Heckingham

Heckingham
St Gregory's Church
Heckingham
Location within Norfolk
Area1.72 sq mi (4.5 km2)
Population245 
• Density142/sq mi (55/km2)
OS grid referenceTM385987
Civil parish
  • Heckingham
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNORWICH
Postcode districtNR14
Dialling code01508
UK Parliament

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

Heckingham is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Loddon and 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Norwich, along the course of the River Chet.

History

Heckingham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the hamlet of Hecca's people.[1]

In the Domesday Book, Heckingham is listed as a settlement of 54 households in the hundred of Clavering. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of Roger Bigod, Godric the Steward and St Edmunds Abbey.[2]

Between 1764 and 1767, a workhouse was built in Heckingham which was later used as a hospital. In 1766, a pest house was built nearby by John Harris of Ipswich for the afflicted.[3]

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Heckingham has a total population of 245 people which demonstrates an increase from the 179 people listed in the 2011 census.[4]

Heckingham is located along the course of the River Chet.

St. Gregory's Church

Heckingham's parish church is dedicated for Saint Gregory and dates from the Twelfth Century. St. Gregory's is located within the village on Church Lane and has been Grade I listed since 1960.[5] The church is no longer open for Sunday services and is in the care of Churches Conservation Trust.[6]

St. Gregory's features an Eleventh Century font and several medieval monuments and memorials.[7]

Governance

Heckingham is part of the electoral ward of Loddon & Chedgrave for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.

The village's national constituency is South Norfolk which has been represented by the Labour's Ben Goldsborough MP since 2024.

War Memorial

Heckingham War Memorial is shared with nearby Hales and is a rough-hewn Celtic cross on Yarmouth Road. The memorial was damaged in a car accident in 1999 and was subsequently restored.[8] The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:[9][10]

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Burial/Commemoration
Capt. Henry de Grey 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards 20 Nov. 1917 Ribécourt Cemetery
LCpl. Frank Smith 9th Bn., Suffolk Regiment 13 Sep. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. George E. W. Tills 11th (WA) Bn., AIF 13 Oct. 1915 Beach Cemetery
Pte. James E. Batchelder 9th Bn., Norfolk Regiment 15 Apr. 1918 Tyne Cot

The following names were added after the Second World War:

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Burial/Commemoration
Pte. Claud H. Colchester 4th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment 21 Sep. 1944 Kranji War Memorial
Spr. Robert S. Moore Royal Engineers 27 Dec. 1940 St. Gregory's Churchyard

See also

References

  1. ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  2. ^ "Heckingham | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  3. ^ "mnf10539 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  4. ^ "Heckingham (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  5. ^ "CHURCH OF ST GREGORY, Heckingham - 1169302 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  6. ^ Trust, Churches Conservation. "St Gregory's Church, Heckingham". Churches Conservation Trust. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  8. ^ "Hales and Heckingham War Memorial, Hales - 1440678 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  9. ^ "Geograph:: Hackford to Hunworth :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  10. ^ "Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Hales and Heckingham". roll-of-honour.com. Retrieved 23 April 2025.

Media related to Heckingham at Wikimedia Commons