Brockdish

Brockdish is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.

Brockdish
Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
Brockdish Location within Norfolk
Area	9.15 km2 (3.53 sq mi)
Population	699
• Density	76/km2 (200/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TM224794
Civil parish	Brockdish
District	South Norfolk
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DISS
Postcode district	IP21
Dialling code	01379
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Waveney Valley

Brockdish is located 3.3 miles (5.3 km) south-west of Harleston and 18 miles (29 km) south of Norwich. Brockdish CP also includes the smaller village of Thorpe Abbotts.

History

Brockdish's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for enclosed land adjacent to a brook.

In the Domesday Book, Brockdish is recorded as a settlement of 39 households in the hundred of Earsham. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of King William I and St. Edmund's Abbey.

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Brockdish (with Thorpe Abbotts) has a population of 699 people which shows a slight increase from the 681 people recorded in the 2011 census.

The River Waveney acts as the southern border of the parish with Brockdish marking the highest point where the river is navigable by small watercraft. The entry point to the river is at the foot of the common.

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

Brockdish's parish church is dedicated to both Saint Peter and Saint Paul and was constructed in the Eleventh Century. The church is located on Church Lane and has been Grade I listed since 1959. The church was significantly remodelled in 1864-5 at the expense of Rector George France and under the supervision of architect, Frederick Marrable. The church also boasts an impressive collection of stained-glass windows, mostly from the workshops of J. & J. King of Norwich.

Amenities

Brockdish originally had two public houses until the closure of 'The Greyhound' in 2000, leaving the remaining pub: 'The King's Head'.

Brockdish Primary School closed in 2016 due to falling pupil numbers, and was, at once, Norfolk's smallest primary school. Pupils today attend primary education in Pulham Market or Harleston. Today, the school building is put to use as the Waveney Heritage Centre, a charity dedicated to forwarding local history. Pupils usually pursue secondary education at Harleston Sancroft Academy.

Notable Residents

• Clementia Taylor- (1810-1908), Suffragist who was born in Brockdish.
• Baroness Elaine Murphy- (b.1947), Politician who briefly lived in Brockdish.

Governance

Brockdish is part of the electoral ward of Beck Vale, Dickleburgh and Scole for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.

The village's national constituency is Waveney Valley which has been represented by the Green Party's Adrian Ramsay since 2024.

War memorial

Brockdish War Memorial is a Gothic cross constructed out of Portland stone, located in St. Peter and St.Paul's Churchyard. The memorial was erected in around 1920 after a campaign of public subscription to pay for its design. It holds the following names for First World War:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Other Commemoration / Burial
2Lt.	Cecil W. M. White	9th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	26 Sep. 1915	Loos Memorial
AS	Edgar A. Butcher	8th (Anson) Bn., Royal Naval Division	24 Mar. 1918	Arras Memorial
Pnr.	Harry Wilkinson	Royal Engineers	20 Nov. 1918	Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Wisbech
Pte.	Ernest E. Shemming	4th Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment	29 Apr. 1917	Arras Memorial
Pte.	Alfred E. Whiting	7th Bn., Border Regiment	3 Jul. 1916	Dantzig Alley British Cemetery
Pte.	William J. Read	1/9th Bn., Duke of Cambridge's Own Regiment	30 Oct. 1917	Kirkee War Cemetery
Pte.	Robert W. Whiting	1st Bn., East Surrey Regiment	28 Apr. 1917	Mont-Huon Military Cemetery
Pte.	William J. Day	7th Bn., East Surrey Rgt.	10 Apr. 1917	British Cemetery, Duisans
Pte.	Frederick A. Licence	2nd Bn., Essex Regiment	31 Jul. 1918	British Cemetery, Pernes
Pte.	Frederick J. Read	9th Bn., Essex Rgt.	3 Jul. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	Alfred J. Fisher	428th (Agricultural) Coy., Labour Corps	18 Nov. 1918	St. Lawrence's Churchyard, Ilketshall
Pte.	Albert V. Day	9th (Queen Victoria's Rifles) Bn., London Regiment	9 Oct. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	John N. Hines	1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment	11 Jun. 1915	Perth Cemetery, Ypres
Pte.	Marshall H. Norman	1st Bn., Norfolk Rgt.	23 May 1916	Faubourg Cemetery, Arras
Pte.	George H. Bloomfield	2nd Bn., Norfolk Rgt.	15 Mar. 1917	Amara War Cemetery
Pte.	William B. Hines	7th Bn., Norfolk Rgt.	12 Oct. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	Alfred Foulger	8th Bn., Norfolk Rgt.	17 May 1917	Arras Memorial
Pte.	William Allum	2nd Bn., Northamptonshire Regiment	16 Aug. 1917	Tyne Cot
Rfn.	Frank V. Barkway	12th Bn., Rifle Brigade	18 Mar. 1916	Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery

And, the following for the Second World War:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Other Commemoration / Burial
Pte.	Clifford H. Debenham	2nd Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment	6 Jan. 1941	Rakowicki Cemetery, Kraków
Pte.	Bertie J. Flatman	5th Bn., Royal Norfolks.	25 Oct. 1943	Kanchanaburi War Cemetery

Further reading

• The Moated Grange: A History of South Norfolk Through the Story of one Home, 1300-2000 (2015), by Elaine Murphy, Baroness Murphy

External links

• Brockdish & Thorpe Abbotts website