East and West Rudham - NFK ENG

East and West Rudham - NFK ENG

OS Grid Reference: East: 52°49'N 0°43'E, West: 52°49'N 0°42'E

Name Origin: Old English Ruddastun The village of Rudda's people.

Domesday Book:

LANDS OF COUNT ALAN

The Hundred of BROTHERCROSS

In SYDERSTONE Alfheah held 3 carucates of land before 1066. Always 14 smallholders. Always 3 ploughs in lordship; 2 men's ploughs; meadow, 4 acres; always 1 cob. Then 4 pigs, now 16. Then 40 sheep, now 100. Value then 60s; now the same.
It has 10 furlongs in length and 8 in width, 13d in tax. He also holds.
In RUDEHA there is an outlier to this manor, ½ carucate of land. ½ plough.
It is in the valuation of Synderstone. He also holds.

LANDS OF WILLIAM OF WARENNE

The Hundred of BROTHERCROSS

In RUDEHA Ralph holds 3 carucates of land which Toki held before 1066. Always 6 villagers; 16 smallholders. Then 3 slaves, now 1. Then 3 ploughs, now 1. Always 1 men's plough; meadow, 4 acres; 2 mills; 1 salt-house; always 11 head of cattle. Then 30 pigs, now 28. Then 400 sheep, now 180. Then 14 horses, now 22 wild mares. 2 churches, 60 acres.

To this manor belongs 1 outlier, BAGTHORPE, at 1 carucate of land. Always 3 smallholders; 1 plough. Always 2 cobs; 3 head of cattle; 4 pigs. Then 80 sheep, now 100.
Also another outlier, HOUGHTON, Simon holds, at 1 carucate of land. Always 13 Freemen with all customary dues. Always 1 plough in lordship; 1 men's plough. Then 4 pigs. Then 60 sheep, now 40.
Also in RUDEHAM 25 Freemen appertain to this manor, at 1½ carucates of land. Always 4 ploughs between them. Also in HOUGHTON 1 Freeman, at 30 acres.
Under these, 3 villagers; 3 smallholders. Always 1 plough. 1 church without land. Ralph holds.
Also in BARMER Ralph holds 4 Freemen, at 60 acres of land. 3 smallholders; always 1 plough. ½ church.
In SYDERSTONE Ralph also holds 4 Freemen, at 40 acres. Then and later 1 plough, now ½
In HELHOUGHTON he also holds 1 Freeman, at 12 acres; ½ plough.
Value of all this before 1066 £8; now £10. In lordship are 20s.
The whole of Rudham has 1 league in length and 1 in width, tax of 4s 3d. The whole of Barmer has 3 furlongs in length and 2 in width, tax of 6½d.

In RUDEHA Lambert holds 1 carucate of land, which 1 free man held before 1066. Always 1 villager; 14 smallholders. Then 3 slaves, now 2. Then 2 ploughs in lordship, now 1. Always 1 men's plough; meadow, ½ acre. Then 4 cobs, now 5. 1 mule. Then 6 head of cattle, now 11. Then 16 pigs, now 20. Then 450 sheep, now 300.
18 Freemen appertain to this manor in the same carucate. Always 2 ploughs
Value then 20s; now 30s. This was delivered to him for land.
To this manor belongs 1 outlier, SYDERSTONE, at 30 acres; ½ plough. 3 smallholders; Value then 5s 4d; now it pays 12s.

LANDS OF PETER OF VALOGNES

[of Valognes, La Manche. Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire in 1086. Brother-in-law of Eudo the Steward. Founder of Binham Abbey. Warenne tenant in Norfolk.]

The Hundred of BROTHERCROSS

In RUDEHA Thorgils, 1 free man, holds, at ½ carucate of land. Always 3 smallholders; 1 slave. Then 1 plough, later also ½, now 1. Meadow, 1 acre. Also 4 Freeman, at 6 acres, Always 1 plough. Value always 10s.

A Topographical Dictionary of England, Samuel Lewis, 1831:

RUDHAM (EAST), a parish in the hundred of GALLOW, county of NORFOLK, 6¾ miles (W. by S.) from Fakenham, containing 807 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, with the vicarage of West Rudham, in the archdeaconry of Norfolk, and diocese of Norwich, rated in the kings's books at £6. 6. 8., and in the patronage of Marquis Townshend. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists.

RUDHAM (WEST), a parish in the hundred of GALLOW, county of NORFOLK, 7¼ miles (W. by S.) from Fakenham, containing 376 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, united with the rectory of East Rudham, in the archdeaconry of Norfolk, and diocese of Norwich, rated in the kings's books at £7. 6. 8. The church is dedicated to St. Peter.

History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk, White, 1845:

RUDHAM (EAST) is a considerable village, on the Lynn road, 7 miles W. of Fakenham, celebrated for two large annual fairs for cattle and merchandise, held on May 17th and October 14th, under a charter granted by King John to the ancient and honourable family of Belet, who long held this parish, and founded in it Coxford Priory, on the banks of a rivulet, nearly 2 miles E. of the village, adjacent to Tattersett. This extensive priory, of which, but little is known, had a boundary wall enclosing about 30 acres, and two large pieces of it, with a noble arch, are still standing. It was granted at the dissolution to Thomas, Duke of Norfolk. A small pot of Roman coins was dug up amongst the ruins, in 1719. East Rudham has increased its population since 1801, from 572 to 994 souls, and has in its parish 3,903A. 2R. 10P. of land, but only 3,779 acres are assessable. Most of it belongs to Lord Charles Townshend, the lord of the manor, and patron of the CHURCH, (St Mary,) which has a low embattled tower, and is a rectory, valued in K.B. at £6. 6s. 8d., and united with the vicarage in West Rudham, in the incumbancy of the Rev. Thomas Bland. The joint benefices were valued in 1831 at £407. The tithes of the two parishes were commuted in 1839, at £560 per annum to the incumbent, and £995 to the proprieter. The Fuel Allotment, 20A., was awarded in 1821; and the poor have £5 a year, from Lady Berkeley's charity, left in 1617."

"RUDHAM (WEST) a parish and village, adjoining the above, 8 miles W. by S. of Fakenham, has 490 inhabitants, and 2,438 acres, of which, 100 acres are heath, 180 pasture, and the rest arable. A small brook runs through the village, and gives rise to the river Wensum. A great part of the soil belongs to Lord Charles Townshend, the Marquis Cholmondeley, G. W. Chad, Esq., and Money Curtis, Esq., and lies in the manors of Houghton, Castleacre, and Northall, or St Faiths'. The CHURCH (St. Peter,) has a nave, south aisle, chancel, and a short tower; and in the same enclosure, there was a chapel dedicated to All Saints standing in 1493. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £7. 6s. 8d., and consolidated with the rectory of East Rudham. Lord Charles Townshend is patron, and also impropriator of the rectorial tithes.

The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England and Wales, ed J.H.F.Brabner, 1895:

Rudham, East, a village and a parish in Norfolk. The village stands on the Lynn road, 7 miles W from Fakenham, has a station on the Midland and Great Northern Joint railway, and a post, money order, and telegraph office under Swaffham. It formerly had two fairs, which were held on 17 May and 14 Oct., but these were abolished in 1876. The parish comprises 3995 acres; population of the civil parish, 735; of the ecclesiastical, with West Rudham and Broomsthorpe, 1171. In the parish are the ruins of Cosford or Cokesford Abbey, first founded by N. Cheney before 1144 for canons of the Augustinian order, and translated here by W. Cheney in the reign of Heary III. The manor belongs to the Marquis-Townshend. The land belongs chiefly to the Marquis Townshend and the Marquis of Cholmondeley. The living is a vicarage, united with West Rudham, in the diocese of Norwich; joint net value, £390 with residence. Patron, the Marquis Townshend. The church, a large edifice of flint in the Perpendicular style, was rebuilt in 1873. There are Primitive Methodist and Wesleyan chapels and Salvation Army barracks.

Rudham, West, a village and a parish in Norfolk, 2 miles SW from East Rudham station on the Midland and Great Northern Joint railway, and 8 W from Fakenham. Post town, Swaffham; money order and telegraph office, East Rudham. Acreage of the civil parish, 2918; population, 420; of the ecclesiastical, with East Eudham and Broomsthorpe, 1171. The Marquis Townshend and the Marquis of Cholmondeley are lords of the manor and chief landowners. The living is a vicarage, annexed to East Rudham, in the diocese of Norwich, in the gift of the Marquis Townshend. The church, which was restored in 1891, is an ancient building of flint in the Decorated style. There is a Methodist New Connexion chapel.

There is extensive informatrion about Rudham at www.rudham.co.uk

Associated Families: Barrett Goodbody Hague Hudson Langley


topReturn to Front Page Timeline Gazetteer of places mentioned Notes © Alan M Stanier (contact details)