Irstead
| Irstead | |
|---|---|
 St. Michael's Church | |
  Irstead Location within Norfolk | |
| OS grid reference | TG365204 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Norwich |
| Postcode district | NR12 |
| Dialling code | 01692 |
| UK Parliament | |
Irstead is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Barton Turf, in the English county of Norfolk.
Irstead is located 6.3 miles (10.1 km) north of Acle and 11 miles (18 km) north-east of Norwich, along the River Ant.
History
[edit]Irstead's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for mud place.[1]
Irstead is not listed in the Domesday Book.[2]
On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Barton Turf.[3]
Geography
[edit]In 1931 the parish had a population of 113,[4] this was the last time that separate population statistics were collected for Irstead as in 1935 the parish was merged.
St. Michael's Church
[edit]Irstead's church is dedicated to Saint Michael and dates from the Fourteenth Century. St. Michael's is located on Irstead Road and has been Grade II listed since 1955.[5] The church is open sporadically for Sunday service.[6]
St. Michael's features a carved font and a painted rood screen, which are both medieval survivals. The church also holds a wall painting of Saint Christopher and a stone memorial dating from 1811 to Midshipman Charles Hornor who died aboard the Rose off the coast of Madras.[7]
Governance
[edit]Irstead is part of the electoral ward of Hoveton & Tunstead for local elections and is part of the district of North Norfolk.
The village's national constituency is North Norfolk, which has been represented by the Liberal Democrat Steff Aquarone MP since 2024.
War Memorial
[edit]Irstead's war memorials are two marble plaques inside St. Michael's Church which list the following names for the First World War:[8]
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial/Commemoration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pte. | Frederick A. London | 8th Bn., Border Regiment | 5 Jul. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Robert Balls | 1st Bn., Coldstream Guards | 23 Oct. 1914 | Menin Gate |
| Pte. | Samuel London | 13th Bn., King's Regiment | 21 Aug. 1918 | Railway Cutting Cemetery |
| Pte. | Ambrose Saul | 15th Bn., Sherwood Foresters | 28 Mar. 1918 | Pozières Memorial |
The following names were added after the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial/Commemoration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2Lt. | John M. H. Wilson | 10th Royal Hussars, RAC | 23 Jan. 1942 | Benghazi War Cemetery |
| Sgt. | Thomas C. Clitheroe | No. 12 Squadron RAF (Lancasters) | 29 Jul. 1944 | Runnymede Memorial |
| Cpl. | Horace W. Yaxley | 2nd Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment | 23 May 1940 | Dunkirk Town Cemetery |
| LCpl. | George A. Yaxley | 2nd Bn., Royal Norfolks | 26 May 1940 | Le Paradis War Cemetery |
References
[edit]- ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Home | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Relationships and changes Irstead AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ "Population statistics Irstead AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ "CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL, Barton Turf - 1049932 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Irstead: St Michael's". www.achurchnearyou.com. 15 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "The Norfolk Churches Site". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Geograph:: Ickburgh to Knapton :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
External links
[edit]
- Map sources for Irstead.
- Information from Genuki Norfolk on Irstead.