# Flitcham, Norfolk

Flitcham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is located 7.1 miles (11.4 km) north-east of King's Lynn and 33 miles (53 km) north-west of Norwich, along the River Babingley.
Together with the villages of West Newton, Shernborne and Anmer, Flitcham forms part of the Royal Sandringham Estate.

## History

Flitcham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a village or settlement where 'flitches' of bacon were cured. There is, however, an alternate local theory that Flitcham's name derives from Felix-ham as the site of Saint Felix's original monastery after he arrived in East Anglia in the Seventh Century.
In 1948, the site of a Roman villa was excavated close to Denbeck Wood, within the parish. After excavation, the villa was found to have glazed windows, a tessellated floor and a small courtyard flanked by other buildings from the same period. Further artefacts, including coins, pottery and metalwork dating from the Third and Forth Centuries, have been discovered close to the site and across the parish. Another possible Roman building has been identified close to the course of the River Babingley. In addition, the Denbeck Wood excavations also led to the discovery of several Anglo-Saxon artefacts including brooches, pottery and several fittings.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, Flitcham is listed as a settlement of 88 households in the hundred of Freebridge. In 1086, the village was divided between the East Anglian estates of Bishop Odo de Bayeux, William de Warenne and Roger Bigod. The survey lists the value of Flitcham as 4 mills, a church, 3 acres (12,000 m$^2$) of meadow, pannage for 27 swine, 3 cows, 1 beast for carriage and 180 sheep. In the Domesday Book, the size of woodland was normally indicated by the number of swine in a wood.
During the First World War, many local men joined the 1/5th Battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment. In 1915, the unit was sent to Gallipoli and first saw action at Suvla Bay. On 21 August the unit attacked the Ottoman positions and subsequently found themselves encircled and then eliminated. Six Flitcham men were killed on 21 August 1915 in this attack. These events were dramatised in the 1999 TV drama All the King's Men starring David Jason.
Appleton House was built in the 1860s as a residence for Haakon VII of Norway and his wife, Maud of Wales, during visits to England, with the future Olav V being born in the house. During the Second World War, Appleton House was the residence of the Norwegian monarchy in exile, and for this reason a sophisticated air-raid shelter was attached to the house.

## Geography

According to the 2021 census, Flitcham with Appleton has a population of 260 people which shows a decrease from the 276 people listed in the 2011 census.
Flitcham lies along the course of the River Babingley and the B1153, between Narborough and Brancaster.
The eastern boundary of the parish is discernible by Peddars Way, a long-distance footpath between Knettishall and Holme-next-the-Sea.

## St. Mary's Church

Flitcham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary and dates from the Fourteenth Century. St. Mary's is located within the village on Church Road and has been Grade II listed since 1960.
St. Mary's was restored in the Victorian era under the direction of the future King Edward VII, taking many furnishings, including a font, from St Mary Magdalene Church in nearby Sandringham.

## Governance

Flitcham is part of the electoral ward of Massingham with Castle Acre 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

Flitcham War Memorial is a stone obelisk atop a square plinth adorned with slate on each face, and stands along the side of the B1153. The memorial was unveiled in May 1920 and lists the following names for the First World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial/Commemoration |
| LCpl. | William Mickleborough | 8th Bn., Border Regiment | 31 Jul. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| LCpl. | William C. Grimes | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 12 Sep. 1915 | Haydarpaşa Cemetery |
| LCpl. | Charles Hunter | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 21 Aug. 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| LCpl. | George H. Williamson | 7th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 13 Oct. 1915 | Loos Memorial |
| Dvr. | William J. Smith | 2 Coy., Army Service Corps | 8 Mar. 1915 | Greenwich Cemetery |
| Pte. | Leonard Thwaites | 1st Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment | 9 Oct. 1917 | Tyne Cot |
| Pte. | Allan Bridges | 2nd Bn., Bedfordshire Regt. | 16 Aug. 1917 | St. Mary's Churchyard |
| Pte. | Ernest Rix | 2nd Bn., Bedfordshire Regt. | 8 May 1918 | Tyne Cot |
| Pte. | Sidney Rayner | 9th Bn., East Surrey Regiment | 27 Mar. 1918 | Pozières Memorial |
| Pte. | Frederick Bridges | 1st Bn., Essex Regiment | 27 Jan. 1917 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | William Rudley | 1st Bn., Essex Regt. | 13 Aug. 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| Pte. | George H. Seaman | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 20 Oct. 1914 | Le Touret Memorial |
| Pte. | Leonard A. Bridges | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 21 Aug. 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| Pte. | Charles E. Grimes | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 18 Nov. 1915 | 7th Field Ambulance Cem. |
| Pte. | Thomas Grimes | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 19 Apr. 1917 | Jerusalem Memorial |
| Pte. | William J. Humphrey | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 21 Aug. 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| Pte. | Walter W. Mindham | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 19 Apr. 1917 | Gaza War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Robert J. Overman | 1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 14 May 1917 | Hadra War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Arthur R. Beckett | 7th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 20 Mar. 1916 | Loos Memorial |
| Pte. | Henry E. Broadwater | 1st Bn., Queen's Royal Regiment | 13 Apr. 1918 | Ploegsteert Memorial |
The following names were added after the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial/Commemoration |
| Pte. | Joseph D. Searle | 5th Bn., Beds and Herts Regt. | 14 Dec. 1942 | Kanchanaburi War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Percy W. Bix | 7th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment | 11 Jun. 1940 | Dunkirk Memorial |