# Brockdish

Brockdish is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
Brockdish is located 3.3 miles (5.3 km) south-west of Harleston and 18 miles (29 km) south of Norwich. Brockdish CP also includes the smaller village of Thorpe Abbotts.

## History

Brockdish's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for enclosed land adjacent to a brook.
In the Domesday Book, Brockdish is recorded as a settlement of 39 households in the hundred of Earsham. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of King William I and St. Edmund's Abbey.

## Geography

According to the 2021 census, Brockdish (with Thorpe Abbotts) has a population of 699 people which shows a slight increase from the 681 people recorded in the 2011 census.
The River Waveney acts as the southern border of the parish with Brockdish marking the highest point where the river is navigable by small watercraft. The entry point to the river is at the foot of the common.

## Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

Brockdish's parish church is dedicated to both Saint Peter and Saint Paul and was constructed in the Eleventh Century. The church is located on Church Lane and has been Grade I listed since 1959. The church was significantly remodelled in 1864-5 at the expense of Rector George France and under the supervision of architect, Frederick Marrable. The church also boasts an impressive collection of stained-glass windows, mostly from the workshops of J. & J. King of Norwich.

## Amenities

Brockdish originally had two public houses until the closure of 'The Greyhound' in 2000, leaving the remaining pub: 'The King's Head'.
Brockdish Primary School closed in 2016 due to falling pupil numbers, and was, at once, Norfolk's smallest primary school. Pupils today attend primary education in Pulham Market or Harleston. Today, the school building is put to use as the Waveney Heritage Centre, a charity dedicated to forwarding local history. Pupils usually pursue secondary education at Harleston Sancroft Academy.

## Notable Residents

* Clementia Taylor- (1810-1908), Suffragist who was born in Brockdish.
* Baroness Elaine Murphy- (b.1947), Politician who briefly lived in Brockdish.

## Governance

Brockdish is part of the electoral ward of Beck Vale, Dickleburgh and Scole for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.
The village's national constituency is Waveney Valley which has been represented by the Green Party's Adrian Ramsay since 2024.

## War memorial

Brockdish War Memorial is a Gothic cross constructed out of Portland stone, located in St. Peter and St.Paul's Churchyard. The memorial was erected in around 1920 after a campaign of public subscription to pay for its design. It holds the following names for First World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Other Commemoration / Burial |
| 2Lt. | Cecil W. M. White | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 26 Sep. 1915 | Loos Memorial |
| AS | Edgar A. Butcher | 8th (Anson) Bn., Royal Naval Division | 24 Mar. 1918 | Arras Memorial |
| Pnr. | Harry Wilkinson | Royal Engineers | 20 Nov. 1918 | Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Wisbech |
| Pte. | Ernest E. Shemming | 4th Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment | 29 Apr. 1917 | Arras Memorial |
| Pte. | Alfred E. Whiting | 7th Bn., Border Regiment | 3 Jul. 1916 | Dantzig Alley British Cemetery |
| Pte. | William J. Read | 1/9th Bn., Duke of Cambridge's Own Regiment | 30 Oct. 1917 | Kirkee War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Robert W. Whiting | 1st Bn., East Surrey Regiment | 28 Apr. 1917 | Mont-Huon Military Cemetery |
| Pte. | William J. Day | 7th Bn., East Surrey Rgt. | 10 Apr. 1917 | British Cemetery, Duisans |
| Pte. | Frederick A. Licence | 2nd Bn., Essex Regiment | 31 Jul. 1918 | British Cemetery, Pernes |
| Pte. | Frederick J. Read | 9th Bn., Essex Rgt. | 3 Jul. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Alfred J. Fisher | 428th (Agricultural) Coy., Labour Corps | 18 Nov. 1918 | St. Lawrence's Churchyard, Ilketshall |
| Pte. | Albert V. Day | 9th (Queen Victoria's Rifles) Bn., London Regiment | 9 Oct. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | John N. Hines | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 11 Jun. 1915 | Perth Cemetery, Ypres |
| Pte. | Marshall H. Norman | 1st Bn., Norfolk Rgt. | 23 May 1916 | Faubourg Cemetery, Arras |
| Pte. | George H. Bloomfield | 2nd Bn., Norfolk Rgt. | 15 Mar. 1917 | Amara War Cemetery |
| Pte. | William B. Hines | 7th Bn., Norfolk Rgt. | 12 Oct. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Alfred Foulger | 8th Bn., Norfolk Rgt. | 17 May 1917 | Arras Memorial |
| Pte. | William Allum | 2nd Bn., Northamptonshire Regiment | 16 Aug. 1917 | Tyne Cot |
| Rfn. | Frank V. Barkway | 12th Bn., Rifle Brigade | 18 Mar. 1916 | Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery |
And, the following for the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Other Commemoration / Burial |
| Pte. | Clifford H. Debenham | 2nd Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment | 6 Jan. 1941 | Rakowicki Cemetery, Kraków |
| Pte. | Bertie J. Flatman | 5th Bn., Royal Norfolks. | 25 Oct. 1943 | Kanchanaburi War Cemetery |