West Somerton, Norfolk Genealogy

Guide to West Somerton, Norfolk ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Parish History
SOMERTON, WEST (St. Mary), a parish, in the East and West Flegg incorporation, hundred of West Flegg, E. division of Norfolk, 8½ miles (N. N. W.) from Yarmouth.

West Somerton St Mary is an Ancient Parish in the Diocese of Norwich.

One of the Round tower churches of the diocese is also the place of birth of Robert Hales, the Norfolk Giant. He was born in the village in 1813 (his baptism is 31 October 1813) and one of nine children. Eventually reaching 7 feet 8 inches (2.34 m) and over 32 stone (450 lb; 200 kg), he worked in the circus world, met Queen Victoria and retired to a pub in London. As his health worsened he returned to Norfolk, where he died in 1865. The memorial inscription reads "Beneath are deposited the mortal remains of Robert Hales the Norfolk Giant whose height was 7 feet 8 inches. He died at Great Yarmouth on 22nd November 1865. Render the dust must be your bed, vain are opposing powers. The wise the strong and crowned heads must lie as low as ours. This tomb is erected by an affectionate widow".

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.


 * Flegg 1837-1924
 * Yarmouth and Flegg 1925-1938
 * Acle 1938-1974
 * Norwich Outer
 * Norwich

Church records
West Somerton parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials are available online for the following years:

To find the names of the neighboring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851 Map. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

Records are also available at the Norfolk Record Office.

Genealogy
Jones, Judith. Uniting My Norfolk Lines in Australia Howes and Postle. History of Albert Howes, and Elizabeth Blackburn of West Somerton, Norfolk. Some of the family emigrate to Queensland, Australia, and one branch goes to Canada. Other names mentioned are Guy, Hughes, Pender, Postle, Church, Pitchers, Neve, Varley Moore, Whybrow, Dennis, Higham, and Palling. Article dates from 1775-1976, and is found in The Norfolk Ancestor, vol. 9, part 1, pages 51-54, Family History Library Ref. 942.61 B2 new series. vol. 9.pt1, March 2012.

Poor Law Unions
For more information on the history of the workhouse, see Peter Higginbotham's website: Workhouses

Norfolk Poor Law Unions

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Norfolk Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Websites

 * Norfolk: West Somerton on GenUKI
 * West Somerton St Mary on A Church Near You
 * West Somerton on Norfolk Churches