Walsoken
Encyclopedia
Walsoken is a village and a civil parish in the English
county
of Norfolk
. The village is 56 miles (90.1 km) west of Norwich
, 13.4 miles (21.6 km) west-south-west of King's Lynn
and 103 miles (165.8 km) north of London
. The nearest town is Wisbech
which is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east-north-east of the village. The Village straddles the route of the B198
which was the old A47 renumbered in 1984 with the opening of the Wisbech bypass. The nearest railway station is at Downham Market
for the Fen Line
which runs between King's Lynn
and Cambridge
. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport
. The parish of Walsoken in the 2001 census
, has a population of 1,484. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district
of King's Lynn and West Norfolk
.
. The village is now a suburb
of the fenland town of Wisbech
and much of its ancient character and historic core have been lost under modern housing. The parish is south of West Walton
, north of Emneth
and west of Marshland St James
. The name Walsoken is thought to originate from the Old English meaning the district under particular jurisdiction by the wall which refers to the villages proximity to a Roman
sea wall or defence.
, but including examples minted by Gallienus
and Hostilian
which were found via metal detecting in the 1980s.
of 1085. In the great book Walsoken is recorded by the name Walsocam. The parish was held by the Benedictine Order based at Ramsey Abbey before and after 1066. the survey also records the presence of a fishery
.
This church is crowned by a prominent west tower with four turret
s and a spire
which dates from the medieval period. To the base of the tower is the rounded Norman
west doorway. The interior of the church has massive Norman arcade
s which are rich with zigzag moulding decoration. An arch in the chancel
is supported on carved banded shafts. On one side is the 15th-century doorway to the old rood
loft. The nave
roof has painted angels and other figures in delicately canopied niches. There are 15th-century screens in both aisles, one with most intricate tracery, stalls with carved heads, battered figures on old benches, and over the tower arch two paintings of the judgement of Solomon
with a statue of a king enthroned between them. The Seven Sacrament font is 400 years plus old. This pre-Reformation font is decorated with sculptures of the crucifixion
and seven sacrament
s (these are; Baptism, Confession, Confirmation, Last Rites, Mass, Matrimony and Ordination), eight saints under rich canopies (these are; Catherine, Paul, John, Magdala, Steven, Margaret, Peter and Dorothea), and round the base this inscription to those friends of the church who gave it: "Remember the souls of S. Honyter and Margaret his wife, and John Benforth, Chaplain 1544". One child baptised at this font grew up to be arch bishop of Canterbury
. He was the Rector's boy, Thomas Herring
, who became Archbishop in 1747, and a little while before he died put a tablet in the chancel here "in grateful memory of his excellent parents". He was a man of immense enthusiasm and full of generosity. There are several later window insertions throughout.
The churches' bell tower has six bells made by Thomas Osborn in Downham Market in 1795. Originally the bells were hung in a frame adjacent to the louvres in the tower. The bells were restored and re-hung in 1901 by the children of Richard Young M.P. for North Cambridgeshire and further work was undertaken in 1956 when the bells were re-hung in a lower position in the tower in an eight bell metal frame. This was to allow for the future provision of two additional bells which has not to date been achieved.
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 56 miles (90.1 km) west 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...
, 13.4 miles (21.6 km) west-south-west of King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
and 103 miles (165.8 km) north 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 town is Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
which is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east-north-east of the village. The Village straddles the route of the B198
B roads in Zone 1 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.-Zone 1 :-Zone 1 :...
which was the old A47 renumbered in 1984 with the opening of the Wisbech bypass. The nearest railway station is at Downham Market
Downham Market railway station
Downham Market railway station serves the town of Downham Market in the English county of Norfolk. The station lies on Fen Line from Cambridge to King's Lynn, which is electrified at 25 kV AC overhead...
for the Fen Line
Fen Line
The Fen Line is a railway in the United Kingdom that runs between the cities of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire and King's Lynn, Norfolk; the line is so called because it runs through The Fens. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5 and comprises SRS 05.06 and part of 05.05...
which runs between King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. 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 parish of Walsoken in the 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....
, has a population of 1,484. 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 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
King's Lynn and West Norfolk
King's Lynn and West Norfolk is a local government district and borough in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in the town of King's Lynn.-History:...
.
Description
The village and parish of Walsoken is situated in the west of Norfolk on the border with CambridgeshireCambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
. The village is now a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of the fenland town of Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
and much of its ancient character and historic core have been lost under modern housing. The parish is south of West Walton
West Walton
West Walton is a village and a civil parish in the English county of NorfolkThe village is west of Norwich, west-south-west of King's Lynn and north of London. The nearest town is Wisbech which is south of the village. The nearest railway station is at Watlington, Norfolk for the Fen Line...
, north of Emneth
Emneth
Emneth is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is west of Norwich, south-west of King's Lynn and north of London. The nearest town is Wisbech which is north-north-west of the village. The Village lies to the south-west of the route of the A47 between...
and west of Marshland St James
Marshland St James
Marshland St James is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,137 in 456 households as of the 2001 census....
. The name Walsoken is thought to originate from the Old English meaning the district under particular jurisdiction by the wall which refers to the villages proximity to a Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
sea wall or defence.
Roman Settlement
Archaeological evidence has found that much of the land of Walsoken of pre-Roman occupation was completely submerged beneath the Iron Age silts. As such, very little early prehistoric archaeology has been recorded. It is thought that some dry land existed within the parish in the Bronze Age as several artefacts from that time period were uncovered in the 19th century. There has been a lot more archaeological evidence found to attest to Roman occupation in the parish, including A dispersed hoard of 300 to 400 Roman coins, mostly of PostumusPostumus
Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus was a Roman emperor of Batavian origin. He usurped power from Gallienus in 260 and formed the so-called Gallic Empire...
, but including examples minted by Gallienus
Gallienus
Gallienus was Roman Emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and alone from 260 to 268. He took control of the Empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
and Hostilian
Hostilian
Hostilian was Roman emperor in 251. Hostilian was born in Sirmium in Illyricum sometime after 230, as the son of the future emperor Decius by his wife Herennia Cupressenia Etruscilla...
which were found via metal detecting in the 1980s.
Norman period
Walsoken was established by the time of the Norman Conquest. The villages population, land ownership and productive resources were detailed in its entry in the Domesday BookDomesday 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 Walsoken is recorded by the name Walsocam. The parish was held by the Benedictine Order based at Ramsey Abbey before and after 1066. the survey also records the presence of a fishery
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
.
All Saints Parish Church
All Saints' Church in Walsoken is a Grade 1 Listed Building and consists of a nave with south and north aisles, chancel with south and north chapels, south porch The nave and chancel are both late Norman and date from c.1146. Above the chancel arch is a 15th century carving of King David with harp.This church is crowned by a prominent west tower with four turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s and a spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
which dates from the medieval period. To the base of the tower is the rounded Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
west doorway. The interior of the church has massive Norman arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
s which are rich with zigzag moulding decoration. An arch in the chancel
Chancel
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...
is supported on carved banded shafts. On one side is the 15th-century doorway to the old rood
Rood
A rood is a cross or crucifix, especially a large one in a church; a large sculpture or sometimes painting of the crucifixion of Jesus.Rood is an archaic word for pole, from Old English rōd "pole", specifically "cross", from Proto-Germanic *rodo, cognate to Old Saxon rōda, Old High German ruoda...
loft. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
roof has painted angels and other figures in delicately canopied niches. There are 15th-century screens in both aisles, one with most intricate tracery, stalls with carved heads, battered figures on old benches, and over the tower arch two paintings of the judgement of Solomon
Solomon
Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
with a statue of a king enthroned between them. The Seven Sacrament font is 400 years plus old. This pre-Reformation font is decorated with sculptures of the crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
and seven sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
s (these are; Baptism, Confession, Confirmation, Last Rites, Mass, Matrimony and Ordination), eight saints under rich canopies (these are; Catherine, Paul, John, Magdala, Steven, Margaret, Peter and Dorothea), and round the base this inscription to those friends of the church who gave it: "Remember the souls of S. Honyter and Margaret his wife, and John Benforth, Chaplain 1544". One child baptised at this font grew up to be arch bishop of Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
. He was the Rector's boy, Thomas Herring
Thomas Herring
Thomas Herring was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1747 to 1757.He was educated at Wisbech Grammar School and later Jesus College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, he was a contemporary of Matthew Hutton, who succeeded him in turn in each of his dioceses...
, who became Archbishop in 1747, and a little while before he died put a tablet in the chancel here "in grateful memory of his excellent parents". He was a man of immense enthusiasm and full of generosity. There are several later window insertions throughout.
The churches' bell tower has six bells made by Thomas Osborn in Downham Market in 1795. Originally the bells were hung in a frame adjacent to the louvres in the tower. The bells were restored and re-hung in 1901 by the children of Richard Young M.P. for North Cambridgeshire and further work was undertaken in 1956 when the bells were re-hung in a lower position in the tower in an eight bell metal frame. This was to allow for the future provision of two additional bells which has not to date been achieved.