Kirby Cane
| Kirby Cane | |
|---|---|
 Kirby Cane village sign | |
  Kirby Cane Location within Norfolk | |
| Area | 3.78 sq mi (9.8 km2) |
| Population | 449 |
| • Density | 119/sq mi (46/km2) |
| OS grid reference | TM373941 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BUNGAY |
| Postcode district | NR35 |
| Dialling code | 01508 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | kirbycaneandellingham |
Kirby Cane is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village lies about 3.8 miles (6.1 km) north-west of Beccles and 14 miles (23 km) south-east of Norwich, along the River Waveney.
The village is in the south of the parish and is contiguous with Ellingham village. The parish also includes the hamlet of Kirby Green.
Etymology
[edit]The name Kirby is derived from the Old Norse kirkju-býr meaning "village with a church". Cane refers to a family which historically held the estate.[1]
History
[edit]In the Domesday Book, Kirby Cane is listed as a settlement of 28 households in the hundred of Clavering. In 1086, the village was divided between the East Anglian estates of Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester, St Edmunds Abbey and Ralph Baynard.[2]
The red-brick Kirby Cane Hall was built in the 17th century and remodelled in the 18th and 19th centuries.[3]
During the Second World War, several trenches were built close to Kirby Cane Hall which suggests it was used as a training area.[4]
The 1957 Ordnance Survey map shows Kirby Cane as the name of the parish, and labels the area around the Hall and the church as Kirby Cane; the settlement further south, next to Ellingham, is labelled Kirby Row.[5] On present-day maps, this settlement is labelled Kirby Cane.[6]
Geography
[edit]According to the 2021 census, Kirby Cane has a total population of 449 people which demonstrates an increase from the 434 people listed in the 2011 census.[7]
All Saints' Church
[edit]Kirby Cane's parish church dates from the medieval period and is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining round-tower churches. All Saints' is on Wash Lane, towards the north of the parish, and has been Grade I listed since 1960.[8] The church is open once a month for Sunday service and is part of the Waveney Marshlands Benefice.[9]
All Saints' has a 14th-century font and a brass memorial plaque.[10]
Governance
[edit]The first tier of local government is Kirby Cane & Ellingham Parish Council.[11]
Kirby Cane is part of the electoral ward of Ditchingham & Earsham for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.[6]
The village's national constituency is Waveney Valley which has been represented by the Green Party's Adrian Ramsay MP since 2024.
War Memorial
[edit]Kirby Cane's war memorial is a set of marble plaques in All Saints' Church which lists the following names for the First World War:[12]
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial/Commemoration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSjt. | Hubert Strowger | 2nd Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 31 Dec. 1916 | Basra Memorial |
| LSjt. | Leonard A. Watson | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 24 Mar. 1918 | Étaples Military Cemetery |
| Pte. | William C. Buck | 9th Bn., Essex Regiment | 14 Nov. 1916 | Faubourg Cemetery |
| Pte. | Percy F. Buck | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 4 Sep. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Charles Buck | 2nd Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 16 Apr. 1917 | Kirkee War Memorial |
| Pte. | Albert Grimwood | 22nd Bn., Northumberland Fusiliers | 11 Apr. 1918 | Ploegsteert Memorial |
| Dhd. | Arthur Baldry | HMS Pembroke | 9 Aug. 1916 | All Saints' Churchyard |
The following names were added after the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial/Commemoration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSt. | John C. Sutton | HMS Lightning (Destroyer) | 12 Mar. 1943 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| LTel. | Ieuan L. G. Winchester | HMS Arethusa (Cruiser) | 18 Nov. 1942 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| Pte. | Frederick Spurgeon | 2/21st Bn., AIF | 20 Feb. 1942 | Ambon Memorial |
| Pte. | Jeremiah W. Brister | 2/5th Bn., Leicestershire Regiment | 30 Aug. 1944 | Montecchio War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Alfred F. Ward | 2nd Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment | 10 May 1940 | Le Paradis Cemetery |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Kirby [Cane] | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "mnf10690 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "mnf29792 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey map TM39SE - A". National Library of Scotland. 1957. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
- ^ a b "Election Maps: Great Britain". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
- ^ "Kirby Cane (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Historic England. "CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS, Kirby Cane (1153564)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Kirby Cane: All Saints". www.achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Kirby Cane". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Kirby Cane and Ellingham Parish Council". kce-pc.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
- ^ "Geograph:: Ickburgh to Knapton :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Kirby Cane at Wikimedia Commons
- Kirby Cane & Ellingham Parish Council
- Signpost – parish website
- Bounds of the ecclesiastical (C of E) parish today - A Church Near You (The Church of England)
- Bounds of the civil parish recently; in the 1880s; and other statistics - Vision of Britain (The University of Portsmouth and others)
- Notes on village genuki collaborative genealogy and local research information for UK and Ireland (now part of origins.org.uk)
- All Saints on the European Round Tower Churches website roundtowerchurches.net
- Pictures and articles on Kirby Cane and Ellingham kirbycaneandellinghamhistoricalresearchgroup.btck.co.uk