Colby, Norfolk
Colby is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
Colby is located west of North Walsham and north of Norwich.
History
Colby's name is of Viking origin and derives from the Old Norse for either Kolli's farm settlement or a hill farm settlement.In the Domesday Book, Colby is recorded as a settlement of 21 households in the hundred of South Erpingham. In 1086, the village formed part of the East Anglian estates of King William I.
During the Second World War, searchlight batteries and an anti-aircraft emplacement were built near Colby.
Geography
According to the 2021 census, Colby has a population of 492 people which shows a minor decrease from the 494 people recorded in the 2011 census.St. Giles' Church
Colby's parish church is dedicated to Saint Giles and dates from around 1300. St. Giles' is located on Long Lane and has been Grade II listed since 1960.St. Giles' was significantly extended in the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Centuries and subsequently in the Victorian era. The font dates from the Fifteenth Century with a Victorian top and close to the font was where a finger of St. Giles was held as a relic before the English Reformation.
Notable residents
- Jack van Poortvliet- Leicester Tigers and England rugby union player, born in Colby.
Governance
Colby is part of the electoral ward of Erpingham for local elections and is part of the district of North Norfolk.The village's national constituency is North Norfolk, which has been represented by the Liberal Democrat Steff Aquarone MP since 2024.
War memorial
Colby's war memorial is a set of stone plaques inside the south porch of St. Giles' Church. It lists the following names for the First World War:| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial |
| 2Lt. | Reginald A. Sarsby | 10th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 22 Dec. 1915 | Guards Cemetery |
| Pnr. | Charles H. Lee | Royal Engineers | 14 Nov. 1918 | St. Giles' Churchyard |
| Pte. | Stanley A. Jordan | 15th Bn., Cheshire Regiment | 27 Mar. 1918 | Pozières Memorial |
| Pte. | D'Arcy W. W. Hardingham | 13th Bn., East Surrey Regiment | 28 Sep. 1918 | St. Giles' Churchyard |
| Pte. | Frederick Doughty | Hertfordshire Regiment | 31 Jul. 1917 | Menin Gate |
| Pte. | Stanley H. Rouse | 2nd (City) Bn., London Regiment | 3 Apr. 1918 | Chauny Cemetery |
| Pte. | William E. Daniels | 2/6th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 20 Mar. 1915 | St. Giles' Churchyard |
| Pte. | Frederick J. Matthews | 7th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 13 Oct. 1915 | Loos Memorial |
| Pte. | Cecil H. Burdett | 8th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 23 Jul. 1916 | La Neuville Cemetery |
| Pte. | Bertie H. Lowne | 8th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 11 Aug. 1917 | Menin Gate |
| Pte. | Alfred E. Turner | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 21 Sep. 1916 | Grove Town Cemetery |
| Pte. | Arthur W. Cooper | 7th Bn., Suffolk Regiment | 27 Mar. 1918 | Pozières Memorial |
And, the following from the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial |
| Cpl. | Edward L. Hall | 5th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment | 23 Oct. 1943 | Chungkai War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Sidney Hudson | 2nd Bn., Lincolnshire Regiment | 8 Jul. 1944 | Ranville War Cemetery |