Briston
Encyclopedia
Briston is a village and a civil parish in the English
county
of Norfolk
. The village is 11 miles (17.7 km) east north east of the town of Fakenham
, 13.3 miles (21.4 km) west south west of Cromer
, 20.3 miles (32.7 km) north north west of the city of Norwich
, and 125 miles (201.2 km) north north east of London
. The nearest railway station is at Sheringham
for the Bittern Line
which runs between Sheringham
, Cromer and Norwich. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport
. The civil parish had in 2001 census
, a population of 2,021. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district
of North Norfolk
. The village is situated on the route of the B1354
that runs between the A148
at Thursford
and the B1149
at Saxthorpe
.
.
Briston has an entry in the Domesday Book
of 1085. In the great book Briston is recorded by the name Brurstuna. The main landholder was William de Warenne
who owned 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land from which had been previously the property of Toke, a Saxon Thegn
who had been evicted after the defeat of the King Harold
at the Battle of Hastings
in 1066. This land was farmed by three Free Men or Socman
and a further 280 acres (1.1 km²) was farmed by fourteen bordars. There was a pannage
or woodland for 20 pigs which was valued at 16 shillings.
screen was erected in memory of a former rector of the church the Reverend Charles Norris and dates from 1875. The church has a strange curiosity, a metal cello which was made by the village blacksmith in 1700, which is kept in a glass case at the back of the church. Mr Clithero, the blacksmith would play the instrument for many years in the church.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The village is 11 miles (17.7 km) east north east of the town of Fakenham
Fakenham
Fakenham is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, some north east of King's Lynn, south west of Cromer, and north west of Norwich....
, 13.3 miles (21.4 km) west south west of Cromer
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
, 20.3 miles (32.7 km) north north west of the city of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, and 125 miles (201.2 km) north north east of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The nearest railway station is at Sheringham
Sheringham railway station
Sheringham railway station is a timber halt in the town of Sheringham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the terminus of the Bittern Line, operated by National Express East Anglia, and is 49 km north of...
for the Bittern Line
Bittern Line
The Bittern Line is a railway line from Norwich to Cromer then Sheringham in Norfolk, England. It is one of the most scenic in the East of England traversing the Norfolk Broads on its route to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the North Norfolk Coast. The line is part of the Network Rail...
which runs between Sheringham
Sheringham
Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, west of Cromer.The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District Council, is Mare Ditat Pinusque Decorat, Latin for "The sea enriches and the pine adorns"....
, Cromer and Norwich. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs....
. The civil parish had in 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, a population of 2,021. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
. The village is situated on the route of the B1354
B1354 road
The B1354 runs for about between the A148 at Thursford and the B1149 at Saxthorpe , and is entirely within the county of Norfolk. The road is the main route of access to Norwich and to Fakenham for the large villages of Melton Constable and Briston....
that runs between the A148
A148 road
The A148 is an English A road entirely in the county of Norfolk. It runs from King's Lynn to Cromer via Fakenham which it bypasses to the north.-King’s Lynn starting point:...
at Thursford
Thursford
Thursford is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is 16.3 miles south-west of Cromer, 24.5 miles north-west of Norwich and 121 miles north-east of London. The village lies 6.9 miles north-west of the nearby town of Fakenham. The nearest railway station is at...
and the B1149
B1149 road
The B1149 is the most direct route between the town of Holt and the city of Norwich in the county of Norfolk, England. There is no direct A-road alternative...
at Saxthorpe
Saxthorpe
Saxthorpe is a village within the civil parish of Corpusty in the English county of Norfolk. The village is west south west of Cromer, north north west of Norwich and north east of London. The village lies south west of the town of Holt. The village is passed to the north and east by the B1149...
.
History
The name Briston derives from of Brurstuna. the settlement on the River BureRiver Bure
The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in The Broads. The Bure rises near Melton Constable, upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of navigation. Nowadays, the head of navigation is downstream at Coltishall Bridge...
.
Briston has an entry in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1085. In the great book Briston is recorded by the name Brurstuna. The main landholder was William de Warenne
William de Warenne
William de Warenne may refer to:*William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey *William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey *William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey *William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey...
who owned 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land from which had been previously the property of Toke, a Saxon Thegn
Thegn
The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...
who had been evicted after the defeat of the King Harold
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
at the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
in 1066. This land was farmed by three Free Men or Socman
Socage
Socage was one of the feudal duties and hence land tenure forms in the feudal system. A farmer, for example, held the land in exchange for a clearly defined, fixed payment to be made at specified intervals to his feudal lord, who in turn had his own feudal obligations, to the farmer and to the Crown...
and a further 280 acres (1.1 km²) was farmed by fourteen bordars. There was a pannage
Pannage
Pannage is the practice of turning out domestic pigs in a wood or forest, in order that they may feed on fallen acorns, beechmast, chestnuts or other nuts. Historically, it was a right or privilege granted to local people on common land or in royal forests...
or woodland for 20 pigs which was valued at 16 shillings.
Village amenities
Within the village there is a bakery, butcher's shop, fishmonger, a grocer's and minimarket. There is a community centre that hosts a Youth Club. For sport the village has a playing field with tennis courts. There is also a bowling green and a playground for the children of the village. There are two public houses in the village. On the outskirts of the village is the Three Horseshoes, a 16th century inn with open log fire and oak beams. In the centre of the village is the Green Man which has a selection of real ale.All Saints' parish church
The parish church of All Saints is unusual in that there is no church tower. It originally had a round tower but this collapsed in 1785 and was never re-built. In the towers place was built a bell-cote consisting of two plain brick pillars. The churches east window is decorated in a 14th century style and the chancelChancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
screen was erected in memory of a former rector of the church the Reverend Charles Norris and dates from 1875. The church has a strange curiosity, a metal cello which was made by the village blacksmith in 1700, which is kept in a glass case at the back of the church. Mr Clithero, the blacksmith would play the instrument for many years in the church.