Mundham
Mundham, historically Mundaham or Mundhala, is a small village and civil parish in the county of Norfolk, England. Archaeological and toponymic evidence of Mundham's existence predates its appearance in the Domesday Book survey of 1086, dating back to 130 AD in the late Pax Romana period, however, it was not called Mundham until sometime between the 5th and 7th centuries, although there has been consistent activity in the area since the early Neolithic period.
In the 2011 census, the population was 177 in 64 households, however in the 2021 census, the population had dropped to 147, in 67 households. The parish covers an area of, and is approximately southeast of Norwich and west of Great Yarmouth.
For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of South Norfolk, however Mundham does have a parish council responsible for local matters laid down by law, including a role in local planning, it consists of five councillors, and a clerk. The village contains a number of heritage-listed buildings, which include a 12th-century church, multiple farmhouses, and the ruins of a 13th-century church. The fields and woodland surrounding Mundham have changed little in the past 500 years, and the village itself remains rural with a low population density compared to the national average.
Mundham is located in the electoral district of Loddon, which is part of the South Norfolk district of the county of Norfolk, England. Near the centre of Mundham, there is a small stream which flows into the River Chet. Mundham borders the River Chet to the north, between Mundham and Bergh Apton, and is located 11 miles southeast of Norwich. In the west, it borders Seething, while in the northeast, it borders Sisland. In the southeast the extensions of Loddon reach. In the south Mundham borders Thwaite, and in the southwest it borders with Hedenham.
The village sign is located near St Peter's Church, and depicts a series of houses in the foreground, with St Peter's church and the millennium oak in the background, the sign's supports are carved into a sheath of wheat, with a small mouse and a poppy hidden within them.
Toponymy
The name Mundham originates from the pre-7th century word Mund, which is the nominative plural of the Old English word munda, meaning "protector", "guardian" or "hand", or the Old Saxon noun mund, meaning "hand", both of which come from the Proto-Germanic mundō, which itself comes from the Proto-Indo-European word *mh₂-nt-éh₂, which means "the beckoning one". The suffix -ham is the Old English noun meaning "homestead, village, manor or estate," which comes from the Proto-West Germanic haim, meaning "home". The suffix -hamm is the Old English for "enclosure", "land hemmed by water or marsh or higher ground", "land in a riverbend", "rivermeadow" or "promontory", which comes from the Proto-West Germanic verb hammjan, meaning "to pinch", "to hem" or "to enclose". Both -hamm and -ham appear as -ham in modern place names.History
Mundham was founded nearly two millennia ago, in the late Pax Romana period, with the earliest Roman evidence dating from the reign of Hadrian, however, the name of Mundham dates from the early Anglo Saxon period, in the Kingdom of East Anglia, during the Heptarchy, in the 5th to 7th century AD. St Peter's Church and Mundham Hall were built between then and 1086, as they appear Mundham's entry in the Domesday Book. In the 12th/13th century, Mundham was split into Mundham St Peter's and Mundham St Ethelbert's, and St Ethelbert's Church was built for use by Mundham Parva, until 1454 when Mundham reunified, despite this St Ethelbert's stayed open until 1749. In the 12th century, the current iteration of St Peter's was built. Throughout the 19th century, the major landowners of Mundham were usually the owner of Mundham house, which was built sometime prior to 1845, and the lord of the manor in Dickleburgh-Manclere. Across from the Church, Roman coins and other artefacts have been found, dating from 130 AD until the end of the Roman Empire's occupation of Britannia in 410 AD.Early history
Mundham was founded as a settlement in the late Pax Romana period, built on the sandy soil of the river Chet, however there has been activity here since the earliest period of human settlement in Norfolk. Mesolithic blades, and burnt and worked flints as well as Neolithic flints have been found in nearby fields, as have flint and bronze axes, scrapers and many other objects.A number of early Neolithic pits have been discovered, one of which contained burnt wood and debris and a human cremation, other nearby pits have been dated to the Bronze Age, and a ditch and another two pits have been dated to the Iron Age. Evidence of the Bronze Age appears in a number of ring ditches, enclosures and linear crop marks. Objects found include arrowheads, assorted metal tools and pottery sherds. Iron Age artefacts were found, along with postholes, ditches and pits. Objects from the period include coins, jewellery and pottery.
There is evidence of a Roman settlement, as Roman bricks and tiles, as well as many sherds of Roman pottery have been found, as have personal items such as brooches and cosmetic tools, and coins.
There are remnants of the Norse occupation of East Anglia found in Mundham, such as a silver clasp button which was discovered in the 1980s, it is unparalleled in its design in England, being similar to other buttons from the island of Helgö, which was known to make such items, however its metallurgical properties are similar to other norse silverwork which were made in England, in which case, it may be a copy of a Swedish artefact prototype.
Although the first record of Mundham and St Peter's Church is in the original Domesday Book, Mundham, as indicated by its archaeology and toponymy, was established here in the early Roman Empire, 130, however it was named Mundham sometime between the 5th and 7th century AD, as shown by toponymic evidence, and also as the remains of sunken-featured buildings, or Pit-houses have been excavated, and an Early Saxon inhumation cemetery as well as a Middle Saxon posthole. In 1086, Mundham had a population of 76.3 households and had its land split between 13 different owners, giving it an estimated population of 381, putting it in the top 20% of settlements listed in the Domesday Book. In the Domesday Book, it is listed as:
King's land, in the custody of Godric; also in the charge of William de Noyers; Thorold, Ulfketel and Robert de Vaux from Roger Bigot; Jocelyn from St Edmund's; Nigel and Ansger from Robert FitzCorbucion; Isaac; Roger FitzRainard; Ralph FitzHagni. ½ church. Horse at the hall."
This is also the first mention of St Peter's Church and Mundham Hall, originally St Peter's Church would have been owned and run by the Hall, as the concept of a parish church arrived with the Normans.
Middle Ages">England in the Middle Ages">Middle Ages to [early modern period]
Unfortunately during this period, Mundham is relatively poorly recorded, however some evidence comes from archaeological finds and church records. St Peter's Church is the oldest building in Mundham, having been first built before the Domesday Book was written, as it has Anglo-Saxon foundations. It also has a beautiful example of a carved Norman doorway. The nave of the church dates from the 12th century, and the 15th-century bell-tower contains the remains of a relatively plain, Norman Purbeck marble font, which was lost from the 1850s to the 1920s, when it was found in a pond in Seething.Sometime after the Domesday Book was written, and sometime before 1224, Mundham was split into two different villages, Mundham St Peter's and Mundham St Ethelbert's, the split was marked by the building of a second church, St Ethelbert's, for use by Mundham Parva. St Ethelbert's wasn't well recorded until the late 13th century, and its rectors date from 1305 until 1454, when Mundham was reunited into one village, although St Ethelbert's continued to operate until its closure in 1749.
In 1430, the manor of Mundham was bought by Sir John Fastolf, the prototype for Shakespeare's Falstaff, before he sold it again in 1451 to Hugh Acton, who was the master of St Giles Hospital, Norwich, they continued to hold the manor here for over three hundred years.
Mundham has a Poor Lands charity which provides a small amount of money to elderly residents of the village using the rent from a plot of land which it owns, the land was left in 1680 by Thomas Spooner and an unknown donor, which brought in 20 shillings and 10 shillings of yearly rent charges in 1845 respectively. St Peter's Church records date from dates from 1559, the churches of Mundham and Seething have been joined since the 15th century, before they merged with Thwaite, Brooke and Kirstead, forming a group, before being fully joined as a benefice, by order of the council, in 1881.
[Late modern period]
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Mundham grew significantly through the Industrial Revolution, with the population peaking in 1831 at 314, Mundham also acquired a general store, a butchers shop, a post-mill, and three Chapels in this period. St Peter's church underwent considerable growth during this time, as it was refurbished and had the vestry and northern aisle added, giving an extra 50 seats, also, a new faux-Romanesque font was added, replacing the old Norman font which was then lost for almost a century. Sometime around 1750, Mundham house was constructed as a typical Georgian Manor house, and it possesses many interesting Neoclassical features. In 1881, Mundham, Seething, Thwaite, Brooke and Kirstead formed the Brooke Benefice, fully uniting them as one permanent church appointment.Throughout the late modern period the major landowners of Mundham changed constantly, in the mid 19th century, G. S. Kett, whom was lord of the manor in Dickleburgh-Manclere, Jonathan Farrow, esquire, the owner of Mundham House, and Edward Clarke, esquire, were the major landowners. However in the 1880s, Henry Manners-Sutton, 4th Viscount Canterbury, who lived in Dickleburgh-Manclere, was the major landowner in Mundham, but by the late 19th century, the major landowner was Mr Hy. E. Garrod, however, Edward Clarke and his son, Henry, still owned a large area of land in Mundham, and Arthur E. Powell, esq, now owned Mundham house. By this time, Mundham was officially located in the Brooke polling district.
Up until 1879 the vicar of the Brooke group, and therefore the vicar of St Peter's Church was J. T. Burt, he lived in a rectorial manor which belonged to the Great Hospital in Norwich, which also held a large area of land and the advowson, the ability to present a nominee for the position of vicar, in Mundham, he was then replaced by Charles Hocking Hicks, whom was vicar until 1930.