Cockley Cley

Cockley Cley
All Saints Church
Cockley Cley is located in Norfolk
Cockley Cley
Cockley Cley
Location within Norfolk
Area17.94 km2 (6.93 sq mi)
Population232 (2011)[1]
• Density13/km2 (34/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTF792042
Civil parish
  • Cockley Cley
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSWAFFHAM
Postcode districtPE37
Dialling code01760
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°36′24″N 0°38′44″E / 52.60673°N 0.64554°E / 52.60673; 0.64554

Cockley Cley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village covers an area of 17.94 km2 (6.93 sq mi) and falls within the district of Breckland.

History[edit]

The village's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a "clay hill shrouded in trees".[2]

In the Domesday Book, Cockley Cley is recorded as a settlement of 32 households located in the hundred of South Greenhoe. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of King William I and William de Warenne.[3]

Cockley Cley is the site of significant defensive infrastructure built during the Second World War, including a rare example of an "Allan Williams Turret" designed to mount a Lewis gun in an anti-aircraft role.[4]

In August 1974, a decapitated corpse of a woman was discovered near the village. As of 2023, the woman has not been identified.[citation needed]

Between 1975 and 2004, Cockley Cley was home to a mock Iceni village visitor attraction. The site reopened briefly in 2014 as the Iceni Centre but was subsequently forced to close due to dwindling customer numbers.[5]

Geography[edit]

In the 2011 census, Cockley Cley was recorded as having 232 residents living in 117 households.[6]

The village falls within the constituency of Mid Norfolk and is represented at Parliament by George Freeman MP of the Conservative Party.

All Saints' Church[edit]

Cockley Cley's parish church is one of Norfolk's 124 existing Anglo-Saxon round-tower churches. The church was significantly remodelled in the nineteenth century by the architect Richard Phipson. The church tower collapsed on 29 August 1991 and has not been rebuilt.[7]

War memorial[edit]

Cockley Cley's war memorial is a marble plaque located inside All Saints' Church which lists the following names for the First World War:

  • Corporal William B. Root (1893–1916), 8th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
  • Corporal Frederick Atter (1896–1917), 9th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
  • Lance-Corporal Wallace G. Rungary (d.1918), 1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
  • Fireman Frederick W. Barker (1887–1915), S.S. Sailor Prince
  • Private Henry Norman (1885–1916), 14th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
  • Private Charles R. Wilding (1883–1915), 8th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
  • F. Draper
  • E. Pedgrift

The following were added following the Second World War:

  • Marine Sydney A. Holman (1924–1944), H.M. Landing Craft (Flack) 14
  • Private Russell K. Pigg (1917–1940), 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  2. ^ University of Nottingham. (2022). Retrieved 12 December 2022. http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Cockley%20Clay
  3. ^ Domesday Book. (1086). Retrieved 12 December 2022. https://opendomesday.org/place/TF7904/cockley-cley/
  4. ^ Walker, D. (1996). Retrieved 12 December 2022. https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF24183-World-War-Two-Allan-Williams-Turret&Index=22987&RecordCount=57338&SessionID=79c54ba6-7db7-445f-9c25-ce405215990d
  5. ^ Scotter, K. (2014). 'Iceni Centre, formerly the Iceni Village, closes despite attempted revival' in Eastern Daily Press. https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/21031030.iceni-centre-formerly-iceni-village-closes-despite-attempted-revival/
  6. ^ Office for National Statistics. (2011). Retrieved 12 December 2022. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E04006102
  7. ^ Knott, S. (2006). Retrieved 12 December 2022. http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/cockleycley/cockleycley.htm

http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Cockley%20Clay

External links[edit]