52-533: Hethersett is a large village and electoral ward in the county of Norfolk , England, about 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Norwich . It covers an area of 4.22 sq mi (10.9 km) and had a population of 5,441 in 2,321 households at the 2001 census , increasing to 5,691 at the 2011 census. In 2013 Hethersett became the first village or town in the United Kingdom to receive a Prime Minister's Big Society Award for its outstanding contribution to
104-537: A castle. In Wales, the term electoral ward is used for elections to principal councils ( county councils or county borough councils ). These were formally called electoral divisions . Communities in Wales (the equivalent to the civil parish in England) are sometimes divided into wards for elections to the community council. All of Scotland is divided into over 300 wards for local government elections. Using
156-479: A church at the time of the Domesday Book of 1086. How long before is unknown. There is nothing visible of the early building. Today's church dates from the 14th century with 15th-century additions. It is built of flints and local field stones with Caen stone dressings and the roof is of lead and slate. The tower, built in four stages, supports a lead-dressed steeple which is topped by a weathervane depicting
208-425: A cost of £1,200, raised by subscription. Henry Back, J. H. Gurney and the rector were the largest contributors, the former also restoring the belfry, recasting one bell, and the latter, restoring the south porch and the two altar tombs. Mr Back gave the organ in 1874. There are several memorials inside the church, one of the most striking being that of John Luke Iselin in the form of a black ledger stone of marble in
260-494: A dove perched upon a coiled serpent and holding in its beak, love-lies-bleeding . Chequered flushwork of dressed stone and flints around the plinth and buttress facings contrast with the field stones and small patches of brickwork of the tower walls. There are niches at the lower levels and a 14th-century west window with decorated tracery. A clock faces the road, and below the battlements, on each face, are 14th-century two-light openings. Small quatrefoil openings provide daylight to
312-451: A few houses along Mill Road and Great Melton Road in 1844. In Victorian Miniature , Owen Chadwick gives us a detailed account of life in the area in the middle of the 19th century. The Rev William Waite Andrew, the Vicar of Ketteringham and one of the two central characters in the book, lived at Woodhall which he bought for £3,600 in 1841, and to which he added a new western extension. In
364-462: A football team, Hethersett Athletic, that caters for boys and girls football from around 5 years old to men's and women's football teams. In September 1994 the new village hall was opened in Back Lane, funded mostly by Wilcon Homes under a Section 106 Planning Gain agreement. The hall has a purpose-built stage with seating for 250 and provides a committee room for 50 people. In 1801 Hethersett had
416-497: A marble colonette is in the chancel and another, with a trefoil head of 14th-century origins, in the Lady Chapel. The octagonal font with traceried bowl now stands at the west end of the north aisle. The beautifully painted panels of the reredos depicting saints was the work of Sister Myra of All Hallows' Convent, Ditchingham . In 1858, the stonework was restored and the church refitted with open benches, oak pulpit, etc., at
468-481: A patient heron or even a kingfisher waiting for a catch. There are many interesting walks in the parish including footpaths to the Village Pit and from New Road to Great Melton church. They contain old hedges and mature trees providing suitable homes for various birds. Hethersett continues to grow but it remains a village with much natural beauty for those with the eyes and ears willing to seek it. Hethersett had
520-492: A population of 696 (in 90 houses), by 1851 this number had nearly doubled, but it never reached this total again until 1931; since then and especially in the last 20 years or so, Hethersett's population has risen to over 5,000. It is now as large as some of Norfolk's market towns. During the past seven years the Steepletower site near the parish church has expanded rapidly; by 1995 about 360 dwellings had been completed out of
572-418: A priest who also participated in the building of Hingham Church, may have suggested the dedication in honour of his name-saint. The clerestory of the nave and the lovely north porch were added in the 15th century. The Domesday village had become three manors or at least was part of three manors by the 13th century. These became known as Hethersett Cromwells, Hethersett Hacons and Hethersett Woodhall. Cromwells
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#1732791612804624-480: A projected figure of 520. Water supply, mains drains, a new surface water drainage system, street lights, branch library, new first school and high school, reflect the demands of a rapidly growing population for improved services. The village has its own post office, surgery, pharmacy and dentist and the square in Great Melton Road (known to locals as Oak Square) has is the centre of the shopping works fir
676-471: A separate community with its own vitality and quite a marked community spirit. This shows itself in a range of activities in the village but also in more permanent ways in items provided for the village through the efforts of villagers. These include a learner swimming pool in the Middle School, a bench in the memory of Zita James sited at the church, a cassette library, the conversion of School House in
728-540: Is a tranquil place but in the early years of the 19th century, when body snatchers were active in acquiring bodies for anatomical dissection, there is a report that on 2 February 1825, "A body of an old man, buried in Hethersett churchyard was stolen by resurrection men. A similar outrage took place in Thorpe churchyard on the same date." An interesting connection to this incident was the fact that on 21 January 1829, there
780-1030: Is divided into wards, which are ancient and very long-standing sub-divisions of the city. The Council of the Isles of Scilly is also a sui generis unitary authority, and has five wards, each returning either 1 or (in the case of St Mary's ) 12 councillors to the Council of the Isles of Scilly. Civil parishes in England are sometimes divided into wards for elections to the parish council (or town / city council ). They need not bear any relation to wards or electoral divisions at district level, but often do. The four most northerly ancient counties of England – Cumberland , Westmorland , County Durham and Northumberland – were historically divided into administrative units called wards instead of hundreds or wapentakes , as in other counties. Wards were areas originally organised for military purposes, each centred on
832-533: Is thought to have been a tanner , but he certainly held the manor of Wymondham in Norfolk . With his brother William he led the men of Wymondham in their quarrel with John Flowerdew, the father of Edward Flowerdew . They tore down the enclosure fences Flowerdew had erected on the Hethersett common , and having thus come into prominence, he headed the men of Norfolk when they rose in rebellion in 1549 owing to
884-473: The Isle of Wight and Shropshire Councils ) instead use the term electoral division . In non-metropolitan county areas with both wards (used for district council elections) and electoral divisions (used for county council elections), the boundaries of the two types of divisions may sometimes not coincide, but more often the county electoral divisions will be made up of one or more complete wards. In urban areas,
936-475: The Local Government (Boundaries) (NI) Order 1972 (No. 131) and DEAs were first created by the Local Government (District Electoral Areas) Regulations 1973 (No.94) Robert Kett Robert Kett ( c. 1492 – ( 1549-12-07 ) 7 December 1549) was the leader of Kett's Rebellion . Kett was the fourth son of Thomas Kett, of Forncett , Norfolk and his wife Margery. He
988-653: The single transferable vote , most wards elect either three or four councillors. Starting from the 2022 Scottish local elections , the Scottish Elections (Reform) Act 2020 , allows electoral wards to have between one and five councillors. Districts in Northern Ireland are divided into electoral areas, with each electing between five and seven councillors by single transferable vote. These are themselves sub-divided into wards, but these wards have no official function. Post-1973 wards were first created by
1040-612: The 19th century, village crafts and small industries employed a number of men locally; two windmills existed, one giving the name to Mill Road. Three smithies existed in the village in the 1880s and carriages were built at Harveys. There was a brickyard in Queen's Road. The railway lasted 120 years; it arrived as the Norwich & Brandon Railway in 1846, but was closed to passengers in 1966. Hethersett lies so close to Norwich that many think of it as just another of its suburbs. It is, however,
1092-536: The Middle School to provide a Music Room, the erection of a village sign, village street plans, the Jubilee Youth Club and the Scout and Guide Hut. Trees have been planted in various parts of the village and a memorial plaque has been erected on the site of the old School (No 3 Queen's Road). The Parish Council have provided litter bins, salt and grit bins for use in icy weather and "Fido" bins. The village has
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#17327916128041144-568: The Norwich to Cambridge railway follows its southern boundary but otherwise the parish has no obvious physical limits and presumably represents the land needed to feed the Saxon settlements that grew up in the area. Residential developments to the North of the village, toward little Melton has given rise to the discovery of a Roman settlement, possibly including a Roman Villa. Residential development to
1196-739: The Olympic legacy and sport and fitness in general. The Parish of Hethersett is, by Norfolk standards, a large one, covering 2,695 acres; it was the main settlement in the ancient Hundred of Humbleyard; it lies in the Deanery of Humbleyard and in the South Norfolk district. Hethersett stretched three miles from east to west along the line of the B1172 (the old Norwich to London road) and two miles from northwest to southeast. The road cuts it into slightly larger northern and smaller southern divisions;
1248-511: The Priory. In the early 19th century, Hethersett Hall was built and its attractive park and ornamental lake laid out by the Back family. The Hill House estate was laid out in the 1780s by a Mr Brown. Perhaps the greatest change of all came as a result of the enclosure award of 1799 when Lynch Green was divided up and disappeared as an open space, although the tithe map shows that there were still only
1300-620: The Queens Head and the Kings Head . The village also has a social club that is home to a bowls club and has a clubhouse bar and function room. In 2020 Norfolk Police bought the former Old Hall School and this will become a police training centre, for Norfolk police and other constabularies around the UK. The construction of the A11 dual carriageway from Cringleford to Wymondham initially reduced
1352-416: The UK. An average area of wards or electoral divisions in the United Kingdom is 28.109 km (10.853 sq mi). The London boroughs , metropolitan boroughs and non-metropolitan districts (including most unitary authorities ) are divided into wards for local elections. However, county council elections (as well as those for several unitary councils which were formerly county councils, such as
1404-588: The United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors . The ward is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil parishes and borough and district councils, the electoral ward is the unit used by Welsh principal councils , while the electoral division is the unit used by English county councils and some unitary authorities . Each ward/division has an average electorate of about 5,500 people, but ward population counts can vary substantially. As of 2021 there are 8,694 electoral wards/divisions in
1456-508: The central aisle of the nave. He was a native of Basel in Switzerland , who came to this country in the 1770s and applied for naturalisation in 1772 after making a success as partner of a wool stapling business. The earliest headstones are to be found at the west end of the churchyard. There is one to Mary, daughter of John and Mary Bowles, 1708, to Abigail Howes, 1779, and to Sarah, the wife of Robert Harpley, 1791. The churchyard today
1508-467: The edge. Lynch Green opened out westwards to the great common where Wymondham, Great Melton and Hethersett parishes met. The most famous event in Hethersett's history took place in 1549 when Robert Kett and his men tore down John Flowerdew's hedges on Hethersett common. Kett's Oak is said to commemorate the spot where rebels gathered before marching to Mousehold Heath in Norwich. In the 17th and 18th centuries, several fine houses were built or added to in
1560-520: The foreseeable future. Despite the substantial growth of housing over the last 40 years, the Parish of Hethersett still has much wildlife interest. The built up area covers less than 25% of this large parish, leaving a considerable acreage of arable land and open spaces. Two areas of much interest are the Kissing and Suckling Lanes, both public footpaths. From the former the walker has excellent views of
1612-513: The hardships inflicted by the extensive enclosures of common lands and by the general policy of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset , then Lord Protector . A feast held at Wymondham in July 1549 developed into a riot and gave the signal for the outbreak. Leading his followers to Norwich , Kett formed a camp on Mousehold Heath , where he is said to have commanded 16,000 men, introduced a regular system of discipline, administered justice and blockaded
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1664-429: The heather, among his possessions. The Domesday Book also mentions the church with its 60 acres of land, a handsome endowment: no Saxon or Norman work remains to be seen because of later rebuilding. There is also mention of a second church and this presumably applies to the church of Cantley, then a separate parish, of which nothing now remains except some mounds in a pasture to the north of Cantley Farm. This small parish
1716-452: The late 16th century. The dove is represented holding in its beak what was the styled flower gentle, otherwise Amaranthus, love-lies-bleeding, a symbol of immortality. It was early in the 18th century that Dr John Gostlin, the patron of the living, gave the patronage to the master and fellows of the college. John Berney was rector of Hethersett, 1736–82, and also rector of Saxlingham Nethergate and Saxlingham , and Archdeacon of Norwich. In
1768-538: The name of Hethersett is not clear; the guide to the church suggests the enclosure for the deer: 'heedra' is an Old English word for heather or heath, and 'set' is Old English for a dwelling place, camp, stable or fold. This would give the meaning as being that of a camp or enclosure on the heath. Although the name is Saxon, we have evidence of earlier settlers; a New Stone Age long barrow (burial mound) lies in Cantley and two areas of Roman pottery have been found in
1820-419: The north west of the village had been put on hold as a result of the discovery of this Roman find. Trial excavations in late 2020 established that further investigations are needed. From the west, moving in a clockwise direction, the parishes contiguous with this are those of Wymondham , Great Melton , Little Melton , Colney , Cringleford , Intwood (now part of Keswick ) and Ketteringham . The meaning of
1872-516: The northern part of the parish; in view of the existence of a great Roman centre at Caistor St Edmund , the latter finds are nor surprising. The earliest description of Hethersett comes to us in the Domesday Book account of 1086; it would seem that there were perhaps 400 people in the parish by that time. The Lord of the Manor had 87 sheep and seven hives of bees, perhaps gathering nectar from
1924-489: The park with its remaining large trees and lake. Members of the thrush family regularly feed here; sometimes in early spring these include large gatherings of fieldfares and redwings before they depart for their eastern breeding grounds. Both Canada and Barnacle geese breed in the vicinity of the lake where mallards, moorhens and coots are regularly seen. Commorants also visit these waters with a variety of other ducks dropping in from time to time. The careful observer can often see
1976-556: The priest room above spring from carved corbels. The nave, enhanced in the 15th century and restored in 1858 has two roof lines and a shallow clerestory . Both aisles have matching windows. The north side is buttressed with dressed stone and flint while at the south, red brick replaces earlier work. Around 1535, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries , the chancel fell into disrepair. Rebuilding took place in 1897 and at
2028-550: The rebels, and after his offer of pardon had been rejected he forced his way into the city, driving its defenders before him. Then, strengthened by the arrival of some foreign mercenaries, he attacked the main body of the rebels at Dussindale on 27 August. Although Kett's men were faced with a trained soldiery, the battle saw fierce fighting and lasted most of the day: but Kett's men were ultimately defeated and Robert and William Kett were seized and taken to London, where they were condemned to death for treason. On 7 December 1549 Robert
2080-523: The rector of the previous five years, Christopher Wilson, was obliged to resign and his place was taken by Edward Jackson, a more compliant man who adopted the usages of the Church of Rome and who then, on Elizabeth I's accession, adopted the requirements of the law. He remained rector until 1573. Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom The wards and electoral divisions in
2132-626: The region. The 29 clauses of the Petition survives and the petition is below. It is notable in reflecting the language of the new religion, in line with the Lord Protector's inclinations; and in its carefully diplomatic format of requesting changes. Broadly speaking, the clauses seek: He refused the royal offer of an amnesty on the grounds that innocent and just men had no need of pardon, and on 1 August 1549 attacked and took possession of Norwich. John Dudley, Earl of Warwick , marched against
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2184-455: The same time transepts were formed by extending the aisles eastwards. Field stones and flint facings salvaged from the foundations of the nearby ruined hall were used in the rebuild. Diagonal buttresses support the corners. The east window dates from the 14th century. Gable crosses adorn the chancel and nave. Inside, floral decoration and texts are painted above the arches of the arcades, tower and chancel. An early 13th-century styled piscina with
2236-409: The tithe book for 1737–69, it is recorded that Dr Berney "the liberal benefactor to this living has forborn to add the expenses of the new stable", presumably at the rectory, "the spire of the church, and many expenses in the gardens and yards". There were three 19th-century rectors, Bartholomew Edwards, Jeremy Day, to whom the oak pulpit was dedicated, and William Reynolds Collett. Collett (1855–1903),
2288-429: The tower stairs ascending in the southwest corner. A medieval door to the stairs gives access to eight bells cast between 1607 and 1904. An attractive 15th-century porch on the north side is built with broken flints embellished with flushwork. It is entered through a perpendicular arch flanked by side shafts with salamander capitals and angels carved within spandrels. Inside, the ribs of a fine vaulted ceiling supporting
2340-688: The traffic using the old A11 (now B1172), but with the growth of nearby Wymondham in terms of residential development along the Norwich Road corridor since 2018, the amount of traffic using the B1172 continues to increase. The effects of the opening of the Norwich Southern Bypass are less direct, but already land nearby has come under pressure for development. Hethersett's situation so close to Norwich with its excellent facilities and transport links means pressures for growth and development (both desirable and undesirable) will continue in
2392-472: The village. Access was improved by the turnpiking of the main road in the middle of the 17th century. Farmhouses of some style were built at Hill Farm, Whitehouse Farm, Cedar Grange and Beech Grove as yeomen bought up land and some of the common fields disappeared. Woodhall, the Priory and the Old Hall were modernised and extended by Norwich merchants such as John Buckle, Mayor of Norwich in 1793, who lived in
2444-416: The village. Here you can find a national chain supermarket, two independent take away food outlets, the post office, a hairdressers, an independent gift shop and an estate agent. Other shops on the same road consist of two charity shops, a butchers and a chemist. One other independent shop selling food, alcohol and newspapers is adjacent to the recreation field on Recreation Road. The village has two pubs,
2496-558: The wards within a local authority area typically each contain roughly the same number of electors, and each elect three councillors. In local authorities with mixed urban and rural areas, the number of councillors may vary from one to three, depending on the size of the electorate. Where civil parishes exist, a ward can be adjacent with a civil parish or consist of groups of civil parishes. Larger civil parishes (such as Shrewsbury ) can be divided into two or more wards. The City of London has its own sui generis form of local government and
2548-534: Was a doctors' meeting at the Guildhall about difficulties in pursuing anatomical studies, and that the legislature was to be petitioned. The weathervane is quite unusual, and an explanation was given in the Sunday Companion of July 1922. The living was in the gift of Caius College, Cambridge , and the design embodies the crest worn by Dr Caius, who founded Gonville College, later, Gonville and Caius, in
2600-414: Was amalgamated with its larger neighbour in 1397 although the church was used as a chapel until the 16th century. During medieval times, the parish seems to have had an uneventful history. The present parish church was begun in 1320 and the tower and nave arcades and windows are in the decorated style (1290–1330). It is dedicated to St Remigius (438–533), the great Bishop of Rheims. Remigius de Hethersete,
2652-556: Was the chief manor and its manor house was probably in the meadows immediately to the south of Church Farm. Hacons and Woodhall sites are less certain and the lands of these manors lay in the neighbouring parishes as well as Hethersett. Thickthorn seems to have had a separate hamlet with its own moated house near to the present Hall. As the community grew during the 16th century, the commons became especially important to those who had little other land. Hethersett with its open green, Lynch Green, would have had cottages and farm buildings around
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#17327916128042704-441: Was very interested in the history of St Remigius and Hethersett parish, and there are many entries in the parish magazines written by him. In August 1874, the rector stated that the earliest parish register was from 1616. He estimated the population of Hethersett, then, as about 500. In 1875, he gave his view on the changes in Hethersett church in the turbulent years resulting from Queen Mary Tudor's accession in 1553. At that time,
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