is a manor-house dating from the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, with an earlier octagonal brick tower. Today, the hall is available for tourists to rent on Airbnb.[7] Talbot Hall was built in Eighteenth Century and was notable for hosting an impressive collection of orchids currently displayed in Kew Botanical Gardens.[citation needed]

Geography

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According to the 2021 census, Fincham has a population of 514 people which shows an increase from the 496 people listed in the 2011 census.[8]

Most of Fincham village is a dedicated conservation area due to its distinct rural character.[9]

St. Martin's Church

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Fincham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Martin, with the exterior of the church dating from the Fifteenth Century and the interior being the remains of an extensive Nineteenth Century restoration. St. Martin's is located within the village on the High Street and has been Grade I listed since 1959.[10] St. Martin's font is famous throughout Norfolk due to the fact it stands on four separate legs and depicts scenes from The Gospel of Christ.[11]

Fincham once had another church, dedicated to Saint Michael, but this fell into disuse and was subsequently demolished in the mid-Nineteenth Century.[12]

Amenities

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Though at one time Fincham was home to five public houses, today only one remains- 'The Swan'. The pub has stood on its current site since the late-Eighteenth Century and today operates as a freehouse.[13]

Fincham Memorial Hall is located close to the Village Green, and is the venue for monthly car boot sales and the annual Village Fete. The hall has been severely damaged twice in recent memory, once after an illegal rave and secondly by flooding in Winter of 2010.[citation needed]

As of 2016, the village was home to a petrol station and a hairdressing salon.[citation needed]

In 2005, the Fincham Chorus was formed by people from Fincham and the surrounding area. To date, they have staged several concerts and performed at one wedding, as well as taking part in the Christmas carol services. To date, they have raised over £10,000 for St Martin's Church restoration fund.

Governance

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Feltwell is part of the electoral ward of Airfield for local elections and is part of the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk

The village's national constituency is South West Norfolk which has been represented by Labour's Terry Jermy MP since 2024.

War memorial

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Fincham War Memorial is a square plinth topped with a crucifix, made from Portland stone and located inside St. Martin's Churchyard. The memorial was restored in 2012 with the partition chains around the memorial being stolen in 2013 and subsequently replaced.[14] The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:[15]

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Burial/Commemoration
Lt. William Crane General List 13 Mar. 1918 St. Mary's Church
Sgt. George Harvey 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment 8 Nov. 1918 Les Baraques Cemetery
Cpl. Philip J. Laws 9th Bn., Yorkshire Regiment 15 Jan. 1916 Calais Southern Cemetery
LCpl. Ernest Lankfer 18th Bn., Highland Light Infantry 26 Oct. 1917 Tyne Cot
LCpl. Sydney Bacon 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment 19 Dec. 1914 Menin Gate
Gnr. Bertie W. Sculpher 322nd Bty., Royal Garrison Artillery 18 Jul. 1917 Ravenna War Cemetery
Pte. Thomas Utting 4th Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment 10 Apr. 1916 Ladywell Cemetery
Pte. George Nelson 2nd Bn., Cheshire Regiment 15 Apr. 1918 Doiran Memorial
Pte. Isaac Sculpher 1st Bn., Coldstream Guards 26 Jan. 1915 Cabaret-Rouge Cemetery
Pte. Harry Jude 1st Bn., East Surrey Regiment 15 Sep. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. Robert Secker 1st Bn., Essex Regiment 13 Aug. 1915 Helles Memorial
Pte. Albert G. Bly 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment 16 Jul. 1915 Étaples Military Cemetery
Pte. Bert Bell 7th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 22 Jul. 1917 Duisans British Cemetery
Pte. Arthur Elliott 8th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 9 Nov. 1917 Dozinghem Cemetery
Pte. Charles R. Wilding 8th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 5 Dec. 1915 Norfolk Cemetery
Pte. Ralph H. Bacon 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 21 Mar. 1918 Arras Memorial
Pte. Jotham A. Bywater 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 26 Sep. 1915 Loos Memorial
Pte. Benjamin J. Barker 6th Bn., Northamptonshire Regiment 17 Feb. 1917 Regina Trench Cemetery
Pte. Robert R. Bellham 2nd Bn., Royal Sussex Regiment 15 Jul. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. Fred W. E. Upshaw 2/5th Bn., West Yorkshire Regiment 20 Jul. 1918 Marfaux Cemetery
Rfn. Percy W. Bacon 13th Bn., King's Royal Rifle Corps 21 Mar. 1918 Tyne Cot
Rfn. John Johnson 13th Bn., K.R.R.C. 13 Jun. 1916 Thiepval Memorial

The following names were added following the Second World War:

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Burial/Commemoration
FO Hugh Mason DFM[a] No. 83 Squadron RAF 27 Apr. 1944 Durnbach War Cemetery
Cpl. Douglas E. G. Drew 1st Bn., Suffolk Regiment 31 May 1940 Oostvleteren Churchyard
Pte. Alan M. Lambert 1st Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment 6 Jun. 1944 Hermanville War Cemetery
Pte. James W. Cameron 5th Bn., Royal Norfolks 26 Jun. 1943 Kanchanaburi War Cemetery

Footnotes

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References

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  1. ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  2. ^ "mnf2796 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  3. ^ "mnf39164 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  4. ^ "mnf25857 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  5. ^ "mnf29706 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  6. ^ "Fincham | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  7. ^ "mnf4351 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  8. ^ "Fincham (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  9. ^ Norfolk, Borough Council of King's Lynn & West. "Conservation areas". www.west-norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  10. ^ "CHURCH OF ST MARTIN, Fincham - 1077822 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  11. ^ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  12. ^ "mnf4358 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  13. ^ "WHITE SWAN – FINCHAM". www.norfolkpubs.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  14. ^ Historic England. "Fincham War Memorial, Fincham (1447508)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  15. ^ "Geograph:: Fakenham to Fundenhall :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2025.

Notes

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  1. ^ FO Mason was awarded the DFM in November 1941, likely for long service.
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