Burgh Castle

 ( Villages In Norfolk ) 

Burgh Castle is a village and civil parish in the England county of Norfolk.

Burgh Castle is located south-west of Great Yarmouth and east of Norwich. The parish was part of Suffolk until 1974.} remains from above]]

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History Burgh Castle was likely the site of a Neolithic settlement due to an abundance of flint and bronze axe-heads being discovered in the area.

Burgh Castle is the location of a Roman fortification called Gariannonum which dates to the third century; the fort was part of system of coastal defence, the Saxon Shore, against Anglo-Saxon incursions on the coast. The site is managed by the Norfolk Archaeological Trust and is open free of charge to the public.

Bradwell's name is of mixed Anglo-Saxons and Normans origin and derives from the Old English burh (meaning fort) and the Norman French 'castle.'

It has been suggested by the Elizabethan era historian William Camden, that Burgh Castle is the site of Cnobheresburg, the first Irish monastery in southern England founded by Saint Fursey in the seventh century as part of the Hiberno-Scottish mission.

In the Domesday Book, Burgh Castle is recorded as a settlement of 15 households in the hundred of Lothingland. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of Ralph the Bowman.

Burgh Castle was also the site of a Norman castle.

Burgh Castle was once used to imprison Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany.

Other listed buildings in Burgh Castle include Church Farmhouse (c.1788), the Old Rectory (c.1832) and the Grange (Seventeenth Century).

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Geography According to the 2021 census, Burgh Castle has a population of 1,323 people which shows an increase from the 1,150 people recorded in the 2011 census.

The northern boundary of the parish is marked by the confluence of the River Waveney and River Yare. The village is also within the Norfolk Broads.

Amenities within the village include two Pub (The Queen's Head and The Fisherman's Inn) as well as the Burgh Hall Bar & Restaurant and Golden Fish (a Chinese food).

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St Peter and St Paul's Church Burgh Castle's parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul and is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining round-tower churches. St. Peter and St. Paul's is located on Church Road and has been Grade II listed since 1954. The church incorporates significant amounts of Roman brick in its foundations, almost certainly from the nearby Roman fort.

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Governance Burgh Castle is part of the electoral ward of Lothingland for local elections and is part of the district of Great Yarmouth.

The village's national constituency is Great Yarmouth which has been represented by the Reform UK Rupert Lowe since 2024.

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War memorial Burgh Castle has two war memorials, both located inside St. Peter and St. Paul's Church. The memorial for the First World War is a metal embossed plaque whilst the memorial for the Second World War is a wooden plaque which was unveiled by Field Marshal Edmund Ironside GCB DSO in 1953. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:

+ !Rank !Name !Unit !Date of Death !Burial
Capt.	Thomas Frederick Military Cross	9th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	14 Dec. 1917	Mont-Huon Military Cemetery
AS	James M. Pembroke	Royal Navy	12 Mar. 1917	Chatham Naval Memorial
LCpl.	Arthur S. Bond	7th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	24 Dec. 1915	Guards Cemetery, Cuinchy
OS	Robert S. Saul	HMS Formidable	1 Jan. 1915	Chatham Naval Memorial
Pte.	John Johnson	2nd Bn., Machine Gun Corps	8 Nov. 1918	St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen
Pte.	James Casey	3rd Bn., Middlesex Regiment	30 Sep. 1915	Loos Memorial
Pte.	Edward J. Casey	11th Bn., Middlesex Rgt.	6 Oct. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	Louis A. Collett	1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment	4 Jun. 1916	Arras Memorial
Pte.	Herbert H. Perfect	1st Bn., Norfolk Rgt.	3 Nov. 1914	Eastern Cemetery, Boulogne-sur-Mer
Pte.	Bertie F. Read	2nd Bn., Northamptonshire Regiment	3 Dec. 1915	Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois-Grenier
Pte.	Harry E. Hewitt	5th Bn., Northamptonshire Rgt.	17 Jul. 1917	British Cemetery, Monchy-le-Preux
Pte.	Joshua Hewitt	8th Bn., Suffolk Regiment	4 May 1917	Warlencourt British Cemetery
Pte.	Robert Brooks	9th Bn., Suffolk Rgt.	16 Sep. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Rfn.	Robert G. Harvey	4th Bn., Rifle Brigade	9 Dec. 1918	Town Cemetery, Taranto
Rfn.	William Read	8th Bn., Rifle Brigade	19 Sep. 1917	Communal Cemetery, Bailleul
Tpr.	William Flaxman	1st Tp., Life Guards	13 May 1915	Menin Gate
B1C	George H. High	HMS Pathfinder	5 Sep. 1914	Chatham Naval Memorial
Skp.	George S. Meale	Naval drifter	12 Oct. 1915	Ss. Peter and Paul Churchyard, Burgh Castle
2Hd.	Edward Casey	H.M. Trawler Dhoon	24 Nov. 1916	Chatham Naval Memorial
Dhd.	George R. Hewett	H.M. Trawler Aspasia	7 Mar. 1919	Poole
Dhd.	Albert V. Brackenbury	H.M. Trawler Principal	25 Nov. 1918	Dean Road Cemetery, Scarborough

And, the following for the Second World War:

+ !Rank !Name !Unit !Date of Death !Burial
S1C	Percy W. Godtbill	HMS Thames	3 Aug. 1940	Chatham Naval Memorial
Sgt.	Arthur J. Davies	Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve	7 Jun. 1944	SS. Peter and Paul Churchyard, Burgh Castle
AS	William R. Rolfe	HMS Cicala	16 Dec. 1942	Stanley Military Cemetery
Dvr.	George H. Wright	Royal Army Service Corps, att. II Corps	2 May 1940	Dunkirk Memorial
Gnr.	Charles A. Mace	4 Rgt., Royal Horse Artillery	15 Dec. 1940	Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery
Pte.	Nelson F. B. Sayer	1st Bn., Suffolk Regiment	23 Nov. 1944	Mierlo War Cemetery
Rfn.	Harry L. Perfect	1st Bn., Royal Ulster Rifles	6 Apr. 1945	Argenta Gap War Cemetery

And, Mr. Clive G. Harvey of the Merchant Navy.

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See also

• House of Burgh
• William de Burgh
• Hubert de Burgh

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External links

• Gariannum Roman Fort, Roman-Britain.co.uk
• Burgh Castle fort at Norfolk Archaeological Trust
• Burgh Castle at genuki.org.uk
• Burgh Castle at English Heritage
• St Peter's and St Paul's on the European Round Tower Churches Website
• Photographs of the church and fort at flickr.com
• Hursey Pilgrims - Christian pilgrimage to Burgh Castle

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