Tilney St Lawrenceis a village and a civil parish in the English county ofNorfolk[1]The village is 52.3 miles (84.2 km) west ofNorwich,9.7 miles (15.6 km) south-south-west ofKing's Lynnand 104 miles (167 km) north of London. The nearest town isWisbechwhich is 8.3 miles (13.4 km) west-south-west of the village. The village lies to the south of the route of theA47[2]betweenPeterboroughandKings Lynn.The parish of Tilney St Lawrence in the2001 censushad a population of 1,465, increasing to 1,576 at the 2011 Census.[3]For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within thedistrictofKing's Lynn and West Norfolk.
| Tilney St Lawrence | |
|---|---|
 The Buck Inn, Tilney St Lawrence, Norfolk | |
  Tilney St Lawrence Location withinNorfolk | |
| Area | 20.48 km2(7.91 sq mi) |
| Population | 1,576 (parish, 2011 census) |
| •Density | 77/km2(200/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TF5413 |
| •London | 104 miles (167 km) |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | KING'S LYNN |
| Postcode district | PE34 |
| Dialling code | 01945 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Description
editTilney St Lawrence is located within a large parish of the same name, situated in the West Norfolk Local Government District. The parish has an area of 2,041 hectares (5,043 acres). The parish also contains the villages of Tilney St Lawrence, Tilney cum Islington and Islington. The parish that exists today used to be two separate parishes. They were Tilney St Lawrence and Tilney-cum-Islington which were combined in 1935 to form the fourth largest parish in the Marshland region. The nameTilneyis thought to derive from theOld EnglishforTibba's homestead,[4]andSt Lawrencerefers to the dedication of the village parish church. The nameIslingtonis thought to derive from the Old English forenclosure of Elesa's people.
History
editThe Roman period
editAt one time it is thought that there were two Roman waterways that ran to a junction within the parish. The Aylmer Canal[5]was constructed between 43 AD and 409 AD and was used for transport and communication through the local area. The environment around the canal during the Roman period of occupation is uncertain, but it may have been waterlogged silts orpeatlands. It is thought that the canal was partially washed away by a sea inundation during the 2nd or 3rd century. The Spice Hills Canal, built around the same period, ran along a south-west, north-east line and appears to approach and almost certainly join the Aylmer canal. Today the canals appear visible as an earthworks on aerial photographs.
Medieval
edit
The village of Tilney St Lawrence did not exist in its own right at the time of theDomesday Bookalthough the settlement of Islington, which lies in the very northeast corner of this parish, is listed. Today very little is left of the settlement of Islington,[6]which is thought to have been a populous and a valuable Late Saxon settlement, with a number of salt houses and a church. This church is likely to have been the present daySt Mary's Church,which lies redundant and largely ruined. By the late 13th century, Tilney St Lawrence had overtaken Islington as the main settlement within the parish and had a church dedicated to St Lawrence.
Governance
editTilney St Lawrence is part of theelectoral wardcalled St Lawrence. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 2,467.[7]
Amenities
editThe nearest railway station is at Watlington Railway Station for theFen Linewhich runs betweenKing's LynnandCambridge.
This is a plain looking marshland church with the outside mainly rendered in concrete. The church was almost entirely rebuilt in 1846.[9]It has acruciformplan and a somewhat disproportionate appearance,[10]thechancelbeing much higher than the rest of the church. The tower, though restored, is largely in its original decorated form. A plaque inside records that it was surmounted by a spire[10]during the restoration, but this has now gone. The church has a plain marble font and atrefoiledpiscinawith an oldcredence shelf.[11]The new transept incorporates two older arches. There is also a small proportion of the original screen remaining.
Notable people
editJohn Aylmer
edit
John Aylmerwas born in the village at Aylmer Hall in 1521.[10]He was a great friend ofHenry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk,Marquis of Dorset who sent him to study at Cambridge where he became a fellow ofQueens' College.Grey made him his chaplain and tutor to his daughterLady Jane Grey.This exceptionally gifted girl toldRoger Aschamthat her achievements were due toMr Aylmer, who teaches me so gently, so pleasantly, and with such fair allurements to learning that I think all the time nothing while I am with him.[10]It appears that this gentle and encouraging tutor became, asbishop of Londonfrom 1577 until his death in 1594, increasingly unpopular because of his arbitrary and unconciliatory disposition. His work, particularly his characterisation of England as a mixed monarchy, would be important to later English constitutionalists.
References
edit- ^Ordnance Survey (2006).OS Explorer Map 228 – March & Ely.ISBN0-319-23802-4
- ^County A to Z Atlas, Street & Road maps Norfolk, page 230ISBN978-1-84348-614-5
- ^"Parish population 2011".Retrieved30 August2011.
- ^A Popular Guide to Norfolk Place-names: by James Rye: Published by Larks press, Dereham, Norfolk, 2000;ISBN0-948400-15-3
- ^The Fenland Project Number 9 by M Waller (1994): Flandrian Environmental Change in Fenland (Cambridge, Cambridgeshire Archaeological Committee)
- ^The Domesday Book, Englands Heritage, Then and Now, Editor: Thomas Hinde,Norfolk page 191, Islington,ISBN1-85833-440-3
- ^"St Lawrence ward population 2011".Retrieved30 August2015.
- ^"Norfolk Churches".
- ^Norfolk 2: Norfolk: North-west and South, ByNikolaus Pevsnerand Bill Wilson, Tilney St Lawrence entry. 0-300-09657-7
- ^abcdThe King's England series, NORFOLK, by Arthur Mee,Pub:Hodder and Stoughton,1972, page 313/314 Tilney St Lawrence,ISBN0-340-15061-0
- ^"Credence"article fromThe Catholic Encyclopedia
External links
edit- Islington, Norfolkin theDomesday Book
Media related toTilney St Lawrenceat Wikimedia Commons
