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Hilgay

Coordinates: 52°33′32″N 0°23′24″E / 52.559°N 0.390°E / 52.559; 0.390
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Hilgay
Hilgay Village Sign
Hilgay is located in Norfolk
Hilgay
Hilgay
Location within Norfolk
Area12.88 sq mi (33.4 km2)
Population1,346 (2021 census)
• Density105/sq mi (41/km2)
OS grid referenceTL621983
Civil parish
  • Hilgay
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDOWNHAM MARKET
Postcode districtPE38
Dialling code01366
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°33′32″N 0°23′24″E / 52.559°N 0.390°E / 52.559; 0.390

Hilgay is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish also includes the hamlet of Ten Mile Bank.

Hilgay is located 4 miles (6 km) south of Downham Market and 38 miles (61 km) west of Norwich, close to the course of the River Wissey and River Great Ouse.

History

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Hilgay's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the island of Hydla's people.[1]

In the Domesday Book, Hilgay is recorded as a settlement of 55 households in the hundred of Clackclose. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of King William I, William de Warenne, Roger Bigod, St. Edmunds' Abbey, St. Etheldreda's Abbey, St. Benedict's Abbey and Hermer de Ferrers.[2]

In 1291, Modney Priory, a Benedictine cell of St. Benedict's Abbey in Ramsey was built in the parish. The priory was dissolution by King Henry VIII in 1539.[3]

A Nineteenth Century iron lattice bridge was built in the parish, known as Ten Mile Bank Bridge. The bridge was demolished in 2004.[4]

In 2018, nine one-metre square test pits were dug as part of an archaeological investigation. The report was published in 2019. [5]

Hilgay Railway Station opened in 1847 on the Fen Line, between Cambridge and King's Lynn. The station closed in 1963 but at one point operated 'Hiams Tramway' which provided a rail link for agricultural produce.

Geography

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According to the 2021 census, Hilgay has a population of 1,346 people which shows a decrease from the 1,341 people listed in the 2011 census.[6]

Hilgay is located close to the courses of the River Wissey and River Great Ouse. The A10, between London and King's Lynn, passes through the village.

All Saints' Church

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Hilgay's parish church dates from the Eighteenth Century and is located within the village on Church Road. All Saints' has been Grade II listed since 1959[7] and still holds regular Sunday service as part of the Ouse Valley Benefice.[8]

All Saints was heavily restored by George Edmund Street in the 1860s and features a large Victorian marble font.[9]

Amenities

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Primary schools at Hilgay and Ten Mile Bank are both run by the Diocese of Ely multi-academy trust.[10] In November 2023, plans were put forward to amalgamate the two schools and close the Ten Mile Bank site, owing to low numbers of pupils.[11]

A Hilgay village sign was erected in 1987. The musical instruments on it are displayed in honour of Hilgay Silver Band, which was still going strong over 100 years after its formation around 1896. Its original members were agricultural workers from the local area. A Manby mortar is also represented. The bridge depicted between the two instruments is Hilgay Old Bridge. The bridge was built in 1899 to transport traffic from the centre of the village over the River Wissey to the north. A small plaque attached to the bottom of the supporting post states the village sign was 'Erected by Hilgay Parish Council 1987'.[12]

Hilgay Parish Council are responsible for the local allotments, cemetery and defibrillator.[13]

Notable Residents

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Governance

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Hilgay is part of the electoral ward of Feltwell for local elections and is part of the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk

The village's national constituency is South West Norfolk which has been represented by Labour's Terry Jermy MP since 2024.

War Memorial

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Hilgay War Memorial is a large latin-cross atop a shaft surrounded by a chain-link fence located at the junction of Church Road and High Street which was erected in 1920.[14] The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:[15]

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Burial/Commemoration
Lt. Michael G. Stocks 2nd Bn., Grenadier Guards 10 Nov. 1914 Zillebeke Churchyard
Lt. Francis E. Levita 4th Queen's Own Hussars 12 Oct. 1914 Méteren Cemetery
2Lt. Louis E. J. Maude 11th Bn., K.O.Y.L.I. 1 Jul. 1916 Gordon Dump Cemetery
Sjt. Walter S. Tuddenham 5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment 19 Apr. 1917 Gaza War Cemetery
LCpl. John T. Harnwell 1st Bn., Norfolk Regt. 27 Jul. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Gnr. Ernest Rolfe 298th Bde., Royal Field Artillery 24 Apr. 1918 Pernois Cemetery
Pnr. John W. A. Cockerton Railway Division, Royal Engineers 25 May 1919 Deir al-Balah Cemetery
Pte. John W. Anderson 2nd Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment 21 Mar. 1918 Pozières Memorial
Pte. George H. Carnell 2nd Bn., Bedfordshire Regt. 8 May 1918 Tyne Cot
Pte. Charles W. Eagle 3rd Bn., Bedfordshire Regt. 7 Nov. 1918 All Saints' Churchyard
Pte. Jabez Stokes 13th Bn., Essex Regiment 13 Nov. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. Albert Horton 2nd Bn., Royal Irish Fusiliers 4 May 1915 Menin Gate
Pte. Ernest R. Burton DCM 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment 14 Mar. 1915 Spoilbank Cemetery
Pte. George S. Dearsley 1st Bn., Norfolk Regt. 29 Oct. 1914 Le Touret Memorial
Pte. Thomas G. Dent 1st Bn., Norfolk Regt. 25 Sep. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. William H. Burton 2nd Bn., Norfolk Regt. 15 Apr. 1915 Basra War Cemetery
Pte. Bertie Hall 5th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 12 Aug. 1915 Helles Memorial
Pte. Robert Anderson 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 20 Nov. 1917 Cambrai Memorial
Pte. William A. Carnell 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 25 Oct. 1918 St. Sever Cemetery
Pte. Percy R. Everitt 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 10 Oct. 1915 Lijssenthoek Cemetery
Pte. William H. Harnwell 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 15 Sep. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. William Rust 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 21 Dec. 1915 New Irish Farm Cemetery
Pte. Charles H. Green 10th Bn., Norfolk Regt. 20 Mar. 1916 Colchester Cemetery
Pte. William Rolfe 2nd Bn., Northumberland Fusilers 21 Jul. 1917 Baghdad War Cemetery
Pte. Charles Clements 2nd Bn., Suffolk Regiment 15 Sep. 1915 Menin Gate
Pte. Alfred E. Bosworth 7th Bn., Suffolk Regt. 3 Jul. 1916 Blighty Valley Cemetery
Pte. Albert H. Holman 13th Bn., Tank Corps 25 Apr. 1918 Tyne Cot
Pte. Walter F. Carnell 3rd Bn., Training Reserve 15 Aug. 1917 All Saints' Churchyard
Pte. John W. Bland 6th Bn., Queen's Royal Regiment 4 Apr. 1917 Faubourg Cemetery
Pte. Frank H. Holman 7th Bn., Queen's Royal Regt. 29 Sep. 1916 Connaught Cemetery
Pte. John W. Holman 1st Bn., Wiltshire Regiment 25 Sep. 1915 Menin Gate
Pte. James H. Crane 3rd Bn., Worcestershire Regiment 14 Oct. 1916 Railway Dugouts Ground
Rfn. Walter B. Holman 1st Bn., King's Royal Rifle Corps 28 Nov. 1917 Cambrai Memorial
Rfn. Alfred Marsh 7th Bn., West Yorkshire Regiment 11 Oct. 1918 Wellington Cemetery

The following names were added after the Second World War:

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Burial/Commemoration
StSgt. Philip H. Bushell Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 3 Mar. 1944 Beach Head Cemetery
FSgt. Thomas A. Betts No. 461 Squadron RAAF (Sunderland) 12 Aug. 1942 Runnymede Memorial
Cpl. Walter Clifton Royal Army Service Corps 4 Jul. 1943 King Tom Cemetery
LAC William H. Gill No. 202 Squadron RAF (Sunderland) 5 Jun. 1941 Runnymede Memorial
AS Donald W. Sparrow HMS Quebec (shore establishment) 15 Nov. 1942 Chatham Naval Memorial
Gnr. Alfred D. Howlett Royal Artillery 30 Apr. 1943 All Saints' Churchyard
Pte. Oliver V. Howlett 4th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment 11 Feb. 1942 Kranji War Cemetery

References

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  1. ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Hilgay | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  3. ^ "mnf4459 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  4. ^ "mnf45257 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  5. ^ "Hilgay" (PDF). www.access.arch.cam.ac. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Hilgay (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Church of All Saints, Hilgay - 1077719 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  8. ^ "All Saints' Church, Hilgay". www.achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  10. ^ "The Riverside Federation". riversidefederation-norfolk.demat.org.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Ten Mile Bank and Hilgay Amalgamation Consultation Response". Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust. November 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Hilgay". www.edp24.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Hilgay Parish Council". hilgaypc.wixsite.com. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Hilgay War Memorial, Hilgay - 1476134 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Geograph:: Hackford to Hunworth :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2025.

Bibliography

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  • Andrew Hunter Blair (2006). The River Great Ouse and tributaries. Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson. ISBN 978-0-85288-943-5.
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Media related to Hilgay at Wikimedia Commons

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