Blo' Norton

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

Blo' Norton
St Andrew's Church
Blo' Norton is located in Norfolk
Blo' Norton
Blo' Norton
Location within Norfolk
Area4.62 km2 (1.78 sq mi)
Population269 (2001 Census)
• Density58/km2 (150/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTM0179
Civil parish
  • Blo' Norton
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDiss
Postcode districtIP22
Dialling code01953
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
WebsiteBlo' Norton Parish Council
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°22′30″N 0°57′29″E / 52.375°N 0.958°E / 52.375; 0.958

Blo' Norton is a village and civil parish in the Breckland district of the English county of Norfolk. It is about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) west of Diss and 22 miles (35 km) south-west of Norwich along the course of the River Little Ouse.

History

[edit]

Blo' Norton's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin.[1] The first record of 'Blo' added to the name is in 1291, which in Middle English may have meant 'bleak and cold or exposed' or it may have derived from ‘blae’ meaning blue, perhaps from the growth of woad plants from which a blue dye can be obtained.[2]

In the Domesday Book, Blo' Norton is listed as a settlement of 47 households in the hundred of Guiltcross. In 1086, the village was split between the estates of William de Warenne, Roger Bigod, Bury St Edmunds Abbey and St Etheldreda's Abbey, Ely.[3]

During the Medieval Period, Blo' Norton was significantly larger than it is today. However, the Black Death dramatically decreased the population which meant much of the village was abandoned. There is archeological evidence of the location of the deserted village to this day.[4]

Blo' Norton Hall

Geography

[edit]

According to data from the 2021 census, Blo' Norton parish has a total population of 269 people which grew from 251 in the 2011 census.[5] The village is close to the course of the River Little Ouse. Amenities within the village include a plant nursery andcoffee shop.[6]

Church

[edit]

Blo' Norton's parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew and dates from the 13th-century, although its medieval furnishings have largely been removed. The church was remodelled in the 16th and 19th centuries, and features royal arms from the reign of William and Mary.[7] The church features a stained-glass window designed and installed by William Wailes in 1863, depicting the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ.[8] The west tower has a ring of six bells. Thomas Osborn, who had bell-foundries at Downham Market in Norfolk and St Neots in Cambridgeshire, cast five of the bells including the tenor in 1794. John Warner & Sons of Cripplegate, London cast the treble bell in 1892.[9] St Andrew's Church has been Grade II listed since 1958.[10]

Governance

[edit]

Blo' Norton is part of the electoral ward of Guiltcross for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland. It is part of the South West Norfolk parliamentary constituency.

Blo' Norton and Thelnetham Fen

[edit]
Main article: Blo' Norton and Thelnetham Fen

South of the village and along the river is the Blo' Norton and Thelnetham Fen Site of Special Scientific Interest, an important calcareous fen wetland site supporting rare plant species including black bog rush Schoenus nigricans and saw sedge Cladium mariscus.[11] The Little Ouse Headwaters Project manages part of this area as well as surrounding wetland areas such as Hinderclay Fen and Suffolk Wildlife Trust also has a reserve on part of the site.[12][13]

Notable people

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Parish-Summary-Blo-Norton-(Parish-Summary) - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  3. ^ "[Blo] Norton | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  4. ^ "mnf12983 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Blo' Norton (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Home". Dutchbarnnurseries. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  7. ^ "CHURCH OF ST ANDREW, Blo' Norton - 1077440 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  9. ^ Dawson, George (8 April 2011). "Blo' Norton S Andrew". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Central Council of Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  10. ^ "CHURCH OF ST ANDREW, Blo' Norton - 1077440 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Site Name: Blo' Norton and Thelnetham Fen" (PDF). Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  12. ^ "Our sites". Little Ouse Headwaters Project. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  13. ^ "Thelnetham Fen". Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blo' Norton.