# Bradenham, Norfolk

Bradenham is a village and civil parish, a conglomeration of East and West Bradenham, in the English county of Norfolk.
Bradenham is situated some 5 miles (8.0 km) south-west of the town of Dereham and 19 miles (31 km) west of the city of Norwich.

## History

Bracon Ash's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a 'broad or spacious village.
In the Domesday Book, Bradenham is recorded as a settlement of 53 households in the hundred of Greenhoe. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of William de Warenne, Ralph of Tosny and Ralph Baynard.
Huntingfield Hall Farmhouse, just off Mill Street, dates from the Sixteenth Century and has been Grade II listed since 1951.
In the Mid-Eighteenth Century, West Bradenham Hall was built. It was owned by the Haggard family and was the birthplace of H. Rider Haggard, it is also rumoured that Admiral Nelson stayed at the house.
During the Second World War, a decoy airfield was built in the village.

## Geography

According to the 2021 census, Bradenham has a population of 695 people which shows a slight decrease from the 700 people recorded in the 2011 census.
The River Wissey rises in Bradenham and flows to the west whilst the River Yare rises to the east of Bradenham and flows to the east.
Amenities within the village include George Tufts & Son Ltd., a builder's merchants.

## St. Andrew's Church

West Bradenham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew and located on Church Lane. The church is early Medieval in origin and features stained-glass windows depicting the Gospels by the O'Connor Brothers and an east window depicting the Crucifixion of Christ by William Wailes. The church has been Grade I listed since 1960.

## St. Mary's Church

East Bradenham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary and is located on Church Street. St. Mary's has been redundant since 1973 and features small amounts of stained glass designed by the O'Connor Brothers. The church has been Grade I listed since 1960.

## Notable Residents

* Sir H. Rider Haggard KBE- (1856-1925) writer and land reformer.

## Governance

Bradenham is part of the electoral ward of Saham Toney for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.
The village's national constituency is Mid Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative's George Freeman since 2010.

## War Memorial

West Bradenham's War Memorial takes the form of a small marble plaque in St. Mary's Church whilst East Bradenham's takes the form of a larger marble plaque in St. Andrew's Church. Combined, the memorials list the following men from the First World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Other Commemoration / Burial |
| Capt. | R. Lancelot Haggard | No. 3 Company, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry | 30 October 1917 | British Cemetery, Passendale |
| Capt. | Mark Haggard | 2nd Battalion, Welch Regiment | 15 September 1914 | British Cemetery, Vendresse |
| Cpl. | Edward Dack | 21st (Eastern Ontario) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force | 9 April 1917 | Lichfield Crater, Thélus |
| Dvr. | Walter Barnard | 2nd (Depot) Company, Army Service Corps | 21 February 1915 | Greenwich Cemetery |
| Gnr. | John R. E. Wheals | 121st (Heavy) Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery | 2 October 1917 | Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery |
| Pvt. | Allen Fawkes | 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment | 1 July 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pvt. | John T. Cater | 7th Battalion, Border Regiment | 4 November 1916 | Grove Town Cemetery, Méaulte |
| Pvt. | Herbert Thacker | 8th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment | 17 March 1916 | St. Pierre Cemetery, Amiens |
| Pvt. | Edward Coppen | 2/6th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers | 9 October 1917 | Tyne Cot |
| Pvt. | Alfred Fawkes | 2nd Battalion, Norfolk Regiment | 6 May 1916 | Kirkee Memorial |
| Pvt. | Ernest E. Buckenham | 1/4th Battalion, Norfolk Rgt. | 19 April 1917 | Jerusalem Memorial |
| Pvt. | George Buckenham | 7th Battalion, Norfolk Rgt. | 5 November 1915 | Loos Memorial |
| Pvt. | Sidney Coppen | 11th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters | 19 October 1917 | Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery |
| Rfn. | George Stebbings | 9th (Queen Victoria's Rifles) Battalion, London Regiment | 9 October 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
And: Stephen Basham, William Brown, John Tarrant, Frederick Cooper, Herbert Dack, James Fawkes, George Papworth, William Spilman and Robert Watts.