England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bessingham St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Bessingham lies in northeastern Norfolk about 5 miles south of the coastal resort of Sheringham. Bessingham sits in a broad area with no significant numbered roads, the closest such road being the A140 road linking Cromer with Norwich which lies over 3 miles east of Bessingham. Bessingham is a relatively small place with a few farms and cottages loosely scattered around a triangle of lanes with its church sitting at its northern apex. Bessingham, like most Norfolk parishes would have almost entirely earned its income from arable farming, the easily worked soils hereabouts being well suited to the growing of cereals. Bessingham is drained southwards by the headwaters of the Scarrow Beck which meets the River Bure just north of Blickling Estate, the Bure then turns southeastwards to meet with all of the remainder of Broadland's rivers at Breydon Water before passing through the port of Great Yarmouth to the North Sea. Bessingham occupies a gently rising site, those properties by the stream at 40 metres above the sea whilst the church is some 10 metres higher, land continues rising gently to 93 metres at nearby Bodham Hill, the local high spot. Bessingham parish was tiny, covering not much more than 500 acres and that size making it one of the smallest rural parishes even in a county of many small parishes, the parish would have supported a population of not much more than 100 parishioners. In Domesday times Bessingham was equally small, a holding of Drogo de la Beauvriere it could muster just 3 ploughs and a small meadow.

The Church

As mentioned St Mary's church sits at the northern apex of the lanes that form Bessingham, at the junction of Bessingham Road with The Street. The presence of a round tower in Norfolk is usually indicative of a very early church and St Mary doesn't disappoint, the western tower is dated by Pevsner to the Anglo-Saxon era which predates the conquest in the early 11th century. The tower is built of an unusual material, most in this county being of flint, it is built in Norfolk's own carstone, found in western Norfolk, a light coloured and iron-rich sandstone. The main body of the church shows Perpendicular styled windows, and is probably the result of a rebuild during that intense church-building era in Norfolk. Sadly St Mary fell into partial ruin, drawings of 1825 show a poor sight, a major restoration of 1869 was required to bring the church back to life, the southern porch being added too at that time. Further work on the ancient western tower was required in modern times with work between 1986 & 1987 to restore that ancient feature to a good state. As is often the case parking in these tight lanes is difficult with a field entrance to the church's north often being used for brief visits. From the junction a sloping path rises to the wooden gates and the pathway crossing diagonally to the church, the churchyard, itself is open & uncluttered with no obstacles for the photographer.