England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Larling St Ethelbert

The Parish

The parish of Larling lies in southern Norfolk roughly 2 miles northwest of the small town of East Harling. Larling sits immediately north of the A11 road which links Norwich with Thetford. Larling has no real village, it has a scatter of farms and cottages mostly north of the A11 and either side of the B1111 which heads for Watton. Prior to the upgrade of the A11 to fast dual-carriageway the Angel Inn sat alongside a notable refreshment spot for travellers. Larling sits on the eastern edge of Norfolk's Breckland, an area of poor soils derived from glacial deposits, the western area of the parish being of this soil-type was largely set to grazing whilst the richer soils along the valley of the River Thet were typical Norfolk arable. The A11's upgrade is the only modern development to reach the parish. Larling is drained initially southwards by the Thet which turns west after East Harling to head for Thetford and the Little Ouse, the latter heads into Fenland, meets its larger version the Great Ouse and reaches the North Sea through King's Lynn and the Wash. Larling is sited at around 20 metres above the sea in gentle terrain where only a few spots within 3 miles breach the 30 metre contour. Covering close to 1,400 acres Larling parish was typically sized for a Norfolk rural parish and would have supported a population of close to 200 parishioners. In Domesday time Larling was shared between William de Warenne and one Ulfkil, clearly a Saxon survivor, the assets of 7 ploughs, small meadows and a mill are typical of such manors.

The Church

St Ethelbert's church sits quite a distance from any road being usually accessed from the B1111 by a rough track curving through fields for over a quarter of a mile. The church has its origins in the 12th century Norman period with the northern wall of the nave the largest surviving masonry of that early time. Also Norman, but later, is the southern doorway which moved Pevsner to describe it as "sumptuous" with much Geometrical decoration. The southern aisle of the nave together with the chancel come from the 13th century, the Early English Gothic period but have been much restored. At the western end of the church is the final medieval piece the late 15th century Perpendicular tower, there are will donations documenting the construction of "the new tower" between 1473 - 1494 implying that there was an earlier version of this edifice. Much was changed during a major restoration of 1867 which included the insertion of a new east window to the chancel and re-roofing, further restoration in 1889 was aimed at the tower, that of 1895 at the interior fittings and a final phase in 1898 built the southern porch which protects that sumptuous Norman door. The church is signed from the B1111 but it is a rough unsurfaced track often bumpy and muddy after heavy rain despite the free-draining sandy soils. At the churchyard entrance a grassy parking area sits outside a churchyard which has all of the favoured aspects available for the photographer.