# Burnham Overy

Burnham Overy is a civil parish on the north coast of Norfolk, England. In modern times a distinction is often made between the two settlements of Burnham Overy Town, the original village adjacent to the medieval parish church and now reduced to a handful of houses, and Burnham Overy Staithe, a rather larger hamlet about 1-mile (1.6 km) away and next to the creek-side harbour.
The civil parish has an area of 8.92 km$^2$ and in the 2001 census had a population of 311 in 167 households, reducing to a population of 134 measured at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

## Etymology

The villages name means 'Homestead/village on the River Burn' or perhaps, 'hemmed-in land on the River Burn'. 'Overy', meaning 'Over the river', was added to distinguish it from the other Norfolk Burnhams.

## Location

Burnham Overy lies between the larger village of Burnham Market, less than 1-mile (1.6 km) to the west, and Holkham, some 3 miles (4.8 km) to the east. The larger town of King’s Lynn is 20 miles (32 km) to the south-west (with the closest railway station), whilst the city of Norwich is 30 miles (48 km) to the south-east.

## History

Burnham Thorpe, the birthplace of Horatio, Admiral Lord Nelson, lies 1-mile (1.6 km) to the south-east. According to various letters and documents, Nelson learned to row and sail a dinghy at Burnham Overy Staithe, at the age of 10, two years before joining the Navy. The village’s only pub is called “The Hero” in his honour.
Historically Burnham Overy was the port for the surrounding villages of the Burnhams. Both settlements lie on the River Burn, and until the end of the Middle Ages trading ships were able to reach the village (now Burnham Overy Town). With the silting of the river, commercial traffic switched to the downstream Staithe. With the coming of the railway to the Burnhams in 1866, commercial shipping declined and the last cargo is believed to have been shipped from the Staithe soon after the end of the First World War.
Between Burnham Overy Staithe and the sea, the river spreads out into multiple tidal creeks through the salt marshes that fringe this stretch of coast, and finally reaches the sea by passing through the fronting sand dunes at a gap near Gun Hill locally known as Burnham Harbour. Small boats can reach Burnham Overy Staithe through this gap and creek. Today Burnham Overy Staithe, and the associated harbour, is a recreational sailing centre. It is also the point of departure for seasonal ferries to the Scolt Head Island National Nature Reserve.
To the east of the Burnham Overy creek, the former salt marshes between dry land and the sand dunes have been reclaimed to form fresh water meadows, part of the Holkham estate. A one-and-a-half-mile (2.4 km) long footpath links Burnham Overy Staithe to the sand-dunes and beach, running along the crest of the embankment which protects these water meadows from the creek.

## Geography

According to the 2021 census, Burnham Overy has a population of 297 people which shows an increase from the 134 people recorded in the 2011 census.
The village is located along the A149, between King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth, and on the course of the River Burn as it flows out to sea.

## St Clement's Church

Burnham Overy's parish church is dedicated to St Clement and dates from the 12th century. St Clement's is located outside of the village, at the junction of Mill Road and Wells Road, and has been Grade I listed since 1953. The church was not restored in the 19th century and retains many of its Medieval features in addition to a set of Stuart royal arms which have been re-lettered with the name of King George III.

## Notable residents

* Richard Woodget (1845-1928), captain of the Cutty Sark, born and died in Burnham Overy.
* Robert Austin (1895-1973), artist and engraver, died in Burnham Overy.

## In popular culture

In Joan G. Robinson's 1967 book When Marnie Was There, the villages of Little Overton and Barnham are based upon Burnham Overy, especially the key locations of the staithe and the windmill.
Leith House Orchards, a family-run plum, greengage and damson orchard, was featured in January 2023, in BBC Two's The Hairy Bikers Go Local.

## Governance

Burnham Overy Staithe 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 Overy's war memorial is a granite celtic cross which has been Grade II listed since 2015. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial |
| Lt. | Cuthbert E. Bowen | East African Military Police | 1 Dec. 1914 | Kisumu Cemetery |
| 2Lt. | Thomas H. Webb | 1st Bn, Welsh Guards | 1 Dec. 1917 | Gouzeaucourt Cemetery |
| St.1C | John R. Loose | HMS Pembroke | 3 Sep. 1917 | Woodlands Cemetery |
| Sgt | Thomas J. Broom | 61st Bn, Machine Gun Corps | 21 Mar. 1918 | Pozières Memorial |
| Sgt | Frederick J. Read | 9th Bn, Norfolk Regiment | 18 Oct. 1918 | Bancourt British Cemetery |
| AS | Albert Richardson | HMS Defence | 31 May 1916 | Plymouth Naval Memorial |
| Pte | Herbert C. Paynter | 8th Bn, Border Regiment | 5 Jul. 1917 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte | Frederick Paynter | 1st (Mounted Rifles) Bn, C.E.F. | 6 Nov. 1917 | Menin Gate |
| Pte | Walter Seaman | 1/9th Bn, Durham Light Infantry | 22 Jul. 1917 | St Imoges' Churchyard |
| Pte | Sidney E. Armiger | 12th Bn, East Yorkshire Regiment | 9 Dec. 1916 | South-West Cemetery, Berlin |
| Pte | Walter R. Haines | 1st Bn, Essex Regiment | 13 Aug. 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| Pte | Herbert J. Hubbard | 1st Bn, Essex Rgt | 13 Apr. 1917 | Arras Memorial |
| Pte | Harry Bloomfield | 2/5th Bn, Gloucestershire Regiment | 16 Aug. 1917 | Tyne Cot |
| Pte | Anthony A. Atkins | 1st Bn, Lincolnshire Regiment | 16 Jun. 1915 | Menin Gate |
| Pte | George Marsh | 7th Bn, Lincolnshire Rgt | 23 May 1917 | Aubigny Cemetery |
| Pte | Albert M. Harvey | 29th Bn, Machine Gun Corps | 14 Apr. 1918 | Ploegsteert Memorial |
| Pte | William Taylor | 1/4th, Norfolk Regiment | 19 Apr. 1917 | Gaza War Cemetery |
| Pte | Arthur Richardson | 7th Bn, Norfolk Rgt | 9 Apr. 1917 | Bunyans Cemetery |
| Pte | James Richardson | 9th Bn, Norfolk Rgt | 14 Oct. 1916 | Abbeville Cemetery |
| Pte | Fred Seaman | 9th Bn, Norfolk Rgt | 26 Sep. 1915 | Loos Memorial |
| Pte | W. Ned Thompson | 1st Bn, South Stafford Regiment | 26 Oct. 1917 | Lijssenthoek Cemetery |
| Pte | Edwin G. Wright | 1/5th Bn, Yorkshire Light Infantry | 5 Jul. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Rfn | Donald J. Taylor | 18th Bn, King's Royal Rifle Corps | 26 Sep. 1918 | Brookwood Cemetery |
And: John V. Moorhouse. And the following for the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial |
| Col. | Sidney Hattersley MC | Royal Army Medical Corps | 24 Mar. 1943 | St Clement's Churchyard |
| S/L | Christopher Smith DFC | No. 79 Squadron RAF | 22 Dec. 1941 | Runnymede Memorial |
| S/L | Frederick M. Smith | No. 94 Squadron RAF | 1 Jun. 1940 | Maala Cemetery |
| Maj. | Henry G. Head | 301 (Field) Rgt, Royal Artillery | 12 Feb. 1944 | Nairobi War Cemetery |
| Lt. Cdr. | A. H. Browne | HMS Liverpool | 14 Oct. 1940 | Alexandria War Cemetery |
| PO | E. C. Harper | No. 106 Squadron RAF | 27 Apr. 1944 | Durnbach Cemetery |
| Surg.-Lt. | William Phillips | HMS Niger | 6 Jul. 1942 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| St.1C | Austin Barnes | HMS Volunteer | 17 Apr. 1941 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| Cpl | Herbert Atkins | 22 (Bomb Disposal) Coy, Royal Engineers | 29 Mar. 1945 | St Margaret's Churchyard |
| St.2C | A. Barnes | H.M.Submarine P514 | 21 Jun. 1942 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| Pte | Edward Axon | 2nd Bn, North Staffordshire Regiment | 21 Apr. 1943 | Medjez-El-Bab Memorial |