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Hempnall

Coordinates: 52°30′00″N 1°17′35″E / 52.500°N 1.293°E / 52.500; 1.293
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Hempnall
St Margaret's Church
Hempnall is located in Norfolk
Hempnall
Hempnall
Location within Norfolk
Area5.72 sq mi (14.8 km2)
Population1,238 (2021 census)
• Density216/sq mi (83/km2)
OS grid referenceTM236942
Civil parish
  • Hempnall
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNORWICH
Postcode districtNR15
Dialling code01508
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°30′00″N 1°17′35″E / 52.500°N 1.293°E / 52.500; 1.293

Hempnall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.

Hempnall is located 6.8 miles (10.9 km) north of Harleston and 8.4 miles (13.5 km) south of Norwich.

History

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Hempnall's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for Hemma's nook of land.[1]

In the Domesday Book, Hempnall is listed as a settlement of 57 households in the hundred of Depwade. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of Roger Bigod and Ralph Baynard.[2]

According to John Wesley's journal, on 4 September 1759 he walked the nine miles from Norwich to preach in Hempnall market place. He described how he was followed by a mob from Norwich, who may have been financed by the city's brewers, and the mob's ringleader tried to disrupt the proceedings with a horn. This was quickly thrown away by one of the crowd, and the others were soon deeply attentive to John Wesley's message: "By grace ye are saved through faith".[citation needed]

During the Eighteenth Century, a workhouse was built in Hempnall but no longers stands.[3]

During the Second World War, a decoy airfield was built in Hempnall to distract the attentions of the Luftwaffe away from RAF Hardwick.[4]

There have been reported sightings of Black Shuck in Hempnall.[5]

Geography

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According to the 2021 census, Hempnall has a total population of 1,238 people which demonstrates a decrease from the 1,292 people listed in the 2011 census.[6]

St. Margaret's Church

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Hempnall's parish church is dedicated to Saint Margaret the Virgin and dates from the Thirteenth Century. St. Margaret's is located within the village on Church Plain and has been Grade I listed since 1959.[7] The church holds Sunday service every Sunday.[8]

St. Margaret's suffered two devastating fires, one in the Fourteenth Century and another in the Seventeenth Century though a medieval font and Georgian pulpit survive.[9]

Amenities

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Facilities in Hempnall include a village hall, playing field, a primary school, and a doctor's surgery. The convenience store, formerly run by RS McColl, was rebranded Morrisons Local in 2023.[10] 'The Hempnall Trust', a village charity, runs The Hempnall Mill Centre at the site of Hempnall Mill.

Hempnall is home to a popular Tennis Club. In the heart of South Norfolk, the club boasts 2 quality floodlit hard courts that can be hired all year round to the public and club members.

Governance

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Hempnall is an electoral ward for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.

The village's national constituency is South Norfolk which has been represented by the Labour's Ben Goldsborough MP since 2024.

Notable Residents

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War Memorial

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Hempnall War Memorial is a wheel-headed cross with a plinth and a rustic base located at the junction of Broaden Street and The Street. The memorial was unveiled in December 1919 by W.H. Couzens-Hardy MP.[11] A plaque was also added for casualties from the Second Boer War:[12][13]

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Burial/Commemoration
Dvr. George J. Gowing Royal Horse Artillery Unknown Royal Artillery Memorial
Pte. George Moore 2nd Bn., Norfolk Regiment Unknown Norwich Boer War Memorial
Pte. Harry Moore 2nd Bn., Norfolk Regt. Unknown Norwich Boer War Memorial

The following names are listed for the First World War:

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Burial/Commemoration
Cpl. Harry Townshend MM 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment 27 Sep. 1918 Vis-en-Artois Memorial
LCpl. Charles A. Elvin 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 21 Mar. 1918 Arras Memorial
Pte. Bertie T. Ellis[a] Coldstream Guards 1918 Unknown
Pte. Albert Crummett 6th Bn., Durham Light Infantry 20 Jul. 1917 Achiet-le-Grand Cemetery
Pte. Richard H. Lansdell 4th Bn., East Yorkshire Regiment 31 Oct. 1917 Mendinghem Cemetery
Pte. Robert S. Sporle 13th Bn., East Yorkshire Regt. 6 May 1917 Hamburg Cemetery
Pte. William Ayton 7th Bn., Royal Fusiliers 13 Nov. 1916 Ancre British Cemetery
Pte. Herbert Townshend Royal Fusiliers 14 May 1918 St. Sever Cemetery
Pte. Percy W. Ellis 6th Bn., Middlesex Regiment 30 Dec. 1917 Chatby Memorial
Pte. Leonard Townshend 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment 7 Mar. 1915 Menin Gate
Pte. Sidney G. Varley 1st Bn., Norfolk Regt. 18 Sep. 1916 Guillemont Road Cemetery
Pte. Thomas Downing 2/6th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 18 Jan. 1915 St. Margaret's Churchyard
Pte. Walter S. Kirk 7th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 8 Aug. 1918 Morlancourt Cemetery
Pte. Charles H. Spink[b] 7th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 3 Dec. 1918 Étaples Military Cemetery
Pte. Charles Nash 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 15 Sep. 1915 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. Frederick A. Nash 2/4th Bn., Queen's Royal Regiment 21 Dec. 1917 Jerusalem War Cemetery
Pte. Clarence J. Pointer 10th Bn., Queen's Royal Regt. 27 Mar. 1918 Ontario Cemetery
Rfn. Arthur Sheldrake 5th Bn., Royal Irish Rifles 23 Mar. 1918 Pozières Memorial
Spr. John W. Elvin 416th Coy., Royal Engineers 4 Sep. 1918 Quéant Road Cemetery

The following names were added after the Second World War:

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Burial/Commemoration
Sgt. Jack N. Fraser[c] No. 142 Squadron RAF 11 Jun. 1940 St. Sever Cemetery
Cpl. Charles R. Perkins Royal Air Force 31 Dec. 1945 Naples War Cemetery
Pte. Bob E. Roberts 2nd Bn., Lincolnshire Regiment 3 May 1945 Becklingen War Cemetery
Pte. Reginald C. Gooch 5th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment 22 Jan. 1942 Kranji War Cemetery
Pte. Raymond E. Madgett 6th Bn., Royal Norfolks 21 Jul. 1943 Kanchanaburi War Cemetery

Footnotes

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Notes

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  1. ^ Private Ellis was discharged in March 1916 and died two years later of tuberculosis.
  2. ^ Private Spink died of bronchopneumonia at No. 20 General Hospital near Camiers.
  3. ^ Sergeant Fraser was serving as an Observer when his Fairey Battle flying from Villiersfaux was shot down.

References

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  1. ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  2. ^ "Hempnall | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  3. ^ "MNF15977 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  4. ^ "MNF32723 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  5. ^ "The Paranormal Database - Norfolk". www.paranormaldatabase.com. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  6. ^ "Hempnall (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  7. ^ Historic England. "CHURCH OF ST MARGARET, Hempnall (1050328)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  8. ^ "Hempnall: St Margaret's Church". www.achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  9. ^ "Hempnall". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  10. ^ Houldey, Charlotte (20 June 2023). "Morrisons opening in Mccolls shop in Hempnall Norfolk". Norwich Evening News. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  11. ^ Historic England. "Hempnall War Memorial, Hempnall (1443914)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  12. ^ "Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Hempnall". roll-of-honour.com. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  13. ^ "Geograph:: Hackford to Hunworth :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
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Media related to Hempnall at Wikimedia Commons

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