Fersfield
| Fersfield | |
|---|---|
  Fersfield Location within Norfolk | |
| OS grid reference | TM064827 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DISS |
| Postcode district | IP22 |
| Dialling code | 01379 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
Fersfield is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bressingham, in the South Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. It was the home parish of Francis Blomefield, whose History of Norfolk documents the history of much of South Norfolk. In 1931 the parish had a population of 194.[1] On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Bressingham.[2]
Location
Fersfield is bounded on the east and south by the village of Bressingham; to the west are South Lopham and North Lopham and to the north Kenninghall. Historically, the parish marked the boundary of the hundred of Diss.[3]
Name
Fersfield has been variously recorded as Fersevella, Fervessella, Ferefeud, Fairfeud, Fairvill, and Fersfell, all of which seemed to Blomefield to signify a Fair Fee, or Village.[3] However, modern research suggests the more obvious etymology of 'a furze-covered field.[4] The village was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 under Fersfield.[3]
Church
The church is dedicated to Saint Andrew, and dates back, at least in part, to the 12th century.[3] It holds a plain Norman font and a painted wooden effigy of Robert du Bois.[5]
RAF Fersfield
RAF Fersfield is a former World War II airfield located between Fersfield and Winfarthing which was closed after the war and briefly used as a motor racing track before being returned to agricultural use.
War Memorial
Fersfield War Memorial is located in the churchyard and holds the name of four men who died during the First World War. The memorial was unveiled in 1921 as a result of public subscription and was created by Messrs Cooley and Son.[6] It holds the following names:
- Corporal Thornton Allum (1897-1917), 4th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
- J. R. Hoskins
- Private A. T. Vincent (d. 1917), 5th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
- Private Oscar E. Anderson (1896-1919), 7th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
Notes
- ^ "Population statistics Fersfield CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ "Relationships and changes Fersfield CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d Blomefield, Francis (c. 1736). . . Vol. 1. London (published 1805–1810).
- ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4th ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 178. ISBN 0198691033.
- ^ Knott, Simon (March 2005). "St Andrew, Fersfield". The Norfolk Churches Site.
- ^ Historical England. (2017). Retrieved October 27, 2022. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1442287?section=official-list-entry
External links
Media related to Fersfield at Wikimedia Commons