# Billingford, Breckland

Billingford is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
Billingford is located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of Dereham, with the civil parish being approximately 2.84 square miles (7.4 km$^2$) in area.

## History

The origin of the name 'Billingford' is uncertain, although it is certainly of Anglo-Saxon origin. It derives from Old English, either a ford at the ridge or the ford of the hill people.
Despite this, Billingford parish shows signs of earlier habitation. Several artefacts from the Neolithic and Bronze Age have been found in Billingford. Furthermore, the Fen Causeway, a Roman road, ran through Billingford which has left many Roman artefacts. This led to excavations along the banks of the River Wensum during the 1990s. It was discovered that there was a significant Roman settlement in Billingford which is today a Scheduled Monument. One of the artefacts uncovered at the site is the golden medallion pictured below.
Billingford is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as consisting of 43 households in the hundred of Eynesford. At this time, Billingford was divided between the estates of Alan of Brittany, Ranulf Peverel and Humphrey, son of Aubrey.
Billingford Hall is also located within the village. This manor house was built in the Eighteenth Century and has been Grade II listed since 1984. Within the grounds of the hall is an Eighteenth Century icehouse, which was also Grade II listed in 1984.

## Geography

Billingford is located along the northern bank of the River Wensum and straddles the B1145 which runs from King's Lynn and Mundesley.
The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 253.

## St. Peter's Church

Billingford's parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter and was largely built in the Fourteenth Century. The lectern within the church is shaped like an eagle and originates from the Sixteenth Century. The structure has been Grade I listed since 1960.
Within the grounds of the church there is a Nineteenth Century schoolhouse, which is Grade II listed.

## Governance

Billingford is part of the electoral ward of Upper Wensum for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.
Bexwell's national constituency is Mid Norfolk, which has been represented by the Conservative George Freeman since 2010.

## War Memorial

St. Peter's Church also contains Billingford's War Memorial. The memorial is a wooden plaque which commemorates 31 men who served and returned, alongside nine men who died. The names of the dead are as follows:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Other Commemoration/Burial |
| Private | Horace A. Lake | 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment | 13 August 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| Private | Ernest A. Peachment | 176 Company, Machine Gun Corps | 27 August 1917 | New Irish Farm Cemetery |
| Private | John C. Dack | 1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment | 27 July 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Private | Stephen Howard | 1st Bn., Royal Norfolk Rgt. | 5 August 1917 | Military Cemetery, Roclincourt |
| Private | James W. Canham | 1/4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment | 28 November 1917 | War Memorial Cemetery, Alexandria |
And, Arthur E. Clarke, Albert Howard and Harry Overman.

## Notable People

* Thomas Anson (1818-1899), cricketer
* Robert Curzon (c. 1491–1550), Member of Parliament
* Gordon Flowerdew (1885-1918), Canadian soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross
* Peter Parfitt (born 1936), cricketer
* Horatio Walpole (1663 – 1717), Member of Parliament