The parish of Freethorpe lies in eastern Norfolk about 4 miles south of the large village of Acle. Freethorpe is a largely linear settlement spreading southwards along a lane that, once narrow, has been upgraded to facility access to the main employer in the area namely the Sugar Beet processing factory at Cantley. Freethorpe, at the time of this transcript, would have been an almost totally farming community, the sandy and workable soils benefiting arable productivity without the need for heavy machinery. Freethorpe is sited at less than 10 metres above sea level and grazing marshes commence just a mile to the east and are at or even below that level at times, a few men would have earned their living as punt gunners or reed cutters as a result. There are many small parishes tucked away in this part of the county and Freethorpe covered less than 1,000 acres but was relatively more thickly populated than many.

All Saints church sits on the western side of Freethorpe's main lane, here called simply "The Green". The immediate observation of a round tower church usually indicates an early church and All Saints is no exception although Pevsner neglects to date this feature of the building, a 13th century date is likely. Both nave & chancel show the lancet windows characteristic of the Early English style of architecture which also dates from that century and it is likely that the tower is a stylistic reference to earlier times but the church was probably built as a single build. As is usual the Victorians did their work and besides renovating the building they added aisles to both north and south in the late 1840s. The church sits somewhat far back from the road, a flint wall borders The Green, and is accessed by a winding footpath through the stones.