Gooderstone


Gooderstone is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
The village is located south-west of Swaffham and west of Norwich.

History

Gooderstone's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for Guthere's farm or settlement.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, Gooderstone is listed as a settlement of 39 households in the hundred of South Greenhoe. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of Godric the Steward.
During the First World War, a night airfield was built in Gooderstone which was repurposed during the Second World War as a bombing decoy site.

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Gooderstone has a population of 400 people which shows an increase from the 363 people recorded in the 2011 census.
The church is located along the course of the River Gadder.

St. George's Church

Gooderstone's parish church is dedicated to Saint George and dates from the Thirteenth Century. The church is located within the village on Church View and has been Grade I listed since 1960. The church is no longer open for Sunday services.
St. George's was lightly restored in the Victorian era and features Sixteenth Century pews and dado screen.

Amenities

Gooderston Cricket Club has been registered for over a hundred year and fields a First XI and a Friendly Side.
Gooderstone Primary is a Church of England school and is part of the Diocese of Norwich Academies Trust. The headteacher is Mrs S. Godbold.
Gooderstone Water Gardens and Nature Trail is open daily throughout the year.

Governance

Gooderstone is part of the electoral ward of Bedingfeld for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.
The village's national constituency is South West [Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)|South West Norfolk] which has been represented by Labour's Terry Jermy MP since 2024.

War Memorial

Gooderstone War Memorial is located on the wall of St. George's Churchyard and is a square plinth with a long a tall latin cross. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:
RankNameUnitDate of deathBurial/Commemoration
Sgt.Ernest W. Woolsey1st The Royal Dragoons25 Nov. 1918Aldershot Military Cemetery
Cpl.Ernest E. Calver13th Bn., Royal Sussex Regiment21 Oct. 1916Thiepval Memorial
LCpl.John W. G. Burt3rd Dragoon Guards23 Mar. 1918Pozières Memorial
LCpl.Herbert Palmer20th Bn., King's Royal Rifle Corps20 Oct. 1917St Julien Cemetery
LCpl.Victor Cook164th Coy., Machine Gun Corps6 Jul. 1917Vlamertinge Cemetery
Gnr.Albert V. Dixon208th Bty., Royal Garrison Artillery27 Dec. 1916Grove Town Cemetery
Pte.Walter Flatt2nd Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment22 Mar. 1918Pozières Memorial
Pte.Horace E. Lambert6th Bn., Royal Berkshire Regiment28 Sep. 1916Thiepval Memorial
Pte.Arthur J. Mountain50th (Calgary) Bn., CEF18 Nov. 1916Adanac Military Cemetery
Pte.Edgar F. Brown2nd Bn., Royal Dublin Fusiliers5 Oct. 1916Lahana War Cemetery
Pte.S. Edward Barrett6th Bn., Lincolnshire Regiment3 Sep. 1915Hill 10 Cemetery
Pte.Victor Dodd1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment20 Nov. 1914Menin Gate
Pte.Baker C. Sayer2nd Bn., Norfolk Regt.22 Jul. 1916Basra War Cemetery
Pte.R. Holman Shinn2nd Bn., Norfolk Regt.6 Mar. 1916Amara War Cemetery
Pte.William H. Sayer9th Bn., Norfolk Regt.19 Apr. 1917Vermelles British Cemetery
Pte.Arthur S. Tuddenham1st Bn., Northumberland Fusilers14 May 1917Duisans Cemetery
Pte.George F. Crome10th Bn., Queen's Own Regiment12 Jul. 1918Lijssenthoek Cemetery
Rfn.Frederick Palmer12th Bn., Rifle Brigade6 Jun. 1916Menin Gate

The following names were added after the Second World War:
RankNameUnitDate of deathBurial/Commemoration
Cpl.Herbert R. E. Waters7th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment29 May 1941Poznań Cemetery
Cpl.Herbert Adcock18th Regt., Reconnaissance Corps12 Sep. 1944Kranji War Memorial
St1CBernard AdcockHMS Sphinx4 Feb. 1940Wick Cemetery