Knapton
Village in Norfolk, England
Knapton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The parish is inland from the coastal village of Mundesley, and is about 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Cromer and 19 miles (31 km) north-east of Norwich, along the B1145.
Besides Knapton village, the only other settlement in the parish is the hamlet of Old Hall Street.
01History
Knapton's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for Cnapa's farmstead.
In the Domesday Book, Knapton is listed as a settlement of 32 households in the hundred of North Erpingham. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of William de Warenne.
New Hall was built in the village in 1800 and is now a hotel. Knapton House was built around the same period.
In 1943, a Bristol Blenheim crashed in the parish. The crew escaped and one of the propellers has been subsequently recovered.
02Geography
At the 2021 census, Knapton had a population of 389 people which shows an increase from the 364 recorded in the 2011 census.
03Church of St. Peter & St. Paul
Knapton's parish church is jointly dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul and dates from the 14th century. The church is on 'The Street' and has been Grade I listed since 1955. The church is no longer open for Sunday services and has received several grants from the National Churches Trust.
The church has one of the widest double hammerbeam roofs in England, which is complete with carved angels at the end of the beams. The church was restored in the Victorian era by George Gilbert Scott. There is an ornate font cover in the Palladian style.
Church gallery
04Notable residents
- Royal Navy officer Thomas Withers (1769, 1843), who served with Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, was born in the village. He is buried a few miles away at St Nicholas Church, North Walsham.
- Walter Pardon (1914, 1996), carpenter and traditional folk singer, lived in Knapton.
05Governance
Knapton is part of the electoral ward of Trunch 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.
06War Memorial
Knapton War Memorial is a rough-hewn stone cross in the Churchyard of Saint Peter and Saint Paul which lists the following names for the First World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial/Commemoration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2Lt. | Douglas Lambert | 6th Bn., The Buffs | 13 Oct. 1915 | Loos Memorial |
| Sjt. | Tom C. Barcham | 7th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 12 Oct. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Dvr. | Robert C. Yaxley | 45th Bty., Royal Field Artillery | 1 May 1917 | Duisans British Cemetery |
| Pte. | Albert J. Mace | 7th Bn., Lincolnshire Regiment | 22 Mar. 1918 | Hermies Hill Cemetery |
| Pte. | Percy W. Swann | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 23 Apr. 1917 | Arras Memorial |
| Pte. | George Turner | 8th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 19 Jul. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | George Wild | 7th Bn., Royal Sussex Regiment | 9 Aug. 1918 | Vis-en-Artois Memorial |
The following names were added after the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial/Commemoration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FO | Thomas R. R. Wood DFC | No. 115 Sqdn. RAF (Wellington) | 3 Jun. 1942 | Becklingen War Cemetery |
| Cpl. | Frederick Watts | Royal Ulster Rifles | 14 Jan. 1945 | Imphal War Cemetery |
| Rfn. | Sydney E. Woollsey | 7th Bn., King's Royal Rifle Corps | 26 May 1940 | Les Hemmes Churchyard |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Knapton”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Knapton village sign - geograph.org.uk - 4602863.jpg by Adrian S Pye, CC BY-SA 2.0
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