Hilgay
Hilgay is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish also includes the hamlet of Ten Mile Bank.
Hilgay is located south of Downham Market and west of Norwich, close to the course of the River Wissey and River Great Ouse.
History
Hilgay's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the island of Hydla's people.In the Domesday Book, Hilgay is recorded as a settlement of 55 households in the hundred of Clackclose. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of King William I, William de Warenne, Roger Bigod, Bury St Edmunds Abbey, St Etheldreda's Abbey, St Benedict's Abbey and Hermer de Ferrers.
In 1291, Modney Priory, a Benedictine cell of St Benedict's Abbey in Ramsey was built in the parish. The priory was dissolved by King Henry VIII in 1539.
A 19th-century iron lattice bridge was built in the parish, known as Ten Mile Bank Bridge. The bridge was demolished in 2004.
In 2018, nine one-metre square test pits were dug as part of an archaeological investigation. The report was published in 2019.
Hilgay railway station opened in 1847 on the Fen line, between Cambridge and King's Lynn. The station closed in 1963 but at one point operated 'Hiams Tramway' which provided a rail link for agricultural produce.
Geography
According to the 2021 census, Hilgay has a population of 1,346 people which shows a decrease from the 1,341 people listed in the 2011 census.Hilgay is located close to the courses of the River Wissey and River Great Ouse. The A10, between London and King's Lynn, passes through the village.
All Saints' Church
Hilgay's parish church dates from the 18th century and is located within the village on Church Road. All Saints' has been Grade II listed since 1959 and still holds regular Sunday service as part of the Ouse Valley Benefice.All Saints was heavily restored by George Edmund Street in the 1860s and features a large Victorian marble font.
Amenities
Primary schools at Hilgay and Ten Mile Bank are both run by the Diocese of Ely multi-academy trust. In November 2023, plans were put forward to amalgamate the two schools and close the Ten Mile Bank site, owing to low numbers of pupils.A Hilgay village sign was erected in 1987. The musical instruments on it are displayed in honour of Hilgay Silver Band, which was still going strong over 100 years after its formation around 1896. Its original members were agricultural workers from the local area. A Manby mortar is also represented. The bridge depicted between the two instruments is Hilgay Old Bridge. The bridge was built in 1899 to transport traffic from the centre of the village over the River Wissey to the north. A small plaque attached to the bottom of the supporting post states the village sign was 'Erected by Hilgay Parish Council 1987'.
Hilgay Parish Council are responsible for the local allotments, cemetery and defibrillator.
Notable residents
- Phineas Fletcher- poet and Rector of Hilgay from 1621.
- Captain George William Manby- author and inventor, lived in Hilgay.
Governance
The village's national constituency is South West Norfolk which has been represented by Labour's Terry Jermy MP since 2024.
War memorial
Hilgay War Memorial is a large Latin cross atop a shaft surrounded by a chain-link fence located at the junction of Church Road and High Street which was erected in 1920. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial/Commemoration |
| Lt. | Michael G. Stocks | 2nd Bn., Grenadier Guards | 10 Nov. 1914 | Zillebeke Churchyard |
| Lt. | Francis E. Levita | 4th Queen's Own Hussars | 12 Oct. 1914 | Méteren Cemetery |
| 2Lt. | Louis E. J. Maude | 11th Bn., K.O.Y.L.I. | 1 Jul. 1916 | Gordon Dump Cemetery |
| Sjt. | Walter S. Tuddenham | 5th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 19 Apr. 1917 | Gaza War Cemetery |
| LCpl. | John T. Harnwell | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 27 Jul. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Gnr. | Ernest Rolfe | 298th Bde., Royal Field Artillery | 24 Apr. 1918 | Pernois Cemetery |
| Pnr. | John W. A. Cockerton | Railway Division, Royal Engineers | 25 May 1919 | Deir al-Balah Cemetery |
| Pte. | John W. Anderson | 2nd Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment | 21 Mar. 1918 | Pozières Memorial |
| Pte. | George H. Carnell | 2nd Bn., Bedfordshire Regt. | 8 May 1918 | Tyne Cot |
| Pte. | Charles W. Eagle | 3rd Bn., Bedfordshire Regt. | 7 Nov. 1918 | All Saints' Churchyard |
| Pte. | Jabez Stokes | 13th Bn., Essex Regiment | 13 Nov. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | Albert Horton | 2nd Bn., Royal Irish Fusiliers | 4 May 1915 | Menin Gate |
| Pte. | Ernest R. Burton DCM | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 14 Mar. 1915 | Spoilbank Cemetery |
| Pte. | George S. Dearsley | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 29 Oct. 1914 | Le Touret Memorial |
| Pte. | Thomas G. Dent | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 25 Sep. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | William H. Burton | 2nd Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 15 Apr. 1915 | Basra War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Bertie Hall | 5th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 12 Aug. 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| Pte. | Robert Anderson | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 20 Nov. 1917 | Cambrai Memorial |
| Pte. | William A. Carnell | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 25 Oct. 1918 | St Sever Cemetery |
| Pte. | Percy R. Everitt | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 10 Oct. 1915 | Lijssenthoek Cemetery |
| Pte. | William H. Harnwell | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 15 Sep. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
| Pte. | William Rust | 9th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 21 Dec. 1915 | New Irish Farm Cemetery |
| Pte. | Charles H. Green | 10th Bn., Norfolk Regt. | 20 Mar. 1916 | Colchester Cemetery |
| Pte. | William Rolfe | 2nd Bn., Northumberland Fusilers | 21 Jul. 1917 | Baghdad War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Charles Clements | 2nd Bn., Suffolk Regiment | 15 Sep. 1915 | Menin Gate |
| Pte. | Alfred E. Bosworth | 7th Bn., Suffolk Regt. | 3 Jul. 1916 | Blighty Valley Cemetery |
| Pte. | Albert H. Holman | 13th Bn., Tank Corps | 25 Apr. 1918 | Tyne Cot |
| Pte. | Walter F. Carnell | 3rd Bn., Training Reserve | 15 Aug. 1917 | All Saints' Churchyard |
| Pte. | John W. Bland | 6th Bn., Queen's Royal Regiment | 4 Apr. 1917 | Faubourg Cemetery |
| Pte. | Frank H. Holman | 7th Bn., Queen's Royal Regt. | 29 Sep. 1916 | Connaught Cemetery |
| Pte. | John W. Holman | 1st Bn., Wiltshire Regiment | 25 Sep. 1915 | Menin Gate |
| Pte. | James H. Crane | 3rd Bn., Worcestershire Regiment | 14 Oct. 1916 | Railway Dugouts Ground |
| Rfn. | Walter B. Holman | 1st Bn., King's Royal Rifle Corps | 28 Nov. 1917 | Cambrai Memorial |
| Rfn. | Alfred Marsh | 7th Bn., West Yorkshire Regiment | 11 Oct. 1918 | Wellington Cemetery |
The following names were added after the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of death | Burial/Commemoration |
| StSgt. | Philip H. Bushell | Electrical and Mechanical Engineers | 3 Mar. 1944 | Beach Head Cemetery |
| FSgt. | Thomas A. Betts | No. 461 Squadron RAAF | 12 Aug. 1942 | Runnymede Memorial |
| Cpl. | Walter Clifton | Royal Army Service Corps | 4 Jul. 1943 | King Tom Cemetery |
| LAC | William H. Gill | No. 202 Squadron RAF | 5 Jun. 1941 | Runnymede Memorial |
| AS | Donald W. Sparrow | HMS Quebec | 15 Nov. 1942 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| Gnr. | Alfred D. Howlett | Royal Artillery | 30 Apr. 1943 | All Saints' Churchyard |
| Pte. | Oliver V. Howlett | 4th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment | 11 Feb. 1942 | Kranji War Cemetery |