Ridlington, Norfolk Genealogy

England   Norfolk

Parish History
Ridlington St Peter is an Ancient Parish in the Waxham deanery of the Diocese of Norwich. The name Ridlington is thought to derive from the Old English for Hrethel’s people’s enclosure. The village is surrounded by land largely in arable use. Many of the fields were owned by a single landowner, John Owles. Ridlington has an entry in the Domesday Book of 1085 where its, its population, land ownership and productive resources were extensively detailed along with the other settlement of Witton. In the survey Ridlington is recorded by the name of Ridlinketuna. The main tenants being Ranulf brother of Ilger. The survey also indicate the presence of a priest in Witton. Despite the evidence for Saxon activity in Witton, the settlement does not appear to have been particularly populous or valuable, and Ridlington even less so. Despite the mention of a priest, there is no listing or a church or chapel in the settlements.

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.


 * Tunstead 1837-1869
 * Smallburgh 1870-1938
 * North Walsham 1939-1974

Church records
Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, non conformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Images of the parish register for this parish are available in historic records (formerly Record Search) Norfolk Record Office reference PD 64, 1-4

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

http://www.1881pubs.com/ for details of public houses in the 1881 census

http://www.btinternet.com/~e.c.apling/1891Census/Ridlington.htm transcript of 1891 census

Poor Law Unions
For Tunstead and Happing see http://www.institutions.org.uk/workhouses/england/norf/smallburgh_workhouse.htm

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

Web sites
For history of the church and information about the parish http://www.achurchnearyou.com/ridlington-st-peter/.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51237 British History online

http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/ridlington/ridlington.htm