Booton, Norfolk

Booton
Village and Civil Parish
The village sign, showing its distinctive church towers at left
Booton Location within Norfolk
Area	11.5 km2 (4.4 sq mi)
Population	216 (2021 census)
• Density	19/km2 (49/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TG109228
Civil parish	Booton
District	Broadland
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORWICH
Postcode district	NR10
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Broadland and Fakenham

Booton is a village and civil parish in the Broadland district of the English county of Norfolk.

Booton is located 0.7 miles (1.1 km) south-east of Reepham, 5.7 miles (9.2 km) south-west of Aylsham and 12 miles (19 km) north-west of Norwich. The civil parish of Booton also includes the smaller village of Brandiston.

History

The origin of Booton's name is uncertain. It is either of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for Bota's farmstead or settlement or of Viking origin, deriving from the Old Norse for Bo's farmstead or settlement.

In the Domesday Book, Booton is listed as a settlement of 7 households in the hundred of Erpingham. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of Tihel of Hellean.

Within the village is Booton Hall, a red-brick structure which dates back to the Seventeenth Century though has significant Eighteenth Century re-modelling. There is also an Eighteenth Century threshing barn located nearby.

There are two Grade II listed structures on 'The Street', including Town Farmhouse and a nearby barn.

A postmill was constructed in the village by Mr. R. George in 1848. It stood until it was largely dismantled in 1900.

In 1940, a polygonal bunker was built as part of the defences against a possible German invasion of Britain.

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Booton has a population of 216 people which demonstrates an increase from the 196 people listed in the 2011 census.

St. Michael the Archangel's Church

Main article: St Michael the Archangel's Church, Booton

Booton is dominated by its parish church which is dedicated to Saint Michael. St. Michael's was built largely due to enthusiasm of Whitwell Elwin who built over the much smaller Medieval church. The church has been Grade I listed since 1961.

Governance

Booton is part of the electoral ward of Great Witchingham for local elections and is part of the district of Broadland.

The village's national constituency is Broadland and Fakenham which has been represented by the Conservative Party's Jerome Mayhew since 2019.

Notable Residents

• Whitwell Elwin- (1816-1900) clergyman and critic, lived in Booton.
• Stephen Fry- (b.1957) actor and comedian, grew-up in Booton.

War Memorial

Booton's war memorial takes the form of a grey marble plaque in St. Michael's Church. It has gold lettering and a grey wreath of poppies carved at the top, it lists the following names for the First World War:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Other Commemoration / Burial
Cpl.	Robert J. Hall	2nd Battalion, Norfolk Regiment	1 December 1915	Basra Memorial
Pvt.	Wilfred Stackwood	Norfolk Regiment	26 March 1916	St. Michael's Churchyard, Booton
Pvt.	Stanley W. Davidson	1st Battalion, Essex Regiment	13 August 1915	Helles Memorial
Pvt.	Albert S. Bacon	2nd Battalion, Norfolk Regiment	13 May 1916	Amara War Cemetery
Pvt.	Sidney A. Davidson	3/4th Battalion, Queen's Regiment	30 December 1917	British Cemetery, Flesquières
Rfn.	William Coe	9th (Queen Victoria's Rifles) Battalion, London Regiment	28 November 1917	Communal Cemetery, Achiet-le-Grand
Rfn.	Sidney Page	9th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment	8 September 1917	Maroc British Cemetery,Grenay

And: William Hall, John Long, William Roberts, Herbert Wells and William Douglas.

External links

Media related to Booton, Norfolk at Wikimedia Commons