Thorpe St Matthew, (next Norwich), Norfolk Genealogy

History
Thorpe St Matthew in Thorpe hamlet (also called Thorpe next Norwich) was created a parish in the Diocese of Norwich in 1851.

Church-going residents of what is now Thorpe Hamlet would cross the river to worship at St Helen's in Bishopgate. As more homes were built on the Thorpe side of the river, the population grew rapidly, so to meet the needs of the local residents, St Matthew's Church was built. It was completed in 1851 at a cost of around £2,500 including a contribution of £1 is from the working classes in the Hamlet!

For the centenary in 1951, £1000 was raised to repair bomb damage to the building suffered during the war. By the 1970s the cost of maintaining the Church building, the Parish Hall and the spread of the Parish away from the riverside area persuaded the congregation that a new Church was needed.

A new Church was built with a new vicarage and on Monday 21st September 1981 the Bishop of Norwich laid the foundation stone of the new St Matthew's Church. On the 13th December 1981 the Bishop consecrated the new Church. The older church still stands and is used as offices.

Church Records
Images of the parish register for this parish are available on Historic Records (formerly Record Search) Norfolk Record Office reference PD 372

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?Blofield/Blofield.shtml

Norfolk Poor Law Unions