Langham Episcopi, Norfolk Genealogy

England   Norfolk  Norfolk Parishes

Parish History
LANGHAM, GREAT, or Bishop's-Langham (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Walsingham, hundred of Holt, W. division of Norfolk, 2½ miles (N. E.) from Blakeney.

Langham Episcopi St Andrew and St Mary is an Ancient Parish in the Holt deanery of the Diocese of Norwich.

The original dedication was probably to St. Andrew, St. Mary being added when the church at Langham Parva (by the fork off the Binham road to Cockthorpe) fell into disuse.

It is called Langham Episcopi for the reason that the Rectory was confirmed to the Bishop of Norwich by Pope Alexander III in 1176, and remained part of the possessions of the See until 1538, when William Rugg, Bishop of Norwich, surrendered the episcopal estates to the Crown in exchange for those of the Abbey of St. Benet's at Hulme, near Ludham. The Bishop retains to this day, however, the patronage of the Vicarage of Langham, which was one of the many poor vicarages augmented by Edward Reynolds, Bishop of Norwich 1661-1676 and the author of The General Thanksgiving.

The site of the Bishop’s “palace” or hall can be seen on the right hand side of the Field Dalling road by the stream that flows under the road at its lowest point. In 1538, it was exchanged for the Abbey of St. Benet, which still belongs to the Bishops of Norwich.

The church is built of local flint dating from 14th Century with much enlargement and rebuilding in the 15th Century.

The whole church was extensively restored, re-roofed and reseated in 1868. The glass in the east window was inserted in 1860 in memory of the Rev. Stephen Frost Rippingall, the choir stalls were the gift of Miss Rippingall, and the organ erected in 1888 by public subscription. The glass in the most easterly nave window on the north side, which represents Faith treading down Unbelief and Hope triumphing over Despair, is the work of Sir Edward Burne Jones ; and the west window in the tower is by Kempe, showing the Blessed Virgin Mary with SS. Peter and Paul.

In 1900 further restorations were carried out and the whole church refloored with Minton tiles. Since then there have been further repairs and additions on a regular basis.

The 19th century writer Captain Marryat, author of many nautical adventures, noteably "Mr. Midshipman Easy" and "Masterman Ready", lived in Langham and died here on August 8, 1848.

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.


 * Walsingham 1837-1938
 * Fakenham 1939-1974

The Register Office, Fakenham Connect, Oak Street, Fakenham, NR21 9SR. Tel: 01328 850111. E-mail: registration.fakenham@norfolk.gov.uk

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

Images of the parish registers may be viewed online at FamilySearch Norfolk Record Office reference PD 569

Census records
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Poor Law Unions
For more information on the history of the workhouse, see Peter Higginbotham's web site: www.workhouses.org.uk and http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Walsingham/Walsingham.shtml

Walsingham Union was incorporated under the terms of the 1834 Act, and the union workhouse was built at Great Snoring, but not completed until 1838. The Walsingham Union Workhouse at Great Snoring was opened in 1838. It was situated close to the boundary between the parishes of Great Snoring and Thursford and was sometimes known as Thursford Workhouse. Poor Law Unions were abolished in 1930 and the responsibilities of Walsingham Union Board of Guardians were taken over by Norfolk County Council Guardians' Committee No. 7. From 1930 the former Workhouse became known as Walsingham Public Assistance Institution. On 26 and 27 June 1934 the remaining thirty inmates (including two infants but no children) were transferred to West Beckham and Gressenhall Institutions and Walsingham Institution officially closed on 30 June 1934. The building was subsequently adapted for use as a smallpox hospital. By 1976 the building was derelict and was demolished in the early 1990s. Acquisition Received by the Norfolk Record Office on 26 February 1982 (C/GP 19/192-198) and on unknown dates.

Copies C/GP19/1-6, 131, 133-135, 137, 141, 143-146, 148, 150-151, 173-181 are on microfilm. RelatedMaterial For records of Guardians Committee No. 7 (including the administration of Red House Children's Home in Little Snoring and the boarding-out of children), see C/GC 7. See Public Assistance Sub-Committee minutes, 11 July 1934 and 12 September 1934, C/C 10/455. The records of the County Architect's Department include plans of the alterations for use as a smallpox hospital dated February 1937, see C/AR 1/29-31. The one inch to one mile Ordnance Survey Map of 1954 designates the building 'smallpox hospital'.

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
http://www.achurchnearyou.com/langham-episcopi-st-andrew/ for information about the parish

http://www.northnorfolkcentral.co.uk/balestiffkey/langham/langhamenter.htm The Bale and Stiffkey benefice website (includes tour of the church)

http://airfields.fotopic.net/c1732714.html for memorials to RAF Langham which was used by Raf and USAAF aircrew

http://www.raflangham.co.uk/ RAF Langham

http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/langham/langham.htm Norfolk Churches website