# Burnham Norton

Burnham Norton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
Burnham Norton is located 19 miles (31 km) north-east of King's Lynn and 34 miles (55 km) north-west of Norwich. The village is one of the seven original Norfolk Burnhams.

## History

Burnham Norton's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the northerly settlement along the River Burn.
In the Domesday Book, Burnham Norton is listed in the same entry as Burnham Sutton, Burnham Ulph and Burnham Westgate. According to the Domesday Book, the villages together are listed as a settlement of 69 households in the hundred of Brothercross. In 1086, the villages were divided between the estates of Roger Bigod, St. Benedict's Abbey and Hugh de Montfort.
Burnham Norton Friary was built in the parish in 1241 and was the first Carmelite monastery in England. The Friary was abandoned in the Dissolution of the Monasteries and is today a ruin.
Listed buildings in Burnham Norton include Prince of Wales House (Seventeenth Century) and Norton Hall Farmhouse (Seventeenth Century).
During the Second World War, anti-tank obstacles were built in Burnham Norton Parish to defend against a possible German invasion. Additionally, in the same period a small boat name the Vena was towed ashore and used for target practice- the wreck still remains.

## Geography

In the 2001 census it had a population of 76 in 37 households. The 2011 census population of 173 was estimated at 156 in 2019.
The junction between the A149, between King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth, and the B1355, from Burnham Norton to Fakenham.
The village is located close to the coast, and overlooks the tidal Norton Marshes and Scolt Head Island NNR. The River Burn also runs through the parish.

## St. Margaret's Church

Burnham Norton's parish church is dedicated to Saint Margaret and is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining round-tower churches. The church is located beside the B1355 and has been Grade I listed since 1953. The church was lightly restored in the Nineteenth Century and boasts an elaborate painted pulpit depicting various saints. Also within the church are stained-glass windows depicting Saint Margaret of Antioch and Saint Margaret of Scotland designed by Trena Cox and a set of royal arms from the reign of King William III.
Notable burials within St. Margaret's Churchyard include Major David Jamieson VC CVO, Lady Margaret Douglas-Home and Richard Woodget.

## Governance

Burnham Norton is part of the electoral ward of Burnham Market & Docking for local elections and is part of the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.
The village's national constituency is North West Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative's James Wild MP since 2010.

## War Memorial

Burnham Norton's war memorial is a stone celtic cross located on Burnham Market which has been Grade II listed since 2018. The memorial lists war dead from Burnham Norton as well as Burnham Westgate, Burnham Sutton and Burnham Market. The following soldiers from Burnham Norton died during the First World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial |
| LCpl. | Thomas W. Francis MiD | 1st Bn., Grenadier Guards | 26 Oct. 1914 | Menin Gate |
| Pte. | William A. Rix | 8th Bn., East Surrey Regiment | 3 May 1917 | Arras Memorial |
| Pte. | Richard Barnes | 23rd Bn., Middlesex Regiment | 7 Jun. 1917 | Menin Gate |
| Pte. | Stanley Sofley | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 22 Oct. 1914 | Le Touret Memorial |
| Pte. | John H. Raven | 1/4th Bn., Suffolk Regiment | 24 Jun. 1918 | Pernois British Cemetery |
And, Mr. Edward C. Francis (civilian). And, the following for the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial |
| Lt. | Robert D. Hancock | 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, Royal Armoured Corps | 8 Jun. 1944 | Brouay War Cemetery |
| Sgt. | James A. E. Sharp | Royal Air Force | 28 Mar. 1942 | St. Margaret's Churchyard |
| Cpl. | Albert Battersby | 12th (Norfolk) Bn., Home Guard | 11 Dec. 1942 | St. Margaret's Churchyard |
| LSt. | Victor R. Francis | HMS Hood | 24 May 1941 | Portsmouth Naval Memorial |