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Walsingham, Norfolk

Historical Description

Walsingham, a small town in Norfolk, on the river Stiffkey, with a station the G.E.R., 113 miles from London, and 5 N by E of Fakenham. It is in the parish of Little Walsingham, and was formerly famous for an Augustinian priory founded in 1061 by Faverches, had also a Grey friary founded in 1346 by the Clares, and a lepers' hospital, drew to its shrines for a long period many distinguished pilgrims, one of the last of whom was Henry VIII. in the second year of his reign, and gives the title of Baron to the family De Grey. It is a seat of petty sessions and county courts, and has a head post office (R.S.O.), a police station formerly a bridewell, a parish church, an endowed grammar school, eight almshouses, and an annual fair. The priory was preceded by a chantry built in imitation of the Sancta Casa at Nazareth, contained a highly venerated image of the Virgin, which Henry VIII. eventually caused to be burnt at Chelsea, was devastated at the Reformation, and is now represented mainly by the W entrance gateway, by a window-arch 60 feet high, and by part of the cloisters. The parish church is Perpendicular and cruciform, has a tower with slender spire, and has been thoroughly restored. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels. See WALSINGHAM, LITTLE.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Church Records

Ancestry.co.uk, in association with Norfolk Record Office, have images of the Parish Registers for Norfolk online.


Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Norfolk newspapers online:


Visitations Heraldic

The Visitations of Norfolk 1563, 1589, and 1613 is available on the Heraldry page.

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