Dersingham History Home

This website is being produced by residents of Dersingham, Norfolk, England for all to enjoy. It is our way of preserving the rich heritage of our village and ensuring that all the research carried out so far and in the future has a place to be recorded. It is hoped that it will be an aid to education and enjoyment for all ages and interests.

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We suggest that newcomers to Dersingham or its history might like to read 'Memories of Dersingham' by the late Harry Thorpe to gain an idea of what the village was like in the 1920s.

Web Site Structure
As well as sections called Timeline with general history, Archive for documents and a page of external Links you will find everything under sections covering:
                            People
                            Places
                            Businesses
                            Organisations
                            Events

Information Sources
The primary source of information is from village historian Elizabeth Fiddick. Where possible sources will be given to enable the reader to delve deeper into subjects should they so wish.

We would be most grateful if anyone with information or images that could be added here would please contact us.

Information Status
Note that the information presented here is on the basis of 'reader beware'. We are amateurs rather than an authoritative source so we may not have all the information correct. Please let us know if you have corrections of enhancements to what we have written.

Village Voice
With thanks to a very kind donation our request for copies of Village Voice Issues 1 to 35 has now been fullfilled with the exception of just one issue, number 2. So, if anyone is prepared to donate or lend Issue 2 we would be most grateful. These have all been scanned and are available under the menu item Archives.

DERSINGHAM - The Name
In the Visitation of Norfolk, in 1664, the family of Pell, of Dersingham, is mentioned:
Dersingham is written "darsincham" in the Domesday Book. The prefix is the Anglo-Saxon Deorsingas, a patronymic denoting that here was a filial settlement of the Deorsings, the family or descendantsof one Deor. Ing is also a field, a tract of land, a meadow or pasture. Ham is the Anglo-Saxon Ham, Dan. Hiem, Swedish.Hern, a home, a village. Drysen is a Danish persoanl name.

We prepared a significant exhibition of Dersingham local history for display in the Hunstanton Heritage Centre as part of their village series. We were honoured to be asked to provide a display from mid June to the beginning of August 2018. It was well received by the good folk at the Heritage Centre and the public.Please do try to get along to see all the other excellent exhibits.