- Great Snoring
Great Snoring (archaic English: Snoring Magna) is a rural village in North
Norfolk by theRiver Stiffkey , in the east ofEngland .cite web | title=Great Snoring Norfolk, village information, holidays, cottages, bed and breakfast, pubs and businesses | work=Glaven Valley | url=http://www.glavenvalley.co.uk/norfolk/village/great-snoring.html | accessdate=2006-03-31] Its population in the 2001census was 168, a dramatic decrease since 1841 when it was 556 (this included 81 people in theWalsingham UnionWorkhouse ).cite web | title=William White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk 1845 | work=GENUKI: Norfolk: Genealogy: Towns and Parishes: Snoring, Great: White's 1845 | url=http://www.origins.org.uk/genuki/NFK/places/s/snoring_great/white1845.shtml | accessdate=2006-03-31]At the centre of the village is the 13th-century church of St. Mary and the old rectory. There is a rather narrow main street with houses built of brick and flint.cite web | title=Great Snoring in Norfolk | work=NorfolkCoast.co.uk | url=http://www.norfolkcoast.co.uk/location_norfolk/vp_greatsnoring.htm | accessdate=2006-03-31] Behind the church stands the
Manor House which was built in about 1490, and is now a hotel, accommodating up to 16 guests.cite web | title=Manor House (The), a B&B in Great Snoring, Norfolk. | work=information Britain | url=http://www.information-britain.co.uk/showPlace.cfm?Place_ID=147 | accessdate=2006-03-31]The nearest inn and shop are in the larger village of
Little Snoring , which is about two miles away.History
1086 - The
Domesday book calls the village by theSaxon name "Snaringa"/"Snarringes", named after an inhabitant called Snear. The book includes mention of a water mill, which now features on the village sign.1611 - Sir Ralph Shelton, lord of the manor, sold Great Snoring to Lord Chief Justice Richardson. Sir Ralph is reported to have said "I can sleep without Snoring".
1854 - Francis White's History, Gazetteer and Directory of Norfolkcite book | first=Francis | last=White | year=1854 | title=History, Gazetteer and Directory of Norfolk pages 714-15 viewed at [http://apling.freeservers.com/Villages/GreatSnoring54.htm] on 15th April 2006] describes the village as having:
* 99 houses, with a total population of 656
* John Dugmore, Esq as lord of the manor
* the church dedicated to the Virgin Mary with a "fine tower" (formerly a spire), containing curious old brasses of the Skelton family
* the rectory house, built by the Skelton family, described as a "fine specimen of ornamental brick work", valued at £24 and occupied by Rev. D.H. Lee Warner
* Walsingham Union House, a workhouse with 164 staff and occupants.1914-1918 - the Great Snoring War Memorial lists 22 men who died in the
First World War .cite web | author=Ernie Rusdale | year=2004 | title=Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Great Snoring | url=http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/GreatSnoring.html | accessdate=2006-04-15]Population
The 2001 Censuscite web|url= http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=796946&c=NR21+0HW&d=16&e=15&g=471206&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=0&s=1199911255687&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779|title=Neighbourhood Statistics - Area: Great Snoring CP (Parish)|work=National Statistics|year=2001|accessdate=2008-01-09] shows 168 people in 81 households (35 owner-occupied, 46 rented). 24 of these households were classified as "Second residence / holiday accommodation".
The Walsingham Union Workhouse
On 12 April 1836 Walsingham
Poor Law Union was formed, and a new Walsingham Union workhouse was built at Great Snoring in the same year to accommodate up to 250 inmates. The architect wasWilliam Thorold , and he based it onSampson Kempthorne 's model cruciform plan published by the Poor Law Commissioners in 1835. Four accommodation wings were joined to a central supervisory area, allowing segregation of different categories of inmate. Areas between the wings were used as exercise space. Workshops and service buildings around the edge gave the overall site an octagonal shape. To the east of the site a chapel was built.cite web | url=http://www.the-snorings.co.uk/info/workhouse.html | title=Great Snoring and Little Snoring in Norfok, England - Walsingham Union Workhouse | work=Great and Little Snoring | accessdate=2006-04-16]After the closure of the workhouse, the buildings had various uses: as a
smallpox hospital in the 1930s; by the Civil Defence in the 1950s; and most recently, plans to convert the building into 35 flats were approved in 1961. But no conversion was carried out and the buildings have now been demolished.cite web|author=Peter Higginbotham|year=2001|url=http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Walsingham/Walsingham.shtml|title=Walsingham Poor Law Union and Workhouse|work=History of the Workhouse in Britain|accessdate=2008-10-11]People
John Pearson (1612-86) (English divine and scholar) was born in Great Snoring on 28 February 1612.1911]
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
