Hilborough
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hilborough | |
|---|---|
 All Saints Church | |
  Hilborough Location within Norfolk | |
| Area | 22.64 sq mi (58.6 km2) |
| Population | 219 (2021 census) |
| • Density | 10/sq mi (3.9/km2) |
| OS grid reference | TF8200 |
| • London | 93.2 miles (150.0 km) |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | THETFORD |
| Postcode district | IP26 |
| Dialling code | 01760 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Hilborough is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The parish of Hilborough also includes Bodney.
Hilborough is located 5.5 miles (8.9 km) south of Swaffham and 25.4 miles (40.9 km) west-southwest of Norwich, along the A1065 road.
Hilborough's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for Hildeburh's enclosure.[1]
In the Domesday Book, Hilborough is listed as a settlement of 38 households in the hundred of South Greenhoe. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of William de Warenne.[2]
The ancestors of Admiral Nelson, including the Admiral's father, the Reverend Edmund Nelson, who left for Burnham Thorpe shortly before Horatio was born, were rectors of the parish church of All Saints at Hilborough between 1734 and 1806.
In the Nineteenth Century, Old Bodney Hall was demolished[3] and soon replaced with another hall built by Robert Adam. The residence was at one point the residence of Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington.[4][5]
During the Second World War, there were plans to build an airfield for RAF Bomber Command on Hollow Heath yet this was abandoned due to the objections of local landowners. Instead, the area became a decoy airfield which was bombed at least once.[6]
In 1986 a portion of the Hilborough Estate originally commissioned by Ralf Cauldwell in 1779, was bought by Hugh van Cutsem, who built a neo-Palladian mansion [7] designed by architect Francis Johnson. The efforts of the van Cutsem family and their estate workers resulted in the Hilborough Estate becoming one of the country's leading wild-bird shoots, winning awards for their conservation work.[8]
Geography
According to the 2021 census, Hilborough has a population of 219 people which shows a decrease from the 243 people recorded in the 2011 census.[9]
The A1065, between Mildenhall and Fakenham, passes through the village.
All Saints' Church
Hilborough's parish church is located just off the A1065 and dates from the Fifteenth Century. All Saints' has been Grade I listed since 1960 and is no longer open for Sunday service.[10][11]
All Saints' features a hammerbeam roof dating from the Fifteenth Century and features a set of royal arms dating from the reign of King James I.[12]
Notable residents
The family of Admiral Nelson. Nelson's grandfather, father, uncle-by-marriage and his brother were all rectors of All Saints parish church in the village. As a young boy Nelson stayed with his uncle and grandmother in Hilborough. After the battle of the Nile, Nelson was created Baron Nelson of the Nile and Hilborough.[13]
Other notables
- George Caldwell- (1807-1863) MCC cricketer, born in Hilborough.
- Sophia Cooke- (1814-1895) missionary and schoolmistress in Singapore, born in Hilborough.
- Sir R. A. Young CBE- (1871-1959) physician, born in Hilborough.
- Chris Mead- (1940-2003) ornithologist, author & broadcaster, link to Hilborough unknown.
- Hugh van Cutsem- (1941-2013) banker, businessman & landowner, owner of Hilborough Hall.
- Fiona Richmond- (b.1945) glamour model and actress, born in Hilborough.
- Harriet Mead- (b.1969) wildlife sculptor, lives in Hilborough.
