Worstead, Norfolk
Historical Description
Worstead, a village and a parish in Norfolk. The village stands 3 miles SSE of North Walsham, and has a station on the G.E.R., 126 miles from London, and a post, money order, and telegraph office under Norwich. It was anciently called Worstede, was once a manufacturing and market town, gave name to worsted stuffs, the manufacture of which was commenced in it in the time of Henry I., by a colony of Flemish workmen. The trade and the Flemings with it were transferred to Norwich in the reign of Richard II. The parish includes five hamlets, and comprises 2631 acres; population, 819. There is a parish council consisting of nine members. Worstead House is the chief residence. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Norwich; gross value, £270 with residence. Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Norwich. The church, which was built in the latter half of the 14th century, is one of the finest in the county, and is in the Transitional style. It has a fine Decorated tower, a remarkable "hammer-beamed" roof, a Perpendicular font, and a restored chancel. There are Baptist and Primitive Methodist chapels, almshouses, and other charities.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | Norfolk | |
Ecclesiastical parish | Worstead St. Mary | |
Hundred | Tunstead |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
Ancestry.co.uk, in association with Norfolk Record Office, have images of the Parish Registers for Norfolk online.
Findmypast, in conjunction with Norfolk Record Office have the following parish records online for Worstead:
Baptisms | Banns | Marriages | Burials |
---|---|---|---|
1558-1901 | 1558-1901 | 1562-1901 | 1558-1884 |
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Worstead from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Worstead (St. Mary))
Maps
Online maps of Worstead are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Norfolk newspapers online:
- Norwich Mercury
- Norfolk Chronicle
- Diss Express
- Thetford & Watton Times and People's Weekly Journal
- Norfolk News
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitations of Norfolk 1563, 1589, and 1613 is available on the Heraldry page.