Hardingham
Hardingham is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish also includes the hamlet of Danemoor Green, located about one mile north-east of the village.
Hardingham is located north-west of Wymondham and west of Norwich.
History
Hardingham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the homestead of Hearda's people.Hardingham is not recorded in the Domesday Book.
The parish also includes the location of the medieval settlement of Flockthorpe, which was probably abandoned due to the ravages of the Black Death.
In the 16th century, Sir Thomas Gresham built a moated residence in Hardingham.
Hardingham Watermill is first recorded in 1766 and was eventually closed in 1933. The mill building was burnt down in 1966 as part of the film The Shuttered Room starring Oliver Reed, despite a last minute intervention by Sir Ian Gilmour MP.
Hardingham railway station opened in 1847 as a stop on the Wymondham-Dereham Railway Line. The station closed to passengers in 1969 but still operates periodically on the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
Geography
According to the 2021 census, Hardingham has a population of 335 people which shows an increase from the 267 people recorded in the 2011 census.St George's Church
Hardingham's parish church is dedicated to Saint George and dates from the 13th century. St George's is located outside of the village on Church Road and has been Grade I listed since 1960. The church holds sporadic church services and is part of the Barnham Broom & Upper Yare Benefice.St George's holds a memorial to Major William Mordaunt Marsh Edwards VC who lived in the parish and was awarded the Victoria Cross in the Anglo-Egyptian War as well as several original battlefield crosses from the First World War.
Governance
Hardingham is part of the electoral ward of Mattishall for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.The village's national constituency is Mid Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative's George Freeman MP since 2010.
War Memorial
Hardingham's war memorial is an elaborate wooden memorial in St George's Church which lists the following names for the First World War:| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial/Commemoration |
| Lt. | Geoffrey S. Walley | 5th Bn., King's Royal Rifle Corps | 20 Aug. 1916 | Dernancourt Cemetery |
| 2Lt. | Frederick Abel | 3rd Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 30 Dec. 1917 | Chatby War Cemetery |
| CSt. | John W. Brown | HMS Formidable | 1 Jan. 1915 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| Sgt. | Arthur W. Whitehand | H.T., Army Service Corps | 3 May 1917 | St George's Churchyard |
| LCpl. | John T. Abel | 4th Bn., Machine Gun Guards | 27 Mar. 1918 | Cabaret Rouge Cemetery |
| Pte. | Wilfred J. Fox | 4th Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment | 30 Sep. 1918 | Sunken Road Cemetery |
| Pte. | Arthur S. Adcock | 6th Bn., Royal Dublin Fusiliers | 12 Oct. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | John T. Scase | 10th Bn., Essex Regiment | 22 Oct. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Arthur Websdale | 1st Bn., King's Own Royal Regiment | 17 Apr. 1918 | Loos Memorial |
| Pte. | Frank Hunt | 8th Bn., Leicestershire Regiment | 22 Mar. 1918 | Épehy Wood Cemetery |
| Pte. | Charles H. Balaam | 4th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 20 Apr. 1917 | Deir al-Balah Cemetery |
| Pte. | Ernest D. Risebrook | 4th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 27 Jul. 1917 | St George's Churchyard |
| Pte. | Alfred J. Chaplin | 7th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 14 Oct. 1917 | Arras Memorial |
| Pte. | Harry A. Egle | 8th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 10 Mar. 1917 | Aveluy Cemetery |
| Pte. | Bertie W. Adcock | 4th Bn., Northumberland Fusiliers | 15 Nov. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Alfred Hunt | 11th Bn., Royal Sussex Regiment | 31 Jul. 1917 | Menin Gate |
The following names were added after the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial/Commemoration |
| Lt. | William B. M. Edwards | 1st Bn., Rifle Brigade | 26 Mar. 1943 | Sfax War Cemetery |
| Sgt. | William A. Winchester | 4th Bn., Queen's Own Regiment | 15 Jul. 1940 | Malbork Cemetery |
| LCpl. | Horace F. Mann | 4th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment | 2 Aug. 1943 | Kranji War Memorial |
| LAC | Stanley C. Warnes | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve | 17 May 1943 | St George's Churchyard |
| Dvr. | Victor C. Goldson | 221 Coy., Royal Engineers | 26 Aug. 1943 | Enfidaville Cemetery |
| Pte. | William A. James | 4th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment | 20 Jun. 1943 | Kanchanaburi Cemetery |
| Pte. | Ernest H. Websdale | 5th Bn., Royal Norfolks | 17 Mar. 1945 | Kranji War Cemetery |