- Methwold
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- This article is about the Norfolk village; for the seventeenth century English merchant see William Methwold
Coordinates: 52°31′00″N 0°33′00″E / 52.5167°N 0.55°E
Methwold
St George, Methwold
Methwold shown within NorfolkArea 49.12 km2 (18.97 sq mi) Population 1,476 - Density 30 /km2 (78 /sq mi) OS grid reference TL731940 Parish Methwold District King's Lynn and West Norfolk Shire county Norfolk Region East Country England Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town THETFORD Postcode district IP26 Dialling code 01366 (Within UK) Police Norfolk Fire Norfolk Ambulance East of England EU Parliament East of England List of places: UK • England • Norfolk Methwold ("Middle forest"[1]) is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, on the edge of the Norfolk Fens and Brecklands It covers an area of 49.12 km2 (18.97 sq mi) and had a population of 1,476 in 591 households as of the 2001 census.[2] For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.
The parish also includes the hamlets of Methwold Hythe, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the town and on the edge of the fens, and Brookville to the north west.[3]
Its economy is based on agriculture with a little light industry. The village is situated about 20 miles (32 km) from King's Lynn and 15 miles (24 km) north west of Thetford (its postal town).
Methwold parish is the second largest parish in Norfolk in terms of land. The parish currently has approximately 20 farms ranging from about 60 acres (243,000 m2) up to 1,000 acres (4.0 km2). Farming in Methwold and the surrounding areas accounts for a vast majority of jobs in the fens. Even if people don't farm, much of the work is connected with the land.
According to John Marius Wilson, Methwold can technically be classed as market town following its market charter granted by King Charles I of England during a brief visit.[3]
Methwold became famous for its abundance and excellence of it's rabbits which were sold by poulterers as "Muel Rabbits". A meal of Muel Rabbits was reputed to have pleased Charles I to such an extent that he granted the village a charter for the market to be held.
Notable residents
- William Thorold M.Inst.C.E., millwright, architect and civil engineer was born in Methwold on 9 October 1798.
Neighbouring parishes Stoke Ferry
WissingtonOxborough
NorthwoldDidlington Methwold Hythe
(fens)Cranwich
MundfordMethwold Feltwell Hockwold cum Wilton Weeting References
- ^ "Methwold". English Place-Name Society database. Nottingham University. http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~aezins//kepn/detailpop.php?placeno=9431. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
- ^ Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes. Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Retrieved 20 June 2009.
- ^ a b Wilson, John Marius (1872). Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. (quoted online at: "Methwold Norfolk". A Vision of Britain Through Time. 2009. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/place_page.jsp?p_id=1706&st=METHWOLD. Retrieved 12 August 2010.)
External links
Media related to Methwold at Wikimedia Commons
Categories:- Villages in Norfolk
- King's Lynn and West Norfolk
- Civil parishes in Norfolk
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