Woodbastwick, Norfolk Genealogy

England   Norfolk   Norfolk Parishes

Parish History
WOODBASTWICK (St. Fabian and St. Sebastian), a parish, in the union of Blofield, hundred of Walsham, E. division of Norfolk, 8 miles (N. E. by E.) from Norwich.

Woodbastwick Saint Fabian and Saint Sebastian is an Ancient Parish in the deanery of Blofield and Diocese of Norwich. Additional information and photos are available through Norfolk Churches website.

The parish churches of Ranworth with Panxworth, South Walsham, Upton and Woodbastwick dedication is available on their website.

The village name relates to bast, a pliable substance found under the bark of the lime tree. Danish and Saxon invaders used bast as a form of binding to tie leggings and other items. As a consequence, Woodbastwick's village sign shows two invaders tying their leggings.

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.

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

Norfolk Record Office reference PD 259

Census records
1891 Census Surname Index courtesy of Geoff Lowe and the Norfolk Transcription Archives

Poor Law Unions
Blofield Workhouse

The union consisted of the following parishes: Acle, Beighton, Blofield, Bradestone, Brundall, Buckenham Ferry, Burlingham St Andrew, Burlingham St Edmund, Burlingham St Peter, Cantley, Freethorpe, Halvergate, Hassingham, Hemblington, Limpenhoe, Lingwood, Moulton, Great Plumstead, Little Plumstead, Postwick, Ranworth with Panxworth, Reedham, Southwood, Strumpshaw, Thorpe St Andrew, Tunstall, Upton with Fishley, Walsham St Lawrence, Walsham St Mary, Wickhampton, Witton, Woodbastwick. Blofield Union was incorporated under the 1834 Act. The Union Workhouse was opened in 1836 at Lingwood. Blofield Union Board of Guardians was replaced by Guardians Committee No. 3 in 1930. Received by the Norfolk Record Office on 6 May 1971 (C/GP2/29) and on unknown dates

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

 * United Benefices Website
 * Blofield Deanery