Woodrising, Norfolk Genealogy

England   Norfolk   Norfolk Parishes

Parish History
WOODRISING (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Mitford and Launditch, hundred of Mitford, W. division of Norfolk, 2½ miles (W. N. W.) from Hingham.

Woodrising St Nicholas is an Ancient parish in the Hingham deanery of the Diocese of Norwich.

The church building is largely late fourteenth century, with nineteenth and twentieth century restorations. The table tomb in the church is probably that of the family that contributed towards the building of the church, thought to be the de Witchingham family. A feature of the interior is the number of carved heads on the supports of the roof and the corbels both inside and outside the building.

The church tower collapsed over 250 years ago and a bell now hangs in a thatched bell frame in the churchyard.

The earliest changes to the church appear to be the Tudor arches and decoration, and the Perpendicular windows. Later there were restorations in Victorian times, when the Rev. Arthur Roberts was rector; and in the years after the Second World War. These were brought about by Lord Verulam, who, in the tradition of earlier Lords of the Manor, set about restoring the prosperity of the village.

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.


 * Mitford 1837-1938
 * East Dereham 1939-1974

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

Norfolk Record Office reference PD 365

Poor Law Unions
Mitford &amp;Launditch http://www.institutions.org.uk/workhouses/england/norf/mitford_and_launditch_workhouse.htm

Records of the Mitford and Launditch Poor Law Union1776-1948 Norfolk Record Office C/GP 14 Extent 137 pieces The following parishes comprised the 1836 union: Bawdeswell, Beeston, Beetley, Billingford, East Bilney, Bintry, Brisley, Bylaugh, Colkirk, Cranworth, East Dereham, Great Dunham, Little Dunham, North Elmham, Elsing, Foxley, Great Fransham, Little Fransham, Garvestone, Gately, Gressenhall, Guist, Hardingham, Hockering, Hoe, Horningtoft, Kempstone, Letton, East Lexham, West Lexham, Litcham, Longham, Lyng, Mattishall, Mattishall Burgh, Mileham, Oxwick with Pattesley, Reymerstone, Rougham, Scarning, Shipdham, Southburgh, Sparham, Stanfield, Swanton Morley, Thuxton, Tittleshall, East Tuddenham, North Tuddenham, Twyford, Weasenham All Saints, Weasenham St Peter, Wellingham, Wendling, Westfield, Whinburgh, Whissonsett, Wood Rising, Worthing, Yaxham. All fifty parishes of Mitford and Launditch Hundreds were incorporated in 1775 under the terms of An act for the better relief and employment of the poor within the hundreds of Mitford and Launditch, 15 Geo. III, cap. 59. In 1801 the parish of East Dereham separated from the Incorporation, but in 1836 all fifty original parishes plus ten from Eynesford Hundred joined together in a new union. The House of Industry belonging to the old incorporation, built at Gressenhall in 1776-1777, was repaired and altered in 1836 to become the new Union Workhouse. Mitford and Launditch Union Board of Guardians was replaced by Guardians Committee No. 10 in 1930.

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/woodrising-st-nicholas/ for information about the church

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/499512 for images of the church and collapsed tower

http://www.westgallerychurches.com/barrel_organs/barrelorgans.html for the barrel organ of the church

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

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tinstaafl/ for link to Norfolk Baptisms Project