Glaven Historian Complete Table of Contents

The table below lists the contents of the issues 1 1998) to 19 (2024). This complete table of contents may be used to help identify articles in different issues of the Glaven Historian which may be of interest, based on the content of each entry in the table below.

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IssueYearArticle TitleAuthor(s)Page Synopsis
11998Editorial2
119981586 Map of Blakeney Haven and Port of Cley: Part IJ Hooton3Since the publication of ‘The Glaven Ports’ I have once again turned my attention to finding out more about the 1586 map of Blakeney Haven and eventually, perhaps, to track down the original. Although the whereabouts of this map is currently a mystery, more information has come to light about the possible reasons why it was drawn, and this will be the subject of a further article in the next issue of this journal. Meanwhile, discussion about the map is bedevilled by the fact that there are many different copies. The following notes summarise my understanding to date, but this remains ‘work in progress’ and I should be grateful for any comments or corrections that readers can offer.
11998Norfolk War Memorials Project 1918-1998M Ferroussat8This year, 1998, is the 80th anniversary of the end of the First World War – which had touched the lives of everyone in the country: husbands, sons, lovers, friends – every family had lost someone. To commemorate the dead, memorials were erected throughout the country. In Norfolk there were 12,000 names to record. This year, a project is under way to ensure that these memorials and the men they commemorate will not be forgotten. This article explains what is being done, both within the county and in Blakeney in particular. It is envisaged that a second article will give some information about the Blakeney men whose names are listed.
11998The Reverend James Pointer: Rector of Blakeney (1584-1621) and Wiveton (1591-1621)J George15The sixteenth century was a time of great religious change. Henry VIII defied the authority of the Pope and persuaded Parliament to declare him Supreme Head of the Church in England. In the reign of Mary Tudor there were bloody attempts to return to the Church of Rome, but Queen Elizabeth re-affirmed the Anglican Church and established a compromise with Catholics, though quarrelling and dissent continued in many parts of the country. In this part of Norfolk, far away from London, most people were not greatly bothered by these changes. The passing years brought the cycle of seedtime and harvest – sometimes good, sometimes bad – and the toil of fishing, farming and trading continued. Life went on: no doubt some people objected to the new forms of service, but others accepted them or did not much care either way. It was towards the end of this turbulent century, in 1584, that James Pointer became Rector of Blakeney under the patronage of James Calthorpe.
11998Taylor's WoodM White20As a botanist, I have always been fascinated by the history of our landscape and the way in which it has been moulded by the activities of man. And here in Norfolk, which until late medieval times was one of the most heavily populated counties in England, every corner has a story to tell. Taylor’s Wood is no exception.
11998The Blakeney and Cley Port BooksR Kelham22The port books represent one of the major sources for the historian interested in pre-19th century trade. They purport to be a record of all dutiable goods imported or exported, or sent coast-wise, over the period 1565 to 1780. Considering that at various times just about every commodity that could be traded could also be taxed, these records should give a pretty comprehensive overview of England’s ship-borne trade. But do they? This article presents some thoughts on this question and includes some extracts from selected port books. It is intended that some complete transcriptions will be included in future issues of the Journal.
11998Sounds familiar …. but what does it mean?The Editor27There is plenty of scope for using the Journal to present, in full, selected documents in order to show the kind of material that is available for the study of local history. The document selected for this first issue dates from the 16th century and can be seen in the Public Record Office at Kew. Kenneth Allen, whose extensive notes on the Glaven villages are in the Norfolk Record Office, had noted its existence but had not transcribed it in full, perhaps because its significance is not immediately clear. Readers are invited to see what they can make of it – letters to the Editor suggesting a solution would be very welcome!
11998Bayfield Church: Resistivity Survey 1998P Carnell & J Wright30One of the members of the The Blakeney Area Historical Society (BAHS), Dr Peter Carnell, has recently developed an expertise in resistivity surveying and has agreed to help the Society to survey selected local sites. This report records the first such survey and demonstrates that though the actual survey is relatively straightforward, interpretation of the findings is rather more difficult. At Bayfield Church the resistivity readings show various archaeological features which cannot be identified precisely but which provide an excellent focus for further study.
11998What the papers saidThe Editor43Norwich Mercury 4th January 1902. Two short articles of interest to Blakeney can be found in the Norwich Mercury of the 4th January 1902. The first was drawn to the editor’s attention by a friend and it was pure chance that in looking for it in the paper the second article was seen in the next column but one. The item on the Salvation Army is written in magnificent prose and one can imagine it being read aloud in Churchillian style. The second item concerns three members of the Long family, some of whose descendants still live in the village. The Longs have been the source for many local stories but this one does not seem to have been remembered.
11998Domesday BlakeneyJ Wright46The aim of this article is to make some explanatory comments on the Domesday entries for Blakeney. Unfortunately, this is not as easy as it sounds, for much of the content of the Domesday Book is not at all clear. In any case, it is difficult to study villages individually for in East Anglia there is no simple correspondence between village and manor. Just as one manor may have jurisdiction in several villages, so one village may owe allegiance to several manors. Any village, Blakeney included, therefore needs to be examined in relation to the pattern of landholding. A further aspect is that many of the social and economic conditions portrayed by Domesday are best seen from a study of the whole area, and the significance of the entries for one village may well be clearer after comparison with entries elsewhere. This article therefore looks at some of the features of Domesday not just for Blakeney but for the whole of the area known as Holt Hundred.
21999Editorial2
219991586 Map of Blakeney Haven and Port of Cley: Part IIJ Wright3In the previous issue of this Journal, Jonathan Hooton identified and described all the known copies of the 1586 map of Blakeney Haven – though the whereabouts of the original remain unknown.’ He also noted that recent work by Dr Andy Wood of UEA had suggested that the map was drawn to provide evidence for a court case to decide whether the Manor of Wighton or the Manor of Cley had the rights of wreck and salvage on Stiffkey sands. This article outlines the nature of the case and presents some information contained in the evidence. The wealth of topographical detail will need to be considered in a separate article.
21999Sounds familiar (Part II): The first New Cut?J Wright9This article was completely unexpected. The previous issue of this Journal contained a transcription of two 16th century documents referring to a request to make a cut in Morston marshes that would be to the benefit of the ports of Cley and Blakeney. After this length of time, some 450 years, there appeared to be little prospect of finding the exact location of the cut – assuming that the work was carried out as intended. Yet, surprising as it may seem, it looks as if this very cut is still visible today.
21999Norfolk War Memorials Project 1914-1918: Part IIM Ferroussat14 The previous issue of this Journal contained an article on the Norfolk War Memorials project organized by the Royal Norfolk Regimental Museum to complement the National Inventory of War Memorials being compiled by the Imperial War Museum. The project aimed not only to recordad 1914-1918 memorials but also to obtain biographical information about the people they commemorate. The article also listed all those named on the various memorials in Blakeney. This second article summarizes the information which has been obtained not just for these Blakeney men but also for all those from Cley, Letheringsett and Wiveton who died in the Great War. Some of the additional material which the Society holds has been copied to the Royal Norfolk Regimental Museum in Norwich.
21999Tunnel discovered at Blakeney!J Wright22Many coastal villages, including Blakeney, are riddled with smugglers ‘ tunnels – so it is said. Yet the evidence is hard to come by: so many seem to have been lost, filled up or bricked in. So it h as with considerable interest that the author responded to an invitation to look at a tunnel that had just been discovered on the Low quay at Blakeney. Could this be a genuine tunnel at last? Read on!
21999The Chapel on Blakeney Eye: some documentary evidenceJ Wright25On the north-east comer of Blakeney Eye is a low earthwork containing slight traces of flint walling which suggests that a building once stood there. This site has long been known as the ‘ruined chapel’, but on what evidence? This article outlines what is known about the site from documentary’ sources. The BAHS has recently carried out some detailed surveys of these ruins and the initial results are described in a separate article in this issue of the Journal.
21999The Chapel on Blakeney Eye: initial results of field surveysP Carnell34During the winter of 1998/99 the BAHS undertook a detailed study of the ‘chapel ‘ ruins on Blakeney Eye, using a variety of survey techniques. Some useful information has been obtained and the first results are outlined in this article. Other reports will be prepared in due course after further analysis of the information obtained This article describes the principal surveys: height measurements, geophysics and molehill sampling. A separate article in this issue of the Journal outlines what is known about the site from documentary sources.
21999A Note on Blakeney GarageM White46Blakeney Garage is unusual for its date in that it was designed by an architect specifically for its purpose and site. As a result it complements older buildings in the vicinity and enhances the appearance of the village. This note outlines the stages by which it reached its present form.
21999Memories of Blakeney in the 1930sT Wright48On the 27th March 1999 the author, born and brought up in the village, gave a talk to the Blakeney Sailing Club on the subject of Blakeney in the late 1920s and 1930s. This article is the text of his talk, making only those amendments essential to turn the piece from talk to written record. The content is drawn entirely from memory, although comments about particular events and dates have been checked where possible.
21999What the papers saidThe Editor58This first item is one account amongst many recorded in the papers of the day describing the jollifications which marked the coronation of Queen Victoria on 28th June 1838. The report for Cley is longer than most and the details provided enable the reader to form a good mental picture of the day's events, which began in at the Salt Pans by the Mill and finished in a barn at the Old Hall. Will three quarters of the village population ever again assemble for such an entertainment?
21999On being a house detective: Nos 145 & 147 High St. BlakeneyM Lee60During the autumn of 1998, under the auspices of UEA, the Society ran a 10 session course led by Mike Brackenbury to study English Vernacular Architecture. The course objective was to make a practical study of a local village house in order to attempt an interpretation of the various phases of the building’s life. Course members were introduced to the various techniques needed to undertake the study, including the preparation of plans from site measurements, the observation of the detail of both building and fittings, the use of sketches and photographs, and the potential of documentary records. No 145 in Blakeney High Street was selected for study thanks to the kind offer of Mrs Ruby Brown, and the adjoining property. No 147, was also examined courtesy of Mr and Mrs Peter Kenward. This article comments on the practical work and offers a personal interpretation of the building.
32000Editorial2
32000The Park at Holt HallM White3This article describes the planting and development of the garden and parkland of Holt Hall, now Holt Hall School. The grounds were part of the manor of Holt, recorded in the Domesday Book as a Royal Manor held under the king. By the mid-thirteenth century there were two subsidiary manors: Holt Pereers to the north-west and Holt Hales to the southeast.
32000Wiveton Churchyard: Monumental Inscriptions and Plan of BurialsM Ferroussat7People who visit a graveyard to feel the beauty and sadness of the place need know nothing of those who lie there. Even so, a chance find among the inscriptions, an accidental death, perhaps, or several children together, can add to the poignancy of the occasion. For others it is the search for ancestors or other relations which is the purpose of the visit. For this, an accessible plan of the graveyard and a listing of the stones it contains can be particularly useful. This article presents such a plan and listing for the churchyard at Wiveton.
32000An exciting discovery: Medieval Glass found in Wiveton ChurchS Woodhouse18The following article appeared in the June 2000 issue of the Glaven Valley Newsletter. Because of its intrinsic interest it seemed well worth reprinting in the Glaven Historian, and the work which the Society is carrying out at Wiveton makes this all the more appropriate. The Editor is grateful to the author for giving the necessary permission.
32000Coals from Newcastle: Trade between Newcastle and north Norfolk 1508-1511J Wright20In the medieval period Blakeney, Cley and Wiveton together formed one of the larger ports in the country. Not only did the harbour offer some shelter on a difficult coast but there was a major fishing industry and a substantial corn export trade. The changing fortunes of these ‘Glaven Ports’ over the centuries and their relative importance, both nationally and locally, are questions which warrant detailed study. Were the ports really as influential as some have assumed? The settlements were never large and, unlike Lynn and Yarmouth, had no large hinterland served by navigable rivers.
In the national archives there are many references to the Blakeney Haven, with its locally- owned ships large enough to be pressed into the king’s service. But few of these references relate to trading activities other than the sale of fish. Apart from shipping lists, there is very little on which to base any statistical assessment of the country ‘s ports – until the recent publication of accounts for coal shipments out of Newcastle during three years in the early 1500s. This article presents in statistical form the entries which relate to the ports in north Norfolk. The content of the accounts is probably true ’ but there is no way of knowing if it represents a complete picture of the visits made by Norfolk ships to Newcastle.
32000Norfolk War Memorials Project Part III: 1939-1945 M Ferroussat36The two previous issues of this Journal have contained articles on the local memorials from the First World War. This note summarises what is known about the local men who served and died in the Second World War.
32000A Memorial to the Smith family: The Listed Stones of Wiveton ChurchyardP Peake and J Peake38The gravestone of Thomas Smith, one of the oldest and most easily identified stones in the churchyard of St Mary, Wiveton, lies just inside the gate and to the right of the gravel path Who can fail to notice it with the tools of a millwright’s profession so clearly depicted above the inscription and then not pause and wonder at the life and times of Thomas Smith? Living to the grand old age of 82, he was born in 1643, just one year after Abel Tasman discovered New Zealand in the South Pacific. He was too late to see the fire across the marsh that destroyed so much of Cley Newgate and certainly too late for the heyday of Wiveton as a port, but it is just possible that he heard stories from his grandparents about these events. Then what about the other Smith gravestones that lie close by and are from a similar period of time? Are they all members of the same family?The discovery that one of these gravestones is a ‘listed’ site in Wiveton coincided firstly with some work being done on the early Parish Registers, then with an opportunity to look at a collection of Smith family papers in the Wiveton Deed Box. It all conspired to make this an opportune moment to investigate further and find some answers to these question.
32000The Blakeney Disaster of 1861 J Wright50The twin themes in this issue of the Glaven Historian are ships and gravestones, a chance result of the topics that authors have chosen. This note brings the two themes together. The existence of gravestones in Blakeney churchyard recalling a disastrous rescue attempt that took place in 1861 is well known, but little seems to have been written about it. On the assumption that such an event would have received newspaper coverage, a search was made and two items turned up (though there may be others). Does anyone have more information about this disaster? Who were the eight men who drowned?
32000Some gleanings from the Ship RegistersR Kelham53For all that we may complain about it, bureaucracy is the raw material of history. Yet those who study the history of ships in north Norfolk are especially poorly served. The Muster Rolls and the Port Books give some information, but often no more than the master’s name and the burthen, and the Blakeney Cley Port Books finish in 1780. Not until the 19th century do we get systematic detailed information about local ships from the Ship Registers: those for the Glaven ports survive from 1826 to 1855 when Blakeney & Cley cease to be a port of registration. This article presents a selection of entries from the Registers.
42001Editorial2
42001The Bridges of WivetonJ Wright3With an origin going back well into the 1300s the present bridge is almost the oldest building in Wiveton – as well as being one of the oldest bridges in Norfolk – and some account of its history is long overdue. It is not just the structure that deserves comment, for the bridge provides a constant element in the changing landscape of the Glaven valley and therefore helps in the interpretation of documentary and other evidence. Moreover, there used to be another bridge on the other side of the valley, over a separate arm of the Glaven, until it was demolished in the 1700s. This article therefore has three parts: the present bridge, the nature of the valley in which it sits, and then the history of the two bridges up till the time of the Enclosure which finally excluded tidal water from the Glaven valley. It should be noted that the article is based largely on documents in the Norfolk Record Office: little fieldwork has yet been carried out.
42001Trade Tokens discovered in WivetonP Carnell24Almost 1,200 metal objects, one third of them coins and tokens, have been discovered recently by metal detectorists in the Wiveton area. Most of these objects have been identified as far as their condition will allow, and their location in the ground has also been recorded. The author has made a detailed study of these records and in this article he describes the tokens, sets them into their historical context, and comments on their relevance to the history of the Glaven valley.
42001One of the Churches that Cromwell knocked about a bit – or not?E Rose37In her article reprinted in the Glaven Historian No.3, Sarah Woodhouse describes the discovery of medieval stained glass in a north chancel window at Wiveton church. This is indeed an important and interesting discovery. However, it is not necessarily the case that the windows were ‘bricked up by the desolate Wiveton parishioners after Cromwell’s men had travelled the coast smashing statues and windows ‘. Other possibilities are examined in this paper.
42001The Stained Glass of Wiveton Church: another view.J Wright40 Edwin Rose‘s article in this issue of the Glaven Historian opens up the question of when the stained glass in the chancel of Wiveton church was broken and the windows bricked up. He suggests that there are three periods in history when this might have been done: at the Reformation in the mid 1500s, at the time of the Civil War in the 1640s or during the 1700s when support for the church waned and many churches were allowed to deteriorate. On the evidence of the brick infill he concludes that the latter period is the most likely time for the glass to have been removed and the window blocked This response suggests, in the absence of any actual evidence for depredations by Cromwell‘s supporters in the area, that the damage was probably done during the Reformation.
42001Medieval Walls in a Wiveton Rose BedJ Wright42Late in 1995 the owner of Wiveton Barn, in Leatherpool Lane, Wiveton, rang the author to say that he had found in his garden a wall below ground level while trenching for a new rose bed. It was agreed that the BHG should visit the site, extend the excavation where possible, and record the results. This article describes briefly the findings, noting as well some of the lessons learnt about how (and how not) to conduct such an excavation. In the following Spring the walls were reburied and nothing of them can now be seen.
42001Flint Walls: A Preliminary Survey of Walls in WivetonJ Peake54Flint walls are a striking feature of the landscape bordering the Blakeney Haven, yet there is remarkably little recorded information. This paper explores their distribution in one village, Wiveton, and examines how they were constructed, when were they built and suggests some possible uses, relying primarily on evidence drawn from field observations. Walls have been part of the local landscape since at least the 14th century, but the materials and method of construction means there has been a continuous process of repair and renewal. Nevertheless, they still provide a unique insight into local topography and organisation of the village by, for example, defining old boundaries, demonstrating how the landscape has been modified and indicating the status of selected buildings.
52002Editorial2
52002Medieval Jettons discovered in WivetonP Carnell3Nearly 1,200 metal objects, half of them coins, tokens and jettons, have been recovered recently by metal detectorists in the Wiveton area. The author has made a detailed study of these objects and has already published, in the previous issue of The Glaven Hislorian a report on the tokens. This article describes a collection of 120 metal counters, or jettons, and shows how analysis can give an insight into their use and add to our knowledge of the area in medieval and Tudor times.
52002Morston Road, Blakeney: Building in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth CenturiesM White17The old core of Blakeney village is clearly contained within High Street and Westgate Street – except for an outlier a short way along Morston Road This additional part of the village, generally known as Greencroft, has a surprisingly early origin. This article outlines the building history of the area up to 1900.
52002The Origins of Blakeney ChruchJ Wright26There is a prevailing view that Carmelite friars built Blakeney church in 1296 hence the events of 1996 celebrating the 700th anniversary of the founding of the church. Since 1296 the chancel has survived largely unscathed by the rebuilding of the rest of the church in c. 1435 and by subsequent renovations. This article looks at the arguments for the role of the Carmelites and the date of 1296 and concludes that there is no real evidence for either.
52002Field Walking at Manor Farm, Field DallingE Hotblack35This article presents a summary of the field walking that has been carried out at Manor Farm in Field Dalling since 1984. The author describes how his interest began almost by accident and developed over the years with practice in the field and searching relevant literature. The emphasis is on the finds and on the conditions best suited to their discovery, with some comments on implications.
52002The Family of John Baines, Master MarinerP Peake 45This article examines the fortunes of the Baines family in Blakeney from the arrival and settlement of John Baines, together with his acquisition of property under the 1824 Inclosure Act. The family were quintessentially seafarers and their demise follows the decline of the harbour through until the twentieth century when the family name disappeared having survived for just five generations.
52002The William and Thomas: Trading Accounts (1726-1733)R Jefferson58ln 1995 there came to light a new source of information about the trading activities of Blakeney Haven in the eighteenth century. The source is a notebook containing the accounts of 31 voyages made between 1726 and 1733 and also some other accounts, mostly relating to the sale of coal The writing is that of William Jennis of Weybourne. This article shows how the book came to be in the author ‘s possession and describes its contents, but does not attempt any systematic analysis of the material.
52002The old ‘Guildhall’ at BlakeneyJ Wright66The ‘Guildhall ‘ in Blakeney is an enigmatic building. Its architecture is a guide to its age but nothing is known about its early history. Last year (2001) BAHS was asked to prepare a revised text to be displayed in the Guildhall. This was done but documentary research has continued and this article presents the results to date – but there is still no break-through on its origins.
62003Editorial2
62003W J J Bolding (1815-1899), Pioneer North Norfolk PhotographerR Jefferson3An introduction to work of a pioneer photographer from Weybourne. As well as giving family background, the author traces connections with members the Norwich School of painters.
62003The Ann of Clay Capt Francis Plumb 1841J Hooton15The author gives background on the artistic genre known as “pierhead painting” and traces the origin of a particular example which features a locally owned vessel
62003Reminiscences of the Glaven Valley: Care of the Dying and the Dead in the First 50 years of the 20th CenturyM White20An account of local nursing and funeral practices in the first half of the 20th century with reference to the customs and personalities as recalled by some of the people who lived in the Glaven villages at that time and was collected by the author at the suggestion of the present Rector, the Rev. Philip Norwood.
62003A Family of Substance: George Brigge of Wiveton and his relativesP Peake28The brass memorials for George and Anne Brigge and the earlier cadaver are the starting points for exploring this family that held a manor in Wiveton, now known as Wiveton Brigges, yet seemingly never lived in the parish. Early colour is provided by wills from the 16th century, highlighting a family of substance with property across the county. They were essentially medieval in outlook where values of honour, integrity of an inheritance and the permanence of the name were paramount. Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in George Brigge’s will, while his memorial is a lasting legacy to the family.
62003The Glebe Terriers of Cley: Changes in the Landscape during the 17th & 18th CenturiesJ Peake43Changes in field patterns in Cley are analysed using a sequence of 200 years of glebe terriers. The few years between 1760 and 1765 are identified as the period when the medieval pattern of open fields largely disappeared and a new order was established Information on 4 parsonages is presented and the Thomlinson family identified as key players in initiating change.
62003Some comments on the Blakeney Census of 1871J Wright59Some 25 years ago the author copied out, on visits to Public Record Office in London, the 1871 census returns for Blakeney. While looking for names to append to the family tree, other questions came to mind. What were the occupations of the residents? How many were born in Blakeney? How many children were there? Could comparison with the censuses of 1770 and 1971 help to illustrate long-term social changes? This article revisits notes made at the time, but it remains a collection of comments rather than a systematic demographic study. 
62003Further Field Walking at Field DallingE Hotblack64A follow up to two sessions of field walking undertaken by BAHS members.
62003Blakeney Eye: some Comments on Current InvestigationsJ Wright68The Chapel on Blakeney Eye has been a ‘fact’ of local history for centuries yet evidence of its existence is hard to come by. The BAHS recently (1998/99) carried out field work at the site and prepared an account of the surviving documents. Even more recently (2002/03) an extensive archaeological investigation of the Eye has been conducted on behalf of the Environment Agency. This note outlines the nature of the studies. Any fuller account must await the release of the detailed report on the work carried out and the interpretation of finds.
62003Back Pages [Various]72Snippets: Them stones, them dry stones, J Peake
Feedback: Importation of Stone for memorials, R Kelham
Snippet: From the Norfolk Chronicle 1770
Feedback: The Windows of Wiveton Church – an additional note, EJ Rose
Obituary: Basil Greenhill
72004Editorial2
72004Five Thousand Years on Blakeney EyeC Birks3An excavation carried out on Blakeney Eye in 2003 produced evidence of human use of the site since prehistoric times and expanded knowledge of the ‘chapel’ structure. A gold bracteate from about the 6th century demonstrated wider cultural links during this period, as did pottery from the 15th and 16th centuries. Beneath the turf surface the ‘chapel’ consists of two separate cells, one with substantial walls having a cobbled area at the western end.
72004Punt-gunning on Blakeney Harbour: Extracts From the Wildfowling Journal of William Bolding MonementR Jefferson, B Johnson and F Hawes23W Bolding Monement (1846-1925) was one of the leading gentleman wildfowlers of his day. He lived in Weybourne in the house that is now the Maltings Hotel which he had inherited from his uncle W J J Bolding whose photography was the subject of an article in The Glaven Historian No.6. His wildfowling journal, kept in a hardback morocco-bordered exercise book, was started in 1880 and covered not only three trips to Scotland and the Hebridies and seven to the Netherlands but also these two accounts of punt-gunning locally.
72004‘They seek them here, they seek them there’ or the Migration of people to and from the three Glaven Villages in the second half of the nineteenth Century:J Peake30Using the census records for 1851 and 1881 the movements of people to and from Blakeney, Wiveton and Cley are explored. Short distance migration was prevalent, with long distance being to London and more importantly north to Westoe and South Shields. The population in the villages fell by 20% and the importance of migrants in maintaining their vitality is discussed. The effect of this fall was not spread evenly across the community and its impact on the villages is discussed.
72004A very Brief History of The Blakeney PlayersJ Harcourt42 A very brief history of a group of amateur thespians and their place in the community. This is put into its historical context in the days before entertainment became largely passive.
72004A Port in Decline: Blakeney & Cley 1850-1914J Hooton46An analysis of the period from the mid-nineteenth century that marked the terminal decline and extinction of the Glaven ports drawing on Ships’ Registers and Harbour Company’s records among other sources.
72004Investigation of a Late Iron Age or early Roman burial at Letheringsett with Glandford, NorfolkD Gurney56Following the discovery of a patera, an investigation to establish its immediate context indicates that the vessel forms part of a richly-furnished Late Iron Age or early Roman burial.
72004The Highs and Lows of living in Blakeney – Some thoughts on Mariners and their MemorialsP Peake60Some of the last vestiges of Blakeney’s maritime heritage are to be found amongst the headstones in the churchyard of St. Nicholas. They are the monumental inscriptions that provide tantalising glimpses of sea-faring families, clues to lifeboats, tales of wrecks in far off places, named vessels and tragic misadventure. This article explores some of the stories behind these inscriptions.
72004Back Pages [Various]76Snippets: Poetry Please, P Wordingham
Snippets: Worth their Salt, R Kelham
The Origins of Taylor's Wood, R Kelham
And Finally…
The Measurement of Ships, R Kelham
From the Norwich Chronicle
82005Editorial2
82005Minstrel” Biography of a Sailing ShipJ Hooton3The "Minstrel" traded during the second half of the 19th century and into the next, visiting Blakeney and other ports along the North Norfolk coast. Here the wealth of information about the schooner is retrieved, from voyages along the coast and overseas to the people who built, owned and sailed her.
82005Kenneth Ernest William Allen 1909-1992 – An appreciation:RB Dew12
82005Innkeepers and Blacksmiths of Blakeney – The Allen ConnectionP Peake17Blacksmiths and innkeepers were at the heart of every successful Victorian village and with four blacksmiths in the family and 40 years at the Kings Arms, the Allens were undoubtedly major players. Their integration into the community, family fortunes and vicissitudes, provides the glue to a story of the role of blacksmiths, innkeepers and their premises. From 1861 till just beyond the twentieth century Domesday, it reveals a rather surprising perspective of Blakeney at a time of significant change. 
82005Some Historically Significant Trees in NorfolkJ White32At first glance Norfolk may seem to be devoid of significant trees but this is certainly not true There is a wealth of arboreal diversity and history equal to any other county in England; some of this diversity is explored in this paper.
82005“Lest We Forget” HMS Princess Victoria and War Graves in North Norfolk ChurchyardsR Jefferson47The chance discovery of the graves of three World War II Royal Navy seamen in Cley churchyard, all from a minelayer (converted from a pre-war car ferry), started a search for more information. HMS Princess Victoria struck a mine near the mouth of the River Humber close to midnight on 18th May 1940 and sank within minutes with the loss of 37 lives. Only 9 of the casualties have known graves, and 7 of those are in Norfolk, the bodies being washed up on our North Norfolk coast a month later.
82005A Snapshot of Blakeney Haven in 1565J Peake58Churches surrounding Blakeney Haven are rich in ship graffiti, much of it probably dating from the 15th and 16th centuries and later. The community who produced these drawings is explored using a 1565 Survey of the ports, creeks and landing places in Norfolk.
82005Blakeney Point and University College LondonDJB White68An account of Professor F W Oliver’s part in securing Blakeney Point as a nature reserve, and of the consequent relationship between the Botany Department of University College London with the Point which has lasted for 95 years. Blakeney Point became a National Nature Reserve in 1994.
82005Back Pages [Various]74Work in Progress: The Cockthorpe Project, F Hawes and P Peake
From the Norwich Mercury: Smugglers
From the Norwich Mercury: Property Announcements
From the Norwich Mercury: Election Fever!, M White
92006Editorial2
92006A Report on the Archaeological Excavation of ‘Blakeney Chapel’R Lee3During 2004-5 a long overdue evaluation and detailed excavation of the ‘Chapel’ site was undertaken. It demonstrated three major periods of activity and the presence of two buildings. It is thought that the earliest feature is a ditched enclosure dated from the 11th to 12th century. Two buildings were occupied during the 14th to 15th and the 16th to 17th centuries. Possible uses of the site are explored.
92006The Shipping Survey of 1572J Hooton22The shipping survey of 1572 is interesting in that it records Blakeney as being a creek of Yarmouth, but Cley and Wiveton as being creeks of Lynn. Most of the other evidence examined points to all three ports being creeks of Yarmouth. The survey is then compared with those of 1565 and 1580 and it is found that there is surprisingly little continuity in the information. It appears likely that differences in the way the surveys were compiled could account for this, but caution is needed when relying solely on these surveys for an accurate picture of 16th century shipping.
92006The Map of the Blakeney Haven and Port of Cley – 1586R Frostick29
92006Early sixteenth century wills of Langham as indicators of religious changeM Medlar31The religious outlook of the people of Langham in the first forty years of the sixteenth century is explored through the Contents of surviving wills.
92006Friendly Societies in the Blakeney areaB Stibbons37This article outlines the importance of Friendly Societies to the working and middle classes in the nineteenth century and, using research on societies in the Blakeney area, gives examples of their membership and how the Societies were organised. Over 550 were identified in Norfolk, including local independent societies and branches of national orders, such as the Independent Order of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity, and Ancient Order of Foresters.
92006Blakeney’s ‘Map of the World’ in 1368J Wright49An inventory of 1368 shows that Blakeney Church contained a ‘mappa mundi’, a rare possession at that date. Could this description refer to a ‘world map’ in the style of the one in Hereford Cathedral today? This article explores other possibilities and concludes, as did an early Guide to Blakeney Church, that this ‘mappa mundi’ would have been a geographical text rather than a drawn map.
92006An Anglo-Saxon Burial at Bayfield (Letheringsett-with-Glandford)K Penn and D Whitmore56 Issue No 7 of the Glaven Historian carried a report on the discovery and investigation of an isolated burial; the grave-goods appeared to point to a date somewhere in the 1st century AD, that is the late Iron Age or the early Roman period. Full excavation and study of the whole assemblage showed that the burial belonged to the Saxon period, probably in the first half of the 7th century. The grave-goods also have quite strong Frankish associations, in particular, the rouletted pot; fabric analysis indicates that this came from the Pas-de-Calais, France.
92006Carved Roof Panels at All Saints, CockthorpeJ Peake61Cockthorpe Church contains three, probably 15th century, roof panels that are possibly unique in this area of North Norfolk. The panels show an amazing array of carved foils.
92006Cockthorpe Churchyard: The Monuments and Monumental InscriptionsP Peake66The Monuments and Monumental Inscriptions of the churchyard of All Saints, Cockthorpe are recorded and discussed in light of changing social patterns, the church registers and the local community.
92006Sixty Years of Village Housing: the Diamond Jubilee of the Blakeney Neighbourhood Housing SocietyR Kelham73A brief outline of the origins of this pioneering example of the combination of local housing provision and conservation, and a few notes on the origin of the Society’s emblem. Photographs are from the BNHS archives.
92006Back Pages [Various]77Danish influence on Place Names, M Arthur
From the School Registers, P Peake
Wet-nurses at Stiffkey, J Peake
102007Editorial2
102007Church & other Organs in the Glaven ValleyA Hayden3Church organs have a long history dating back to at least the 12th century. In the Glaven Valley and some of the surrounding villages there are a number of fine historic organs from the 19th century that illustrate a range of these instruments and their builders.
102007The Mysterious Green ManG Worton9This article explores the enigmatic carvings, pictures etc. depicting the ‘Green Man’ who appears in so many Norfolk churches. It considers his place in history and folklore before discussing his various guises and where he might be found.
102007Blakeney Ships and their Owners in the mid 19th CenturyM Stammers17Based on the local Shipping Registers and other records, an analysis of the characteristics of ships acquired in Blakeney, Cley and district between 1839 and 1873 is presented. This information, together with a breakdown of the shareholders allows the substantial non-maritime investment and also the value, earnings and trades to be placed in the general context of mid 19th century rural ports.
102007The Catling Ship ModelsJ Hooton23A brief biography of Peter Catling and an account of his ship models.
102007The Calthorpes in Norfolk “a clan rather than a family”P Peake29The history of the Calthorpe family in North Norfolk is explored, thereby placing their presence in the lower Glaven valley in a wider context. Their financial fortunes are followed through centuries of land ownership, advantageous marriages, religious turmoil, political unrest and public service. It demonstrates the versatility and survival of this family extending through 21 generations.
102007Rural Settlement in North NorfolkM Medlar49The area between the Glaven and Stiffkey valleys is one of undulating terrain covered with a variety of soils. In this article the author will explore the development of settlement in the parishes of Glandford, Saxlingham, Langham, Field Dalling, Cockthorpe and Binham in the medieval period between the compiling of the Doomsday Book (1086) and the Dissolution of the Monasteries (circa 1540). The evidence from the printed sources, original maps and documents, as well as from the modern landscape, will be used in this interpretation, but more detailed analysis of archaeological finds could enable a fuller picture of each settlement to be constructed.
102007Archaeological Excavations in Wiveton Village – preliminary results from the Higher Education Field Academy CORS test pits in 2006C Lewis57Fourteen test pits were excavated in Wiveton by children from surrounding schools working under the auspices of HEFA and CORS schemes. These pits were distributed throughout the village and material recovered from them, particularly pottery, has been identified and phosphate levels of soil samples have been analysed. The distribution of the different pottery types provides some interesting and provocative ideas on the early history of the village. It suggests that there was possibly a hiatus in the population between the Black Death and the mid-16th century and that the centre of the village lay to the north of the church.
102007Back Pages [Various]71Maps, J Peake
Trust not the 21st century Oracle, F Hawes
112008Edtorial2
112008Henry Tyrell - ShipbuilderM Stammers3A brief biography of a 19th century north Norfolk shipbuilder with a list of all the ships he is known to have built.
112008Enclosure in Langham 1815 to 1820: winners and losersM Medlar8The author looks at the enclosure of Langham following the Act of 1815 to see who gained and who lost as a result of the enclosure award.
112008Peter Catling's Ship Models – Part 2J Hooton16In the Glaven Historian No 10 I wrote an article about Peter Catling and his ship models. This article is meant to complement that one by giving some background information about the vessels that Peter modelled.
112008Mysteries of Stiffkey churchyardJ Wright23In 2007 the Stiffkey Parochial Church Council invited the author to help prepare a new edition of the Guide to the Parish Church (published in March 2008). This stimulated further research on the history of both church and village. Three particular questions about the church are addressed in this article. Some new evidence is brought to bear but definitive answers remain elusive.
112008The Iconography of peace – the retable in the chapel of St Thomas à Becket, BlakeneyN Batcock44
112008Comparing and Contrasting the Communities of Kelling and Weybourne in the 19th and 20th centuriesB Worton47This paper is based on a dissertation submitted as part of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in Local and Regional History at the University of East Anglia. A study is made of population, occupations, and instruments of change to support a theory that Kelling and Weybourne are examples of ‘close’ and ‘open’ villages respectively.
112008Back Pages [Various]61Wall Panels – an update: Salthouse Church, J Peake
More from the School Registers,
P Peake
Quaint Old Cley Customs,
R Kelham
122010Editorial2
122010The Military Survey of 1522J Wright3The Military Survey of 1522 appeared to be a muster of all able-bodied males aged 16-60 but the government of the day had an ulterior motive: to prepare for a substantial tax in the form of a ‘forced loan’ to Henry VIII. The records for some parts of Norfolk have survived, including those for Holt Hundred which includes the Glaven parishes. This article describes the nature of the Survey, comments on the Holt Hundred document, and lists all the people recorded in Blakeney, Cley and Wiveton.
122010The Blakeney & Cley Golf Club[Various]19Memories, P Page
Blakeney Workmen’s Golf Club, J Peake
Extracts from the Minute Book, J Peake
122010Wrench vs Wrench – A Case in ChanceryJ Rodgers27Between 1832 and 1852 a Morston-based family had problems over the division between themselves of various properties. They resorted to the court of Chancery to find a solution. The consequences are examined using records available at The National Archives.
122010'Stormy Weather'
The Ramms of Cley in the early 19th Century
S Dobson32During the early part of the nineteenth century members of the Ramm family had their lives and fortunes shaped by their close association with the sea. This relationship is explored using information found in newspapers, wills, Lloyd’s Registers of Shipping and other sources.
122010The Little Red Box
A Short History of British Post Boxes
DA Perryman46The development of letter boxes in the UK is traced from their introduction in the Channel Isles in 1852 to the present day, together with a detailed account of the boxes surviving in the Blakeney area.
122010The Dean & Chapter Estate in Field Dalling.
1526 to1900
M Medlar56The author looks at the problems faced by the Dean and Chapter of Norwich Cathedral over the 400 years when it owned property in Field Dalling. He explores how it tried to regain control of the estate after nearly 200 years of long leases
122010The Blakeney War Census – 1942P Peake65The survival of a World War II census for Blakeney is a bonus for local historians. This article is primarily a transcript and analysis making the census available to a wider audience. Observations on the housing reveal how present day Blakeney has evolved from the village described in 1942.
122010History of The Cley Hall Estate
The Emergence of the Hardys 1839-1855
J Ebdon84The 1839 catalogue and plan of the Cley Hall Estate together with an estate map of the same year are used to examine the Estate assembled by the Thomlinsons in Cley and the subsequent purchase by the Hardy family from Letheringsett. The substantial expansion by William Hardy II enhanced his wealth and his social position.
122010Back Pages [Various]95Henry Tyrrell, Shipbuilder, some additional facts, M Stammers
John Baines revisited,
P Peake
New Found News,
S Dobson
132012Editorial2
132012Morston 400 years AgoJ Wright3 Fieldbooks for Morston, prepared between c.1480 and 1619 and containing detailed descriptions of each piece of land in the parish, suggest that the agricultural landscape changed little during that period. The books can be used to illustrate aspects of life in Morston 400 years ago, and could yield more if used in conjunction with other documents and field studies.
132012Alfred Magnus Catling (1883-1961)S East17From the wealth, privilege and education provided by birth in the London suburbs of Victorian and Edwardian England to an isolated small village on the edge of the North Sea. This was the journey taken by Alfred Magnus “Curly” Catling and his assimilation into this community. A story that includes his role as a bird collector and naturalist. “Curly” Catling, as he was affectionately known, was a link between wildfowlers and naturalists. "I can tell his story for he was an old friend of mine. I knew him when quite a young man and long after he had become a kind of “museum piece” in his old age whom everybody liked to visit in his little house looking out over the saltmarshes where he has lived so long and which he loved so well. ” CR Borrer 1961
132012The Lively of the Port of Cley, NorfolkS Dobson25The ‘Lively’, a snow-rigged brig, was owned by Howard Ramm from 1837 to 1861; it was instrumental in making him a prosperous man. Using information from Lloyds’ Shipping Registers & Lists, Newspapers and other sources it has been possible to chart some of the highs and lows of the working life of this durable little ship.
132012The Quay at CleyF Hawes35Changes in the ownership and uses of the Quay at Cley next the Sea since the sixteenth century and of buildings surrounding it during the last two hundred years are described from a mixture of published records and village memories.
132012Ralph Greneway: more than a MythP Peake45This article explores Ralph Greneway and his close relatives through the content of surviving wills, establishing them as a close-knit successful Tudor family. Geographically they spread from rural Norfolk to the city of London where they became prosperous merchants and members of the governing elite, yet never seemingly forgetting their place of birth.
132012The Dutchman and the “king’s broad seale” embanking the North Norfolk CoastP Smith61Jan van Haesdoncke is best known around the Blakeney Haven for the part he paid in reclaiming land from the sea. Though he went armed with “the king’s broad seale” that empowered him to enclose sea marshes around East Anglia and even in Cheshire and other parts of the country, Van Haesdoncke was not always successful. And despite his heroic efforts on behalf of the Stuart House during the civil wars, he died still owed considerable sums of money by the restored King Charles II.
132012Birth of the Blakeney 12S Hill66February 2012 saw the 50th anniversary of the Blakeney 12. The first steps in its formation and early development, initially under the chairmanship of Dr. Thomas Acheson and subsequently under his successor Stratton Long, are investigated.
132012A Shopkeeper of Cley in the 16th CenturyJ Peake73An inventory made in 1592 of the contents of a shop in Cley and the list of debts and debtors provides an opportunity to discuss some features of the town.
132012Farming in Field Dalling 1610-1876M Medlar83Using the will and inventory of Robert Stileman (died 1610) and the field book of Henry Savory (1868-1876), the author looks at farming practices in seventeenth and nineteenth century Field Dalling and compares and contrasts them with what was happening locally and in north-west Norfolk.
132012Back Pages [Various]93More information on the Ramms of Cley, S Dobson
Notes on a Boot Found at 127-129 High Street, Blakeney, J Wright
The Dean and Chapter Estate in Field Dalling: 1526 to 1900 continued, M Medlar
142014Supplying the Beer: life on the road in late 18th century NorfolkM Bird2Life in the rural hinterland in the 18th century was by no means as isolated as it is often portrayed. Itinerancy was not confined to Nonconformist preachers, and large sections of the population were on the move. Brewers’ draymen covered huge distances carting beer to the public houses; some journeyed as much as 550 miles a month on top of their other duties. Through their diaries the brewer’s wife Mary Hardy and her nephew Henry Raven, the apprentice, enable us to chart the daily tasks of a workforce who nurtured the product all the way from ploughing and sowing to malting, brewing and distribution around north Norfolk.
142014The Social Geography of the Town of Cley in 1841R Dunn30The geographical patterns of employment and land use in Cley in 1841 are explored using the Tithe Map and the 1841 Census; the main results are presented in a series of maps for the village and its sub areas, and it is suggested that five distinctive social subdivisions or neighbourhoods existed at this time.
142014Capt Frederick Marryat — Langham Farmer 1843-1848M Medlar41Captain Marryat farmed his estate in Langham from 1843 until his death in 1848. It is generally held that he was a failure as a farmer, losing considerable sums of money. The Norfolk Record Office holds partial farm accounts for the period 23 October 1845 to 20 April 1846 for Marryat’s estate. Using these accounts, the 1852 sale particulars of the estate and other documents at NRO, Marryat’s will and modern biographies, the author explores how successful or otherwise Marryat was as a farmer.
142014The Collier BrigS Dobson49Whilst researching the voyages of the Lively , a 19th century collier brig registered in Cley, the following article was found. Written in the 1850s, it gives a descriptive account of the voyage of a collier brig taking coal from Newcastle to London.
142014James Hackman, Murderer, Rector of WivetonW Savage53An account of the murder by Hackmann of a young actress, a mistress of the Earl of Sandwich, with whom he was infatuated.
142014History of the Cley Hall Estate (part 2)J Ebdon61The continuation of this history of the Cley Hall Estate will deal with William Hardy Cozens-Hardy’s continued development and expansion of the combined Letheringsett and Cley Estates from when he inherited in 1842 until his death in 1895, his numerous children coupled with the growing influence they had in the local area, through Norfolk, to London and national politics. However, the next 50 years to 1945 were to prove far more tumultuous for the estates, as like many other country estates, this prosperity did not continue through the twentieth century with the death of the heir Raven in 1917 fighting in the First World War and the gradual break up and dispersal of almost all of the property by the end of the twentieth century.
142014A Partial History of the World in One ObjectE Hotblack85An unexpectedly wide ranging investigation of the identification of a bead.
142014Back Pages [Various]87Cley Channel
Manor Farm, Field Dalling, E Hotblack
152016Editorial2
152016Archaeological recording at the entrance to St Margaret’s churchyard, Cley-next-the-SeaS Bates3
152016Opening a window on Cley. The archaeological excavation: historical and environmental evidenceJ Peake13Archaeological information together with documentary and environmental evidence is used to explore the evolution of Cley Churchyard and the surrounding environment from pre-reformation to recent times.
152016The Binham fieldbook of 1576J Wright23Binham is fortunate in having a fieldbook from 1576 describing in some detail the land holdings in the parish. The text, in neatly written Latin, can be used to create maps showing the location of many of these holdings, which include residential property as well as land in agricultural use. This article describes the content of the fieldbook and then draws on this and other sources to convey a picture of Binham in the later 1500s.
152016Sir William Heydon and his heraldic heiressesD Cooke40The aim of this paper is to investigate the Coat of Arms on the 1586 Map of Blakeney Haven and the Port of Cley by John Darby.
152016Christopher Ringer of Field Dalling and provision for the poor of north Norfolk, 1601-1834M Medlar48The author considers provision for the porr of north Norfolk between 1601 and 1834, with particular reference to the bequests of Christopher Ringer of Field Dalling, who died in 1678.
152016Farm rents for Manor Farm, Field Dalling, 1773-1821M Medlar51The author investigates the rents paid to the Dean and Chgapter of Norwich Cathedral by the t4nants of Manor Farm, Field Dalling. These rents included payments in kind, and the author attempts to put monetary value to the volumes of wheat and malt that the tenant was expected to deliver to the cathedral precinct in Norwich.
152016The Field names of Cley in 1841R Dunn55
152016A General investigation: “Just Like That”E Hotblack63
152016The wreck of the Hjørdis in 1916J Wright65In 1916 a Norwegian collier, the SS Hjørdis, came to grief at the entrance to Blakeney harbour.the remains lie there still: the harbour mouth moves but the wreck does not. This year (2016) currents have scoured the wreck so that it is once more prominant and a potential danger to boats entering or leaving the harbour. Aerial photographs have have stimulated widespread comment about the 'eerie remains' of a 'Mary Celeste' or a 'zombie ship'. This article recounts the events of February1916 using contemporary press reports.
152016Thomas William Bourne of Cley and BlakeneyD Josephson and RJ Bruce71
152016Blakeney World War II Parish Invasion CommitteeP Peake76
162018Editorial2
162018John Darby – Land Surveyor in East Anglia in the late 16th centuryD Cooke, J Hooton and N Harrison3Over the past 25 years, interest in the work of John Darby has been steadily increasing with early contributions from Raymond Frostick and Jonathan Hooton. Looking to the future, there is a PhD thesis on Darby being prepared by Vivienne Aldous. Meanwhile, the following articles by Diana Cooke, Jonathan Hooton and Nichola Harrison delve a stage further into his talents. 

The first one looks at the context of map-making in the 16th century and the different influences on Darby in making one particular map. Two further articles explore Darby’s accuracy as a Land Surveyor and discuss specific characteristics of his map-making across East Anglia.

[1] Darby's Map of Blakeney Haven & Port of Cley (Diana Cooke)
2 Scale: How accurate is the map of Blakeney Haven? (Jonathan Hooton)
3 John Darby – Further Notes and Reflections (Nichola Harrison)
162018Seventeenth Century Tokens at CleyA Marsden11This paper examines three tokens issued in Cley in the 1650s and 1660s: halfpennies of Richard Shawe, a chandler, farthings of John Wilch, of The George (which still exists in Cley) and a Corporation token farthing of Cley in Holt Hundred. The author looks at what is known about the issuers and examines how widely their tokens circulated, with an appendix listing all known finds.
162018North Norfolk from the Sea: Marine Charts before 1700J Wright23Blakeney Haven and other harbours along the north Norfolk coast have had a long history of maritime activity with merchants trading around the North Sea and the Baltic, and a fishing industry once extending to Iceland. How did sailors find their way around these waters before modern methods of navigation became available? This article describes the development of marine charts before 1700 and shows how some features of the Norfolk coastline have been portrayed on them.
162018William Allen, Grocer and Shipping TycoonJ Hooton45William Allen was born in Weybourne in 1831 and lived in the area all his life, apart from a period at sea as a young man. In 1861 he acquired an interest in his first ship, the Parthenia, and over the next 21 years he acquired nine more ships, in whole or in part. No fewer than seven of these were lost and in 1882 he gave up ship owning and settled in Kelling as grocer, draper, postmaster and farmer, until his death in 1903.
162018The Billyboy Ketch BluejacketS East54The decline of an iconic Blakeney ship mirrors the decline of the port.
162018The charities of Christopher RingerE Hotblack57An article by Michael Medlar, about the Ringer Charities, was published in the Glaven Historian 15. These were Charities ‘for the poor’ established by Christopher Ringer (died 1678, Field Dalling). Eric Hotblack has responded with additional information as follows.
172020Editorial2
172020Blakeney Carmelite FriaryJ Wright3The Carmelites came to Norfolk in the 1240s and built friaries in Blakeney and Burnham Norton as well as in Norwich, King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth. Blakeney was the last of these to be founded, sometime between 1304 and 1316. It provided support to the community for over 200 years before coming to an end in 1538 with Henry VIII’s dissolution of all friaries and monasteries. While some friaries remain in a ruined state the Blakeney buildings have disappeared almost without trace. The written records are equally sparse and do not provide enough information for a coherent history of the friary. This article brings together both the written and the physical evidence that is currently available.
172020Ploughing on: a Plough Pebble from Field DallingE Hotblack34The writer explores the background of the plough pebble found while field walking in the parish of Field Dalling.
172020The 1586 map of Blakeney Harbour: some further questionsF Hawes37This note highlights some anomalies in the western side of the map around Stiffkey and suggests a possible reason for this
172020The ‘Black Book of Stiffkey’: some notes on the church of St John the Baptist, Stiffkey by the Rev. C Harold FitchRev Dr TJ Fawcett39Charles Harold Fitch, rector of Stiffkey from 1932 to 1942, and successor to Harold Davidson, kept a book in which he compiled information on St John’s church. While not all of his notes merit publication, here I have selected three main topics which are worth putting on the record: these are (a) his notes on the church’s terriers (lists of property and land belonging to the church) from 1845 to 1933; (b) a description of the restoration work of 1935 and the opinion of the Dean of Norwich when he visited the church then and (c) a description of the gravestones or wall monuments inside the church. A fuller transcription is housed in the Blakeney Area Historical Society’s History Centre.
172020The Blakeney Lifeboat StationJ Wright48The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) closed its lifeboat station at Blakeney in 1935. Although much has been published about the activities of the station no comprehensive history has been written. This article is not comprehensive but does present a summary account of the life of the Blakeney station from earliest times to its closure, based largely on material already published.
172020The Cley 1914 – 1918 War ProjectR Jefferson64 This article, the outcome of a project undertaken for the 100th anniversary of the First World War by the author, lists those servicemen connected with Cley who died in the First World War, adding ten more names to the 29 men listed on the War Memorial in St Margaret’s Church. The article also tells the often tragic stories of some of these men.
182022Editorial2
182022A vanishing landscape: archaeological investigations at Blakeney Eye.
A review of the final report
J Wright3Sixteen years after the excavations on Blakeney Eye the final report describing the finds and outlining the history of the site has been published. This review aims both to summarize and to comment on the content of the report. Most reviews of non-fiction books are written by people qualified to make a critical appraisal of the conclusions being put forward. The author of this review is not an archaeologist but is familiar with the site long known as the ‘Chapel’ on the Eye and took part in the surveys undertaken there by the Blakeney Area Historical Society before excavations began. The review suggests that some of the conclusions arising from the finds and stratigraphy described in the report are not the only possible ones.
182022‘Spreading the heavenly contagion’: the coming of the Methodists to the Cley area 1757–1815M Bird18Methodists arrived as early as 1757 in north Norfolk. These were not the Wesleyans, but their active competitors— the Calvinistic Methodists of Lady Huntingdon’s Connexion. The bitter divide between George Whitefield and John Wesley, the fathers of English Methodism, was played out on the ground across different parts of the country. Additionally, the Nonconformists had to compete with roving Church of England priests. These thrusting young Evangelicals had mostly been trained in Cambridge for their mission to awaken souls where the Established Church was thought to be failing. It proved an exciting time for parishioners, who found themselves courted by waves of itinerant preachers. First we examine how well equipped the parish clergy were to withstand the challenges facing them.
182022Privateers, the press gang and service in the Sea Fencibles: the pressures on Blakeney and Cley’s seafarers c.1800M Bird43This is an expanded version of an unscripted talk given to the BAHS at Cley on 30 November 2021.1 It covers aspects of life at sea and in coastal communities which are often neglected by maritime and defence historians in the period of the French wars 1793–1815. Far more merchant ships were lost to enemy privateers than to attack by warships. The depredations caused by privateers in the North Sea are exemplified by the twelve year career of the small sloop Nelly, a Dundee-built ship which spent her last four years operating from Blakeney Quay. The Royal Navy’s Impress Service, known as the press gang, posed a constant danger to merchant seamen and those in related trades. Lastly, this study highlights the significance of the local ‘Home Guard’, the Sea Fencibles, who served 1798–1810. Their records in the National Archives are a boon for family and local historians.
182022The disastrous summer storm of 1833J Hooton56An account of the great storm of 31 August – 1 September 1833 in which as many as 15 vessels were blown ashore between Stiffkey and Cromer, two of which were complete wrecks, and a further 29 around Wells and King’s Lynn. The images in this article are all photographs of ships wrecked later than 1833, but give an impression of what the wrecks of 1833 would have looked like.
182022The pier harbour at BlakeneyJ Hooton66This is a note of contemporary newspaper accounts of a proposal to build a Pier Harbour at Blakeney in 1835, which was never carried out. It first appeared in the BAHS Digital Newsletter 7 (November 2021).
182022The Brereton dynasty: a family of 19th century engineers and the Blakeney connectionJ Wright67A note on the distinguished Victorian engineer Richard Pearson Brereton (1818-94), assistant to I. K. Brunel, who was born at the Red House, Blakeney, and about two other members of the Brereton dynasty, also engineers and also from Blakeney: Cuthbert Arthur Brereton (1851-1910) and Robert Maitland Brereton (1834-1911).
182022Two men united through heroism: Howard Brett, Cley Rocket Company and William Hibbert, HM Coast GuardR Jefferson71
182022BOOM!E Hotblack76The author describes a piece of sandstone found while field-walking at Field Dalling. This may have been deposited by a drilling rig carrying out a seismic survey in the 1960s searching for oil and natural gas, later found in the North Sea.
192024Editorial2
192024John Peake 1933 – 2024P Peake3
192024Mary Ferroussat 1927 – 2023 & Morris Arthur 1937 – 2022J Wright6
192024Letheringsett with Little Thornage Conservation Area: The Settlement History from medieval timesI Shepherd8
192024William Allen’s first four ShipsJ Hooton16My previous article “William Allen: Weybourne Ship Owner” in the Glaven Historian No 16, described William Allen’s life as a ship owner and tried to outline a little more of his background. However, it left much unsaid about his ships and the type of trade they were involved in. Although much is still to be discovered about is exploits this article tries to fill in a little more detail about what is known at present of his ships and trading activity. He owned nine ships during his ship owning career and they will be looked at one by one in the order that he purchased them. This article deals with his first four ships.
192024Cley dead from the Second World WarR Jefferson25Ten names are on the memorial in the Lady Chapel in St Margaret’s Church (Fig.1). Five served in the Royal Norfolk Regiment and died at the hands of the Japanese, three of them Prisoners of War (PoWs). One other soldier, three in the Royal Navy and one in the R.A.F. make up the number.
192024Cozens-Hardy Archive at the Norfolk Record OfficeM Bird33In October 2022 a highly significant body of manuscripts, photographs and maps from the Cozens-Hardy Collection was lodged in the Norfolk Record Office (NRO) by Caroline Holland, née Cozens-Hardy. Caroline is a BAHS member and is descended from the Letheringsett diarist Mary Hardy. This newsletter item appears with her permission.
192024What is a 'Tide Waiter'?R Keljam36
192024“Stone Object”E Hotblack37
192024The Hettie Lifeboat and the Lifeboat Houses: A Personal OdysseyJ Peake40As I was reading John Wright’s interesting article on the Blakeney Lifeboat Station in the Glaven Historian 17 I couldn’t stop memories flooding back. Although they started with the first time I heard of the ‘Hettie’ lifeboat, my mind rapidly wandered to earlier thoughts of seeing the iconic lifeboat buildings over 70 years ago, just after WW2 when I first visited the Point as a schoolboy, then coming back to camp there as an university student. However, my strongest memories are living by myself in the old laboratory during one winter when employed as a Research Officer by the National Trust, cooking my own meals on a primus stove and watching birds in the tamarisk bushes just outside the window, only to realise Richard Richardson was on the other side also watching. In those days the harbour was far from empty, there would be fishermen working their mussel lays, bait-diggers scattered around or Stratton Long charging out to sea in a converted lifeboat to recover targets shot down by gunnery fire from the army camps.