Bircham Tofts is a village in the civil parish of Bircham, in the King's Lynn and West Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England.
| Bircham Tofts | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 The overgrown ruins of the church of St Andrew in Bircham Tofts | |
  Bircham Tofts Location within Norfolk | |
| OS grid reference | TF779326 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | King's Lynn |
| Postcode district | PE31 |
| Dialling code | 01485 |
| UK Parliament |
|
Bircham Tofts is located 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of Great Bircham, 12 miles (19 km) north-east of King's Lynn and 32 miles (51 km) north-west of Norwich.
History
editBircham Tofts' name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the curtilage close to Bircham. The origin of 'Bircham' is unknown.[1]
In the Domesday Book, Bircham Tofts is listed as a settlement of 10 households in the hundred of Docking. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of Odo of Bayeux.[2]
According to the 1931 census, Bircham Tofts had a population of 96.[3] This was the last time separate population statistics were collected for Bircham Tofts. On 1 April 1935, Bircham Tofts was merged with Great Bircham and Bircham Newton to form the civil parish of Bircham.[4]
With the village there is a Grade II listed farmhouse which dates from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, known as Pond Farmhouse.[5]
Geography
editBircham Tofts is bisected by the B1155 which runs between Great Bircham and Holkham.
St. Mary's Church
editBircham Tofts' former parish church was dedicated to Saint Mary but during the Second World War found itself within the boundaries of RAF Bircham Newton, making it inaccessible to its congregation. As a result, St. Mary's was abandoned, it's lead roof was taken in 1952 and is now completely overgrown with ivy and elder.[6]
Governance
editBircham Tofts is part of the electoral ward of Bircham with Ruddhams for local elections and is part of the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.
The village's national constituency is North West Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative's James Wild since 2010.
War Memorial
editBircham Newton's war memorial is shared with Great Bircham and takes the form of a stone cross atop a marble plaque. The following men from Bircham Newton are listed on the war memorial as having fallen during the First World War:[7]
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Other Commemoration / Burial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2Lt. | Sidney A. Wharton | 8th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment | 1 July 1917 | Dive Copse Cemetery, Sailly-le-Sec |
| AM1 | Bertie A. Taylor | No. 57 Squadron RAF | 30 July 1918 | British Cemetery, Huby-Saint-Leu |
| L/Cpl. | Sidney H. Easter | 9th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment | 15 September 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Bdr. | Albert T. Wacey | 113th (Heavy) Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery | 4 March 1915 | Communal Cemetery, Merville |
| Pte. | Robert J. Easter | 6th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment | 4 November 1918 | Communal Cemetery, Preux-au-Bois |
And also E. Easter. The memorial also lists the following name for the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Other Commemoration / Burial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | Eric V. Briston | HMS Verdun | 22 March 1946 | St. Mary's Church, Great Bircham |
References
edit- ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ "Bircham [Tofts] | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ "Population statistics Bircham Tofts AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "Relationships and changes Bircham Tofts AP/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "POND FARMHOUSE, Bircham - 1152442 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ "Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Great Bircham". roll-of-honour.com. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ Ordnance Survey (2002). OS Explorer Map 250 - Norfolk Coast West. ISBN 0-319-21886-4.
External links
edit
Media related to Bircham Tofts at Wikimedia Commons
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