Broomsthorpe
| Broomsthorpe | |
| Norfolk | |
|---|---|
 Broomsthorpe Farm | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TF848283 |
| Location: | 52°49’15"N, 0°44’33"E |
| Data | |
| Post town: | King's Lynn |
| Postcode: | PE31 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | King's Lynn and West Norfolk |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North West Norfolk |
Broomsthorpe is a hamlet in Norfolk, four and a half miles west of Fakenham,15 miles north-east of King's Lynn, and 27 miles north-west of Norwich. The River Tat, a tributary of the River Wensum, marked the eastern edge of the parish.
History
At the Domesday Survey of 1086 Broomsthorpe is recorded as having nine households, two plough teams and a mill. In the Hundred of Brothercross, it formed part of the holdings of Ely Abbey.[1] The village was not mentioned in the lay subsidy roll of 1334, but recorded with more than 10 households in 1428, at which time William de Pinkeneye had a house in the parish. By the lay subsidy roll of 1524 it was included with the neighbouring parish of Tattersett and by the early 16th century the village church, which is thought to have been dedicated to St John the Evangelist, had been abandoned.[2][3][4]
For a time Broomsthorpe was an extra-parochial area. In 1858 it became a separate civil parish but by the 1870s the population had fallen to 16 with three houses; John Marius Wilson described it as a "hamlet".[5] At the 1931 census, the parish had a population of 22.[6] On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with East Rudham.[7]
The former parish is now largely depopulated. A number of possible sites for the former settlement have been suggested, and it has been speculated that the village may be the same place as the lost settlement of Sengham.[4][8] A series of four mediæval fishponds west of the River Tat near Broomsthorpe Hall is one possible site,[2][3][9][10] although these may have been associated with Coxford Priory half a mile to the north of the site. [11]
An alternative site to the east of the River Tat in Tattersett has scheduled monument status.[4][12] A number of earthworks and a probable hollow way remain visible and the site is recognised as a deserted mediæval village site.[4][13] This site is close to the Church of All Saints in Tattersett and possibly associated with the lost church of St Andrew.[13][14][15]
Modern Broomsthorpe
The modern place of Broomsthorpe is in the parish of East Rudham. It consists of a handful of houses and Broomsthorpe Hall. The hall dates from around 1800 but has an undercroft that is believed to be part of a mediæval manorial building and mediæval stonework has been reused in the fabric of the building. It is a Grade II listed building.[9][16]
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Broomsthorpe) |
References
- ↑ Broomsthorpe in the Domesday Book
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Davison A (1996) Deserted villages in Norfolk, p. 75. North Walsham: Poppyland Publishing. Template:Isbn
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cushion B, Davison A (2003) Norfolk Earthworks, East Anglian Archaeology, 104, p. 189. (Available online at East Anglian Archaeology. Retrieved 4 October 2025.)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Parish summary: Tattersett, Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ↑ Broomsthorpe, A Vision of Britain through Time
- ↑ Broomsthorpe Parish: total population, A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ Broomsthorpe Parish, A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ Broomsthorpe/Sengham or Tattersett St Andrew deserted mediæval village, Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Broomsthorpe Hall, Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ Parish summary: East Rudham, Norfolk Heritage Explorer
- ↑ Mediæval fishponds, Norfolk Heritage Explorer
- ↑ National Heritage List 1013412: Broomsthorpe Deserted Mediæval Village (Scheduled ancient monument entry)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedc&d72 - ↑ Site of St Andrew's Church, Broomsthorpe/Sengham, Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ Knott S (2021) All Saints, Tattersett. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1152518: Broomsthorpe Hall (Grade II listing)