# Catfield

Catfield is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
The village is located 19.7 miles (31.7 km) south-east of Cromer and 17.3 miles (27.8 km) north-east of Norwich.

## History

Catfield's name is of both Anglo-Saxon and Viking origin, deriving from an amalgamation of the Old English and Old Norse for Kati's open land.
In the Domesday Book, Catfield is described as a settlement of 31 households in the hundred of Happing. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of Alan of Brittany and Roger Bigod.
Catfield water tower was built in 1980 and was the first British water tower to be built from concrete.

## Geography

According to the 2021 census, Catfield has a population of 983 people which shows an increase from the 943 people recorded in the 2011 census.
The A149, between King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth, runs through the parish.

## All Saints' Church

Catfield's parish church is located at the junction of Church Road & School Road, dates from the Fourteenth Century and has been Grade I listed since 1955.
All Saints' boasts an elaborately painted rood screen depicting various kings and saints as well as a set of royal arms which dates from the Georgian era but was painted over in the reign of Queen Victoria.

## Notable Residents

* Harry Cox- (1885-1971) farmworker and folk-singer, died in Catfield.

## Governance

Catfield is part of the electoral ward of Stalham for local elections and is part of the district of North Norfolk.
The village's national constituency is North Norfolk, which has been represented by the Liberal Democrat Steff Aquarone MP since 2024.

## War Memorial

Catfield's war memorial is located in All Saints' Churchyard and was unveiled in 1919 largely due to the fundraising efforts of Mrs. Ruth Wenn, widow of Captain Wenn listed below. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial |
| Capt. | William Wenn | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 1 Apr. 1917 | El Qantara Cemetery |
| Lt. | Edward Addy | 9th (Queensland) Bn., A.I.F. | 18 Aug. 1915 | Pietà Military Cemetery |
| C/St. | William H. Newman | HMS Aboukir | 22 Sep. 1914 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| Sgt. | Alexander H. McJannet | 76th Bde., Royal Field Artillery | 25 Sep. 1916 | Delville Wood Cemetery |
| Sgt. | Walter C. Brooks | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 19 Apr. 1917 | Jerusalem Memorial |
| Sgt. | Frederick J. George | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 26 Sep. 1915 | Loos Memorial |
| S1C | John B. Newman | H.M. Whaler Blackwhale | 3 Feb. 1916 | All Saints' Churchyard |
| AS | Walter E. Neave | HMS Recruit | 9 Aug. 1917 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| Gnr. | Harold Thompson | 92nd Bde., Royal Field Artillery | 8 Sep. 1917 | All Saints' Churchyard |
| Pte. | Frank C. Myhill | Royal Army Medical Corps | 10 May 1917 | All Saints' Churchyard |
| Pte. | Reginald W. Pert | 1st Bn., East Surrey Regiment | 25 Sep. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Robert Newman | 14th Bn., Hampshire Regiment | 28 Feb. 1917 | Lijssenthoek Cemetery |
| Pte. | Albert J. Twiddy | 4th Bn., King's Regiment | 20 Sep. 1918 | Five Points Cemetery |
| Pte. | Frederick L. Myhill | 13th (Kensington) Bn., London Rgt | 8 Oct. 1916 | Sucriere Cemetery |
| Pte. | Walter C. Blaxell | 2nd Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 22 Jun. 1918 | North Gate Cemetery |
| Pte. | Alfred W. Hudson | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 18 Oct. 1916 | Bancourt British Cemetery |
| Pte. | Charles R. Turner | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 12 Jan. 1915 | Bear Road Cemetery |
| B.Ck. | Lancelot A. Clow | HMS Vivid | 15 Mar. 1918 | All Saints' Churchyard |
| Dhd. | Otto C. Mason | H.M. Trawler Sisters Melville | 13 Feb. 1917 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
And: Frederick J. Brooks, Percy Hall and Jesse Lock. And, the following for the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial |
| Dvr. | Arthur G. Toll | 287 (Field) Coy., Royal Engineers | 31 Jan. 1942 | Kranji War Memorial |
| Pte. | Alfred G. Newman | 5th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment | 21 Sep. 1944 | Kranji War Memorial |
And, Mrs. Edith Watts, an Air Raid Warden, who was killed on 29th June 1944 during an air-raid on London.