# Burgh Castle

Burgh Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
Burgh Castle is located 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south-west of Great Yarmouth and 16 miles (26 km) east of Norwich. The parish was part of Suffolk until 1974.

## History

Burgh Castle was likely the site of a Neolithic settlement due to an abundance of flint and bronze axe-heads being discovered in the area.
Burgh Castle is the location of a Roman fortification called Gariannonum which dates to the third century; the fort was part of system of coastal defence, the Saxon Shore, against Anglo-Saxon incursions on the East Anglian coast. The site is managed by the Norfolk Archaeological Trust and is open free of charge to the public.
Bradwell's name is of mixed Anglo-Saxon and Norman origin and derives from the Old English burh (meaning fort) and the Norman French 'castle.'
It has been suggested by the Elizabethan historian William Camden, that Burgh Castle is the site of Cnobheresburg, the first Irish monastery in southern England founded by Saint Fursey in the seventh century as part of the Hiberno-Scottish mission.
In the Domesday Book, Burgh Castle is recorded as a settlement of 15 households in the hundred of Lothingland. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of Ralph the Bowman.
Burgh Castle was also the site of a Norman castle.
Burgh Castle was once used to imprison Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany.
Other listed buildings in Burgh Castle include Church Farmhouse (c.1788), the Old Rectory (c.1832) and the Grange (Seventeenth Century).

## Geography

According to the 2021 census, Burgh Castle has a population of 1,323 people which shows an increase from the 1,150 people recorded in the 2011 census.
The northern boundary of the parish is marked by the confluence of the River Waveney and River Yare. The village is also within the Norfolk Broads.
Amenities within the village include two pubs (The Queen's Head and The Fisherman's Inn) as well as the Burgh Hall Bar & Restaurant and Golden Fish (a Chinese Takeaway).

## St Peter and St Paul's Church

Burgh Castle's parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul and is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining round-tower churches. St. Peter and St. Paul's is located on Church Road and has been Grade II listed since 1954. The church incorporates significant amounts of Roman brick in its foundations, almost certainly from the nearby Roman fort.

## Governance

Burgh Castle is part of the electoral ward of Lothingland for local elections and is part of the district of Great Yarmouth.
The village's national constituency is Great Yarmouth which has been represented by the Reform UK's Rupert Lowe since 2024.

## War memorial

Burgh Castle has two war memorials, both located inside St. Peter and St. Paul's Church. The memorial for the First World War is a metal embossed plaque whilst the memorial for the Second World War is a wooden plaque which was unveiled by Field Marshal Edmund Ironside GCB DSO in 1953. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial |
| Capt. | Thomas Frederick MC | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 14 Dec. 1917 | Mont-Huon Military Cemetery |
| AS | James M. Pembroke | Royal Navy | 12 Mar. 1917 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| LCpl. | Arthur S. Bond | 7th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 24 Dec. 1915 | Guards Cemetery, Cuinchy |
| OS | Robert S. Saul | HMS Formidable | 1 Jan. 1915 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| Pte. | John Johnson | 2nd Bn., Machine Gun Corps | 8 Nov. 1918 | St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen |
| Pte. | James Casey | 3rd Bn., Middlesex Regiment | 30 Sep. 1915 | Loos Memorial |
| Pte. | Edward J. Casey | 11th Bn., Middlesex Rgt. | 6 Oct. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Louis A. Collett | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 4 Jun. 1916 | Arras Memorial |
| Pte. | Herbert H. Perfect | 1st Bn., Norfolk Rgt. | 3 Nov. 1914 | Eastern Cemetery, Boulogne |
| Pte. | Bertie F. Read | 2nd Bn., Northamptonshire Regiment | 3 Dec. 1915 | Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois-Grenier |
| Pte. | Harry E. Hewitt | 5th Bn., Northamptonshire Rgt. | 17 Jul. 1917 | British Cemetery, Monchy |
| Pte. | Joshua Hewitt | 8th Bn., Suffolk Regiment | 4 May 1917 | Warlencourt British Cemetery |
| Pte. | Robert Brooks | 9th Bn., Suffolk Rgt. | 16 Sep. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Rfn. | Robert G. Harvey | 4th Bn., Rifle Brigade | 9 Dec. 1918 | Town Cemetery, Taranto |
| Rfn. | William Read | 8th Bn., Rifle Brigade | 19 Sep. 1917 | Communal Cemetery, Bailleul |
| Tpr. | William Flaxman | 1st Tp., Life Guards | 13 May 1915 | Menin Gate |
| B1C | George H. High | HMS Pathfinder | 5 Sep. 1914 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| Skp. | George S. Meale | H.M. Drifter Frons Olivae | 12 Oct. 1915 | Ss. Peter and Paul Churchyard, Burgh Castle |
| 2Hd. | Edward Casey | H.M. Trawler Dhoon | 24 Nov. 1916 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| Dhd. | George R. Hewett | H.M. Trawler Aspasia | 7 Mar. 1919 | Poole Cemetery |
| Dhd. | Albert V. Brackenbury | H.M. Trawler Principal | 25 Nov. 1918 | Dean Road Cemetery, Scarborough |
And, the following for the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial |
| S1C | Percy W. Godtbill | HMS Thames | 3 Aug. 1940 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| Sgt. | Arthur J. Davies | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve | 7 Jun. 1944 | SS. Peter and Paul Churchyard, Burgh Castle |
| AS | William R. Rolfe | HMS Cicala | 16 Dec. 1942 | Stanley Military Cemetery |
| Dvr. | George H. Wright | Royal Army Service Corps, att. II Corps | 2 May 1940 | Dunkirk Memorial |
| Gnr. | Charles A. Mace | 4 Rgt., Royal Horse Artillery | 15 Dec. 1940 | Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Nelson F. B. Sayer | 1st Bn., Suffolk Regiment | 23 Nov. 1944 | Mierlo War Cemetery |
| Rfn. | Harry L. Perfect | 1st Bn., Royal Ulster Rifles | 6 Apr. 1945 | Argenta Gap War Cemetery |
And, Mr. Clive G. Harvey of the Merchant Navy.