The Journal is on sale at the History Centre Blakeney, during opening hours,, and over the counter in Cley at Crabpot Books (open daily), they both maintain a stock of all journals from no. 6 onwards and a CD of the earlier issues in pdf format. Recent issues are also available in Blakeney at the Anchor Gift Shop in the High Street and at Holt Bookshop in Appleyard, Holt. The cost of individual journals is £8.50 and £10.00 for the CD.
Crabpot Books will post copies to addresses in the UK on receipt of a cheque made out to 'Crabpot Books'; the cost of packing and postage for individual journals is £1.50 and £1.00 for the CD. The address is: High Street, Cley, HOLT, Norfolk NR25 7RN and the telephone number is 01263 740218.
Synopsis: a brief biography of a 19th century north Norfolk shipbuilder with a list of all the ships he is known to have built.
Enclosure in Langham 1815 to 1820: winners and losers: by Mike Medlar
Synopsis: The author looks at the enclosure of Langham following the Act of 1815 to see who gained and who lost as a result of the enclosure award.
Peter Catling Ship Models – Part 2: by Jonathan Hooton
Synopsis: In the Glaven Historian No 10 I wrote an article about Peter Catling and his ship models. This article is meant to complement that one by giving some background information about the vessels that Peter modelled.The Mysteries of
Stiffkey Churchyard: by John Wright
Synopsis: In 2007 the Stiffkey Parochial Church Council invited the author to help prepare a new edition of the Guide to the Parish Church (published in March 2008). This stimulated further research on the history of both church and village. Three particular questions about the church are addressed in this article. Some new evidence is brought to bear but definitive answers remain elusive.
The Iconography of Peace - the Retable in the Chapel of St Thomas à Becket, Blakeney: by Neil Batcock
Comparing and Contrasting the Communities of Kelling and Weybourne in the 19th and 20th centuries: by Brenda Worton
Synopsis: this paper is based on a dissertation submitted as part of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in Local and Regional History at the University of East Anglia. A study is made of population, occupations, and instruments of change to support a theory that Kelling and Weybourne are examples of 'close' and 'open' villages respectively.
Church & other Organs in the Glaven Valley: by Andrew Hayden
Synopsis: Church organs have a long history dating back to at least the 12th century. In the Glaven Valley and some of the surrounding villages there are a number of fine historic organs from the 19th century that illustrate a range of these instruments and their builders.
The Mysterious Green Man: by Geoff Worton
Synopsis: This article explores the enigmatic carvings, pictures etc. depicting the 'Green Man' who appears in so many Norfolk churches. It considers his place in history and folklore before discussing his various guises and where he might be found.
Blakeney Ships and their Owners in the mid 19th Century: by Michael Stammers
Synopsis: Based on the local Shipping Registers and other records, an analysis of the characteristics of ships acquired in Blakeney, Cley and district between 1839 and 1873 is presented. This information, together with a breakdown of the shareholders allows the substantial non-maritime investment and also the value, earnings and trades to be placed in the general context of mid 19th century rural ports.
The Catling Ship Models: by Jonathan Hooton
Synopsis: a brief biography of Peter Catling and an account of his ship models.
The Calthorpes in Norfolk "a clan rather than a family": by Pamela Peake
Synopsis: The history of the Calthorpe family in North Norfolk is explored, thereby placing their presence in the lower Glaven valley in a wider context. Their financial fortunes are followed through centuries of land ownership, advantageous marriages, religious turmoil, political unrest and public service. It demonstrates the versatility and survival of this family extending through 21 generations.
Rural Settlement in North Norfolk: by Michael Medlar
Synopsis: The area between the Glaven and Stiffkey valleys is one of undulating terrain covered with a variety of soils. In this article the author will explore the development of settlement in the parishes of Glandford, Saxlingham, Langham, Field Dalling, Cockthorpe and Binham in the medieval period between the compiling of the Doomsday Book (1086) and the Dissolution of the Monasteries (circa 1540). The evidence from the printed sources, original maps and documents, as well as from the modern landscape, will be used in this interpretation, but more detailed analysis of archaeological finds could enable a fuller picture of each settlement to be constructed.
Archaeological Excavations in Wiveton Village - preliminary results from the Higher Education Field Acadamy CORS test pits in 2006: by Carenza Lewis
Synopsis: Fourteen test pits were excavated in Wiveton by children from surrounding schools working under the auspices of HEFA and CORS schemes. These pits were distributed throughout the village and material recovered from them, particularly pottery, has been identified and phosphate levels of soil samples have been analysed. The distribution of the different pottery types provides some interesting and provocative ideas on the early history of the village. It suggests that there was possibly a hiatus in the population between the Black Death and the mid-16th century and that the centre of the village lay to the north of the church.
A Report on the Archeaological Excavation of 'Blakeney Chapel': by Richard Lee
Synopsis: During 2004-5 a long overdue evaluation and detailed excavation of the 'Chapel' site was undertaken. It demonstrated three major periods of activity and the presence of two buildings. It is thought that the earliest feature is a ditched enclosure dated from the 11th to 12th century. Two buildings were occupied during the 14th to 15th and the 16th to 17th centuries. Possible uses of the site are explored.
The Shipping Survey of 1572: by Jonathan Hooton
Synopsis: The shipping survey of 1572 is interesting in that it records Blakeney as being a creek of Yarmouth, but Cley and Wiveton as being creeks of Lynn. Most of the other evidence examined points to all three ports being creeks of Yarmouth. The survey is then compared with those of 1565 and 1580 and it is found that there is surprisingly little continuity in the information. It appears likely that differences in the way the surveys were compiled could account for this, but caution is needed when relying solely on these surveys for an accirate picture of 16th century shipping.
The Map of the Blakeney Haven and Port of Cley - 1586: by Raymond Frostick
Early sixteenth century wills of Langham as indicators of religious change: by Michael Medlar
Synopsis: The religious outlook of the people of Langham in the first forty years of the sixteenth century is explored through the contents of surviving wills.
Friendly Societies in the Blakeney area: by Brenda Stibbons
Synopsis: This article outlines the importance of Friendly Societies to the working and middle classes in the nineteenth century and, using research on societies in the Blakeney area, gives examples of their membership and how the Societies were organised. Over 550 were identified in Norfolk, including local independent societies and branches of national orders, such as the Independent Order of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity, and Ancient Order of Foresters.
Blakeney's 'Map of the World' in 1368: by John Wright
Synopsis: An inventory of 1368 shows that Blakeney Church contained a 'mappa mundi', a rare possession at that date. Could this description refer to a 'world map' in the style of the one in Hereford Cathedral today? This article explores other possibilities and concludes, as did an early Guide to Blakeney Church, that this 'mappa mundi' would have been a geographical text rather than a drawn map.
An Anglo-Saxon Burial at All Saints, Bayfield: by Kenneth Penn & David Whitmore
Synopsis: Issue No 7 of the Glaven Historian carried a report on the discovery and investigation of an isolated burial; the grave-goods appeared to point to a date somewhere in the 1st century AD, that is the late Iron Age or the early Roman period. Full excavation and study of the whole assemblage showed that the burial belonged to the Saxon period, probably in the first half of the 7th century. The grave-goods also have quite strong Frankish associations, in particular, the rouletted pot; fabric analysis indicates that this came from the Pas-de-Calais, France.
Carved Roof Panels at All Saints, Cockthorpe: by John Peake
Synopsis: Cockthorpe Church contains three, probably 15th century, roof panels that are possibly unique in this area of North Norfolk. The panels show an amazing array of carved foils.
Cockthorpe Churchyard: The Monuments and Monumental Inscriptions: by Pamela Peake
Synopsis: The Monuments and Monumental Inscriptions of the churchyard of All Saints, Cockthorpe are recorded and discussed in light of changing social patterns, the church registers and the local community.
Sixty Years of Village Housing: the Diamond Jubilee of the Blakeney Neighbourhood Housing Society: by Richard Kelham
Synopsis: A brief outline of the origins of this pioneering example of the combination of local housing provision and conservation, and a few notes on the origin of the Society's emblem. Photographs are from the BNHS archives.
"Minstrel" Biography of a Sailing Ship: by Jonathan Hooton
Synopsis: The Minstral traded during the second half of the 19th century and into the next, visiting Blakeney and other ports along the North Norfolk coast. Here the wealth of information about the schooner is retrieved, from voyages along the coast and overseas to the people who built, owned and sailed her.
Kenneth Ernest William Allen 1909-1992 - An appreciation: by Ronald Beresford Dew
Innkeepers and Blacksmiths of Blakeney - The Allen Connection: by Pamela Peake
Synopsis: Blacksmiths and innkeepers were at the heart of every successful Victorian village and with four blacksmiths in the family and 40 years at the Kings Arms, the Allens were undoubtedly major players. Their integration into the community, family fortunes and vicissitudes, provides the glue to a story of the role of blacksmiths, inkeepers and their premises. From 1861 till just beyond the twentieth century Domesday, it reveals a rather surprising perspective of Blakeney at a time of significant change.
Some Historically Significant Trees in Norfolk: by John White
Synopsis: At first glance Norfolk may seem to be devoid of significant trees but this is certainly not true There is a wealth of arboreal diversity and history equal to any other county in England; some of this diversity is explored in this paper.
"Lest We Forget" HMS Princess Victoria and War Graves in North Norfolk Churchyards: by Richard Jefferson
Synopsis: The chance discovery of the graves of three World War II Royal Navy seamen in Cley churchyard, all from a minelayer (converted from a pre-war car ferry), started a search for more information. HMS Princess Victoria struck a mine near the mouth of the River Humber close to midnight on 18th May 1940 and sank within minutes with the loss of 37 lives. Only 9 of the casualties have known graves, and 7 of those are in Norfolk, the bodies being washed up on our North Norfolk coast a month later.
A Snapshot of Blakeney Haven in 1565: by John Peake
Synopsis: Churches surrounding Blakeney Haven are rich in ship graffiti, much of it probably dating from the 15th and 16th centuries and later. The community who produced these drawings is explored using a 1565 Survey of the ports, creeks and landing places in Norfolk.
Blakeney Point and University College London: by D J B White
Synopsis: An account of Professor F W Oliver's part in securing Blakeney Point as a nature reserve, and of the consequent relationship between the Botany Department of University College London with the Point which has lasted for 95 years. Blakeney Point became a National Nature Reserve in 1994.
Work in Progress: The Cockthorpe Project: Introduced by Frank Hawes and Pamela Peake
From the Norwich Mercury: Smugglers, Property Announcements: Courtesy the History Centre
Five Thousand Years on Blakeney Eye: by Chris Birks
Synopsis: An excavation carried out on Blakeney Eye in 2003 produced evidence of human use of the site since prehistoric times and expanded knowledge of the 'chapel' structure. A gold bracteate from about the 6th century demonstrated wider cultural links during this period, as did pottery from the 15th and 16th centuries. Beneath the turf surface the 'chapel' consists of two separate cells, one with substantial walls having a cobbled area at the western end.
Punt-gunning on Blakeney Harbour:- Extracts From the Wild:fowling Journal of William Bolding Monement: by Richard Jefferson, Brent Johnson & Frank Hawes
Synopsis: W Bolding Monement (1846-1925) was one of the leading gentleman wildfowlers of his day. He lived in Weybourne in the house that is now the Maltings Hotel which he had inherited from his uncle W J J Bolding whose photography was the subject of an article in The Glaven Historian No.6. His wildfowling journal, kept in a hardback morocco-bordered exercise book, was started in 1880 and covered not only three trips to Scotland and the Hebridies and seven to the Netherlands but also these two accounts of punt-gunning locally.
'They seek them here, they seek them there' or the Migration of people to and from the three Glaven Villages in the second half of the nineteenth Century: by John Peake.
Synopsis: Using the census records for 1851 and 1881 the movements of people to and from Blakeney, Wiveton and Cley are explored. Short distance migration was prevalent, with long distance being to London and more importantly north to Westoe and South Shields. The population in the villages fell by 20% and the importance of migrants in maintaining their vitality is discussed. The effect of this fall was not spread evenly across the community and its impact on the villages is discussed.
A very Brief History of The Blakeney Players: by Janet Harcourt
Synopsis: A very brief hstory of a group of amateur thespians and their place in the community. This is put into its historical context in the days before entertainment became largely passive.
A Port in Decline: Blakeney & Cley 1850 -1914: by Jonathan HootonSynopsis: An analysis of the period from the mid-nineteenth century that marked the terminal decline and extinction of the Glaven ports drawing on Ships' Registers and Harbour Company's records among other sources.
Investigation of a Late Iron Age or early Roman burial at Letheringsett with Glandford, Norfolk: by David Gurney
Synopsis: Following the discovery of a patera, an investigation to establish its immediate context indicates that the vessel forms part of a richly-furnished Late Iron Age or early Roman burial.
The Highs and Lows of living in Blakeney - Some thoughts on Mariners and their Memorials: by Pamela Peake
Synopsis: Some of the last vestiges of Blakeney's maritime heritage are to be found amongst the headstones in the churchyard of St. Nicholas. They are the monumental inscriptions that provide tantalising glimpses of sea-faring families, clues to lifeboats, tales of wrecks in far off places, named vessels and tragic misadventure. This article explores some of the stories behind these inscriptions.
