Since early 2020, Forncett History Group has published regular short articles in the village magazine, the Forncett Flyer. These articles have now been collected here on our new blog - Forncett History Notes. This new initiative offers the opportunity for these articles, and other news from the Group, to be read more widely and also provides a forum for us to publish short articles which don't fit easily elsewhere within the structure of the website. Please share this new page with anyone who you feel might be interested. If you would like to be added to our email distribution list please Contact Us and then you will receive an alert when any new article appears.
In general, the naming of farms in Norfolk was a simple affair. Examples here in Forncett include two Corner Farms, both predictably located on a corner, or Church Farm, near St. Peter's church. However, there are some notable exceptions and the origins of their names recall a war on foreign soil.
At the meeting of Forncett History Group on 20th September, David Kirk (Wreningham Heritage Group) talked about a family who are commemorated in a magnificent ledger slab in St Peter's church.
The meeting of Forncett History Group on Wednesday 19th July attracted an audience of over forty people to listen to a talk entitled "The changes in houses between the medieval and post-medieval periods, illustrated using examples from Forncett". Every chair in St. Edmund's was occupied!
As proposed changes to the 37A bus service are an active topic of debate at the moment, it seems a good time to take a look at the history of the bus service from Forncett to Norwich. From 1850 until the early 1900s, transport into Norwich from Forncett was provided by carriers using a horse-drawn carriage. The trade directories of...
The May meeting of Forncett History Group was held at the village hall as a joint event with the Friends of St Peter's church. The Friends provided refreshments (tea, coffee and wine) before the talk. Entry was free and the audience was encouraged to make donations to support the ongoing restoration programme at St. Peters.
Members of Forncett History Group and friends recently visited a remarkable historic site in nearby Stoke Holy Cross, which served as an RAF radar station during WW2. We were the guests of Derek Bales (born in 1933) who has lived in the village all his life and whose home is a converted building on the original site.
Before WW2, the majority of buildings in Forncett were built entirely or partly from wood and hence the threat of fire was ever-present. However, there was little, if any, help quickly available. In 1895 Long Stratton Parish Council decided that the parish was too small to support a fire brigade on the rates, and so a subscription was raised...
At the March meeting of Forncett History Group John Herne gave a fascinating talk about the history of Wymondham, illustrated by items from Wymondham Parish Records. John has many years of experience in local history and is currently the archivist at Wymondham Abbey. He was also a major contributor to the excellent three volume history of Bunwell...
On Sunday 25th March 1759 the Methodist evangelist John Wesley rode into Forncett and found an enormous crowd waiting to hear him preach. The building that brought Wesley to Forncett was the small chapel in Tabernacle Lane, Forncett End, that still stands today, albeit now in an advanced state of decay.
It was not unusual for affluent Victorian ladies to pursue serious hobbies like music or fine art especially painting. Some years ago we were fortunate to be contacted by a family whose ancestor, Evie (Evelyn) Jessop, reflected just such an interest. The result was the donation of several watercolours to our archive, including landscapes painted...