East Lexham
St. Andrew's Church, East Lexham
East Lexham is located in Norfolk
East Lexham
East Lexham
Location within Norfolk
OS grid referenceTF840120
• London106 miles (171 km)
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townKING'S LYNN
Postcode districtPE32
Dialling code01328
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

East Lexham is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Lexham, in the Breckland district, in the English county of Norfolk.[1] It is 7.7 miles (12.4 km) north of the town of Swaffham, 30.1 miles (48.4 km) west north west of Norwich and 106 miles (171 km) north east of London. In 1931 the parish had a population of 160.[2]

History

East Lexham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for 'leech homestead', likely in the sense of a physician.[3]

In the Domesday Book, East and West Lexham are listed together as a settlement of 45 households in the hundred of Launditch. In 1086, the village was divided between the East Anglian estates of William de Warenne and Ralph de Beaufour.[4]

On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and to form Lexham.[5]

Geography

East Lexham falls within the constituency of Mid Norfolk and is represented at Parliament by George Freeman MP of the Conservative Party. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of Breckland.

St. Andrew's Church

East Lexham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew and is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining Anglo-Saxon round-tower churches. St. Andrew's has been dated to the Eleventh Century with a significant restoration effort made in the late-Nineteenth Century. The church possesses good examples of Nineteenth Century stained glass including one depiction of Saint Michael and the dragon installed by James Powell and Sons. Furthermore, the church features examples of artwork by Richard Foster depicting the Nativity, Saint Andrew as a fisherman and the Day of Judgement.[6] Furthermore, St. Andrew's is thought to be one of the oldest churches in England. Pevsner dates the building easily to the time of the Anglo-Saxons with mound the church stands on providing evidence of the site of earlier Pagan worship, with the church being taken over by the Christians in the Seventh Century. The original church may well have been built of wood or wattle and daub. The most recent research has also suggested, like Pevsner, that the current church was built by Saxons but with a Norman influence. This conclusion has been made due to the style and design of the three belfry openings which have all been constructed differently. The east opening has a unique stone frame cut out to form a maltese cross. Within the belfry is one bell which has a Latin inscription which translates to I am called the bell of Virgin exalted Mary, the bell is thought to have been cast by Brasyers of Norwich in the 15th century.[7]

Transport

The village lies about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of the A1065 Mildenhall to Fakenham road. The nearest railway station is at King’s Lynn for the Fen Line which runs between King’s Lynn and Cambridge. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport.[8]

War Memorial

East Lexham's war memorial takes the form of a ornate plaque depicting Saint Michael and the Dragon, located inside St. Andrew's Church. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:

References

  1. ↑ OS Explorer Map 238 – Dereham & Aylsham, Castle Acre & Reepham. ISBN 0-319-23810-5
  2. ↑ "Population statistics East Lexham CP/AP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  3. ↑ University of Nottingham. (2022). Retrieved December 27, 2022. http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/East%20Lexham
  4. ↑ Domesday Book. (1086). Retrieved December 27, 2022. https://opendomesday.org/place/XX0000/east-and-west-lexham/
  5. ↑ "Relationships and changes East Lexham CP/AP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  6. ↑ Knott, S. (2022). Retrieved December 27, 2022. http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/eastlexham/eastlexham.htm
  7. ↑ Pevsner, N. (Rev. Wilson, B.). (1962; 1999). Norfolk II: South & West. ISBN 978-0-300-09657-6.
  8. ↑ County A to Z Atlas, Street & Road maps Norfolk, ISBN 978-1-84348-614-5
  9. ↑ Edwards, M and Langley, C. (2004). Retrieved December 27, 2022. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/EastLexham.html
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