Historical Society

Massingham Historical Society

Old Church 2

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

Massingham Historical Society meets on the third Friday of the month, at the Village Hall, from 7.30 until 9 pm

Please come along and join us.

Chairperson – Jeanne Robinson 01485 520 455

For enquiries such as research into local or family history please email our President, Ant Robinson, on antmassingham@gmail.com

March 2024 MEETING

Friday March 15th

7.30pm at The Village Hall

An illustrated talk

The ROYAL FLYING CORP on the WESTERN FRONT

and CLOSER to HOME

By Ken Besfor

PHOTOGRAPHIC DISPLAY

MASSINGHAM SOLDIERS

Members free, Guests £3 Bar open

                


Past Events……..  Village Walks 2022 and 2023 and BBQs were Huge Successes!

76 PEOPLE ATTEND August 2023 MASSINGHAM HISTORICAL SOCIETY WALK AND BBQ

We were amazed at the good response we had, with actually 76 attendees at this event.

Feedback we have received describe it as being a superb evening, very interesting and well organised.

The BBQ was excellent, followed by the film Never and Always produced and directed by Denis Massingham.

We are thrilled with the response from everyone. This makes it all worthwhile.

On the walk, Abbey house was extremely interesting, as was the Coach House, Barrack House , Chapels, School, Reading rooms and Church Porch.


Massingham Historical Society welcomed over 40 people to a Village Historical Walk, on 19th August, 2022, locating past trades and traders during the last one hundred years. 

The tour, led by Ant Robinson, identified 24 trades, which included 3 past post offices, 5 pubs, 3 bakers, carpenters and coffin maker, drapers and grocers, blacksmith, harness maker, wheelwright, tailor and breeches maker.

The tour ended with a delicious BBQ at the Village Hall very much enjoyed by all. The evening then continued with a  PowerPoint presentation of Massingham at Work and Play and Photographic display of ‘Past Trades and Traders’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                      

 

 


Well! Well! Well! New Sign Tells All

A joint venture between the Parish Council and Great Massingham Historical Society, to explain the history of our village well, has come to fruition. Some of you will have noticed the new sign fixed at the well  to explain its history. This project was part of the Historical Society’s wish to provide information for people about our village history. The Society thanks the Parish Council for its support with this project.

The inscription reads as follows:

You are standing in front of a Reproduction Well

which was built a year after the Queen’s Silver Jubilee 1978.

Originally, it was boarded in with a large circular handle which drew up a bucket of water.

History has it as deep as the Church tower is tall, 129ft, but it is actual

 with only 10ft of water in the bottom

The Village is spring fed via the chalk aquifers below ground.’


Some Local History by Ant Robinson 20/02/2018

Massingham Post Mill

1797   Faden’s Map of Norfolk            No mention

1826   Bryant’s Map of Norfolk            Mill shown

1836   White’s, Miller (& Baker)        Thomas Priest

1845   White’s,  “            “                                “           “

1854   White’s,                    No mention

1868   Harrod’s Miller & Baker            Richard Fisher

1875   Kelly’s, Brewer & Miller            William Smith

1879   Kelly’s, Miller                Jacob Bartle

1883   Kelly’s, Miller (Wind)            James Buckenham

1888   Kelly’s, Miller                Robert Ellis

1892   Kelly’s, Miller                William Stebbing

1895   Auctioned 24th July by William Henry Stebbing

1900   Kelly’s,                    No mention

1916   Kelly’s                    No mention

1929   Kelly’s   Site now owned by Reginald Elijah Palmer, Steam Rolling             & Haulage Contractor. Tel No. Massingham 12.

On this basis, the Mill existed for c. 68 years.

A note with a drawing by A. Copeman quotes “Owned by a Mr Fysh, he then went to the Water Mill at Newton where Dick Joice lives. Only job old Chit? Copeman was known to have.”

Gt. Massingham Post Mill burnt down during first World War”

Footnote;-

The site these days is overgrown, but is accessible, with permission. Nothing is left of the Mill as it was all built on timber. However, the Mill House & Outbuildings can be seen & traced as they stand up to a foot above the ground.

Also accessible in the SW corner is the Air Raid Shelter! The steps down are roofed over with a section of a Steam Engine’s Boiler! Rivets included work of Mr.Palmer.

There are more stories about James Buckenhams’ time when another death occurred at the Mill & I haven’t told you about the other yet, so watch this space.

Ant Robinson

20/02/2018


The Lovat Scouts were a Scottish Highland Mounted Brigade on small Highland Horses, known to be stationed in Hunstanton & may be in Massingham or Houghton Hall.

This was all new news to me! The Great Massingham Historical Society had a Display at Docking’s May Bank Holiday Historical meet. It was fantastic, like-minded villages displayed their records for all to peruse.

It was strange that nobody was looking at our photos etc. but we all were saying, “Oh, I’ve got some stuff for you” bit like a Stock Exchange!

Then I was handed a folder containing 2 years’ worth of WW1 history totally unknown to us of the Massingham’s (1915/16). Pictures of the 1/2nd Lovat Scouts in Massingham, a photo of 25 Scouts watering their ponies in the Post Office Pit! Also, a Scout on a Motor Bike on Station Road looking north. The amazing thing is the 3 Twinned Chimney Stacks on the Fox & Pheasant, (10 foot tall)

The photos are poor quality so will be trying to get better from their Museum.

Then there are all the Press cuttings describing Concerts, Sport Competitions’, Wedding, Bag Piping, Smoking Competitions. All held in the Club Room behind Rose & Crown, a Barn in Little Massingham, and our School.

All these events were attended by the Local Dignitaries, Dewar, McAnnally, Dring & many more.

Barrack House is now confirmed as their Barracks. There were large amounts of buildings behind here & if you look in the Wall down the Lane there is a bricked-up Arch. It’s just the right size for a Scout on his Pony to enter the Yard beyond.

What a rare find, we will pull it altogether & publish a book.

This is the what our Society is about, finding & recording your Villages History.

Ant Robinson                                                      Image result for the lovat scouts

President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

1851 Census

UNION OF BENEFICES v1a

 

Massingham Village Hall & Club
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