Hockwold cum Wilton

Hockwold cum Wilton
240px St Peter's Church, Hockwold cum Wilton
Hockwold cum Wilton  Hockwold cum Wilton shown within Norfolk
Area	31.05 km2 (11.99 sq mi)
Population	1,195 (2011)
– density	38/km2 (98/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TF615205
District	King's Lynn and West Norfolk
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	THETFORD
Postcode district	IP26
Dialling code	01842
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	North West Norfolk
List of places UK England Norfolk

Hockwold cum Wilton ("Hock/mallow wood and willow-tree farm/settlement") is 10 miles west of Thetford, Norfolk, England and is in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. It is located near several USAF airbases, notably RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall. It is situated on the boundary between the geographical areas of the Breckland - a region of sandy heathland now largely forested - and the flat, low-lying Fens, with some characteristics of both.

The village is the location of the primary campus of Iceni Academy. Previously this was Hockwold Primary School. The village has two churches (St Peter's and St James') and a Methodist chapel.

History

File:British Museum Hockwold Cups.jpg

Hockwold Treasure on display in the British Museum, Roman, 1st century AD

An important Roman hoard of silver tableware and coins was found in Hockwold in 1962. It is now part of the Roman-British collections at the British Museum. Originally, the village was located next to the river. However, after the black plague infected the village, it was burnt down and relocated a mile to the north.

Trivia

The village is also rumoured to be haunted by several ghosts. The gates of Hockwold Hall, a large manor house and estate, are said to be haunted by the White Lady, a cause of distraction to many drivers on their way through the village, while the Little Ouse River that runs past the village is rumoured to be haunted by a group of nuns and a horseman.

The Ramsgate (Kent) earthquake of 22 May 2015 was noticed as far away as Hockwold when residents woke up to household objects rattling.

Hockwold Hall

Hockwold Hall is an Elizabethan house on the site of an earlier manor. The manor of Hockwold is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Hockwold Hall, with origins in the late 15th century, is a Tudor manor house with a substantial extension built by a Royal Prince at the end of the 19th century.

Sir William Tyndall is recorded as owning the Estate in 1489. The royalist Arthur Heveningham lived at the Hall until 1657: his brother, William Heveningham, was one of the regicides of Charles I, and his daughter Abigail married John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol. Sir Cyril Wyche, a founder member of the Royal Society, took over the estate in 1688 and lived there until 1707. Prince Victor Duleep Singh, the eldest son of the last Maharaja of Lahore, a godson of Queen Victoria, came to live at Hockwold Hall in 1895.

External links

• Hockwold village website

Hockwold Cricket Club.

• http://hockwoldcc.play-cricket.com/