Cawston, Norfolk Genealogy

England Norfolk  Norfolk Parishes

Parish History
CAWSTON (St. Agnes), a parish, in the union of Aylsham, hundred of South Erpingham, E. division of Norfolk, 3¼ miles (E. by N.) from Reepham, and on the road from Norwich to Holt. The Independents, and Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists, have places of worship.

Cawston St Agnes is an Ancient Parish in the diocese of Norwich.

At the centre of the village lies the mediaeval perpendicular parish church of St Agnes, which is a Grade I listed building. Erected at the end of the 14th century a Perpendicular decorated Church, that dwarfs the small village of Cawston. The tower stands at 120 feet. A deeply moulded doorway with a wodehouse or wild man and a dragon. The crest of De La Pole family was the head of a wild man. The De Pole's were the Earls of Suffolk who largely rebuilt this magnificent church and its mighty tower in the early 15th century.

For local government purposes the village and civil parish are in the Broadland district.

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.


 * Aylsham 1837-1938
 * Norwich Outer 1939-1974
 * Norwich

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

Images of the parish register for this parish are available at FamilySearch Historical Records. The old registers for the period 1538-1672 were rebound by donations from Pembroke College Cambridge and another benefactor prior to microfilming. They remain damaged and in parts illegible.

Norfolk Record Office reference PD 193

Parish registers, 1538-1901 Microfilm copy of original records in the Norfolk Record Office, Norwich, England.

Baptisms 1538-1600, 1605-1672 Marriages 1542-1649, 1653-1660 Burials 1538-1655, 1664-1665 (above registers are damaged, mostly illegible) Baptisms &amp; burials 1712-1801 Marriages 1712-1754 Baptisms &amp; burials 1801-1812 Baptisms 1813-1901 Marriages &amp; banns 1754-1812 Marriages 1813-1846 FHL BRITISH Film 1657158 Items 41-49 Marriages 1837-1900 Burials 1813-1900 Banns 1858-1901 Register bill of baptisms 1635-1636 FHL BRITISH Film 1657179 Items 1 - 7 Draft register: Baptisms 1551-1564 Burials 1551-1558 FHL BRITISH Film 1657179 Item 25

Archdeacons transcripts, 1606-1812

Microfilm copies of original records in the Norfolk Record Office, Central Library, Norwich, Norfolk, England. Early entries in Latin.

Baptisms and burials 1606-1608?, 1623-1634, 1665-1670, 1684-1812 Marriages 1606-1608?, 1628-1634, 1670, 1686-1812 FHL BRITISH Film 1526779 Item 12

Poor Law Unions
Aylsham Poor Law Union

Norfolk Poor Law Unions

Parish chest materials of Cawston, 1596-1618 Microreproduction of original records at the Norfolk Record Office, Norwich. Norfolk Record Office nos.: MC 254/2/1-11.

List of names of the poor of the parish, 1596; Inventory of church goods, 1603; Overseers' accounts, 1606, 1612; Churchwardens' accounts, 1615-1616; Overseers' accounts, 1610-1617; Poor rates, 1618; Property valuations, no date; Orders concerning the poor, no date. Vault BRITISH Film 2186803 Item 12

Parish chest material, 1618-1831 Microfilm copy of original in the Norfolk Record Office, Central Library in Norwich, Norfolk, England.

Churchwardens accounts, 1679-1681 Bond, 1618 Apprenticeship indentures, 1618, 1630-1634, 1700-1718, 1794, 1818 Inventories, 1699, 1826 Settlement certificates, 1702-1705, 1731-1743, 1752-1778, 1787 Removal orders, 1702, 1778, 1795 Settlement examinations, 1768, 1797, 1799, 1816, 1826-1830 Miscellaneous papers, 1645, 1789, 1792, 1828-1831 FHL BRITISH Film 1951457 Items 3-10

See also

England Norfolk Poor Law Union Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

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

 * Norfolk: Cawston on GenUKI
 * Church History
 * Video of restored organ in the church.
 * Cawston on Norfolk Churches project