DERSINGHAM is a village and parish on the Lynn and Hunstanton road, half a mile from the station on the Lynn and Hunstanton section of the Great Eastern railway, 8½ miles north-north-east from Lynn and 107 from London, in the North Western division of the county, Freebridge Lynn hundred and petty sessional division, Docking union, Lynn county court district, rural deanery of Rising, archdeaconry of Lynn and diocese of Norwich. The church of St. Nicholas is a large and ancient structure of flint and stone chiefly in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave with clerestory, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower, with four carved angels in place of pinnacles, and containing 6 bells and a clock, erected at a cost of £160, to commemorate the coronation of His late Majesty King Edward VII. : the chancel is lighted by fine windows of the Decorated period, and is divided from the nave by an ancient carved oak screen, with twelve panels, six of which display painted figures, and some of the tracery has been restored : in the south aisle is a piscina and in the chancel an altar-tomb to John Pell esq. and Margaret (Overend) his wife, ob. 5 Feb. I607, with two effigies in marble: there are also several marble slabs and other memorials, mostly to the Pell and Kerrich families, including a brass in the north aisle to one of the former, dated 1636: and memorials to Mrs. Elizabeth Pell, lady of Booters Hall manor, Cranworth, d. 1732: to the Rev. Thomas Kerrich, vicar of this parish, d. 1828, and Sophia, his wife, d. 1835; the oaken church chest is very finely carved and the ancient font has a carved oak cover: the church was thoroughly restored between 1877 and 1879 at a cost of nearly £6,000; the cost of the restoration of the nave being defrayed by the late Dr. Bellamy, and that of the chancel by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and by a sum of £600 raised by subscription: the building was entirely reseated with open pews of wainscot, and a new pulpit and brass lectern provided : a new organ chamber and clergy vestry was erected on the north side of the chancel in 1911, and the south aisle and side chapel have been restored : there are 600 sittings. The register dates from the year 1653. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £400 with residence in the gift of Mrs Tylden and held since 1910 by the Rev. Robert Walter Michael Lewis M.A. of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. The vicarage house, erected in I877 is of carr stone and red brick and stands on a pleasant elevation. There are two Wesleyan chapels, built respectively in 1851 and 1891, and a Primitive Methodist chapel, built in 1878. The Foresters' Hall (Court Motteux, No. 1465), erected on a site given by His late Majesty King Edward VII. in 1893, and opened by H.M. King George V. (then Prince of Wales), Dec. 11th, 1893. is a building of carr stone with Bath stone dressings; it is also used for entertainments &c. : a court is held monthly. The Church Institute was erected in 1912. At the inclosure of the common 75 acres of land were reserved for the benefit of the poor. There is a charity of about £21 annual value, arising from nine acres of land left by Mrs. Pell, and £5 from land at Snettisham, left by a Mr. Bummer in 1732 ; these amounts are expended in coals, which are distributed to the poor of the parish. Dersingham Hall, in the centre of the village, is a large and plain building of carr stone, stuccoed, and now the property and residence of Theodor Jannoch esq. The Mill House, a building of brick and carr stone, erected in the 17th century and enlarged in 1909, the interior being decorated with oak panels, is in the residence of Col Edward Rawdon Penrose-Thackwell. The parish comprises five manors, viz., Pakenham, Shouldham Priory, West Hall and Brook Hall and Gelham Hall. His Majesty the King and Mrs. Tylden are the principal landowners. The soil is light mixed; subsoil, principally chalk and carr stone. The crops are generally on the four-course system. The area is 3,573 acres of land and 8 of water ; rateable value, £6,239; the population in 1911 was 1,400.
Deputy Parish Clerk, James March
Post, M. 0., T. & T.E.D. Office.- Miss Alice Maud Beckett, sub-postmistress through Lynn by motor mail.
Wall Letter Boxes. - Near the Feathers hotel, Station, Heath road and Station road.
Public Elementary School (mixed), enlarged in 1875. His late Majesty King Edward VII. gave the site, the cost of the building being defrayed by Dr. Bellamy ; in 1891 the building was further enlarged at a cost of £240, defrayed by His late Majesty & the chief landowners; the schools were again enlarged in 1904, for 326 children; Elton E.O. Wheeler master.
Police Station, Walter Maries, superintendent & 2 constables.
Railway Station, Arthur James Chilvers, station master
Carriers to Lynn. - John Edward Wyre & Albert Ding, tues. thurs. & sat. returning same day
PRIVATE RESIDENTS
Asker William
Balding Frederick, Rose villa
Batterham John, Summerdale
Beck Miss, Blackheath lodge
Brown Capt. J. Coronation villa
Chambers Jabez, Manor road
Chambers James Ward William
Coxon Arthur, Cedric Mears B Ch. Cantab, Brandenburg House
Crosse Miss, Mill Road
Emmerson James, Ellerslie
Firth Alfred, The Shrubbery
Hall John, Efflinch
Hall Mrs, Mead House
Jannoch Theodor. The Hall
Knight Mrs. Mecklenberg house
Lewis Rev. Robert Michael M.A. (vicar), The Vicarage
Mann William Henry, Sandringham Hill
Mann Mrs, heath House
Orvis Frank, Oak Cottage
Pain Percy, Fern Villa
Parker William Theodoric, Mansfield House
Penrose-Thackwell Col. Edward Rawdon
Pratt Wilfred Lloyd, The Oaks
Rainbow Joseph George, The Retreat
Rose William, Southgate
Rudd Mrs, Mill road
Smith William Henry, Hill house
Stanton Richard, Sandringham road
Stanton Richard Hugh, Manor house
Tansley William, Park Hill
Taylor Ernest Claude, Beech cottage
Tingey Mrs, Hill side
Tuck Frederick James, J.P. Courcelette
Ward Miss, The Willows
Wells Miss, Rose lodge
Wheeler Elton E. O. Park View
Woodward Mrs
Youngman Robert, The White House
COMMERCIAL
Marked thus * farm over 150 acres
Anthony Frederick, Coach & Horse P.H.
Balding John William, farmer
Bird Charlotte (Mrs.), butcher
Bird Isaac David, Alexandra hotel
Bunn James, coal merchant, & agent for R. Coller & Sons
Black Albert Lytle, B.A., M.D., B.Ch., B.A.O. physician & surgeon (attends mon & fri 11 a.m.)
Chambers Bros. builders
Clayton Charles, butcher
Clayton William, shopkeeper
Cobbold Horace John, grocer
Ding Albert, carrier
Drew Henry James saddler & harness maker
Ewer William John, music seller
Firth Alfred, clerk to the Charity trustees, The Shrubbery
Fitt Frederick Charles, baker
Foresters' Hall (Court Motteux, No 1465) (Robert G. Walton, sec)
Hales Frederick Charles, Feathers hotel
Houchen William, White Horse inn
Hudson William Henry, jobmaster
Hyner William John, solicitor
Institute Bowling Club, (Henry Yaxley, sec)
Institute Club (the) (Roland Lindford sec)
Jackson James, farmer Centre vale
Jannoch Theodor, florist
Jarvis Francis Ann (mrs.) baker
King George W. hair dresser
Lines William Herbert, butcher
Linford Frederick, house decorator
Linford Roland, grocer
Magness Thomas Augustus, Dun Cow P.H.
Manby Sir Alan Reeve K.C.V.O., M.D., F.R.C.S., L.S.A. physician & surgeon (branch surgery)
Maxey Alfred William, assistant overseer, income tax collector & clerk to the Parish Council
Middleton Agness (Mrs), shopkeeper
Parker John William & Son, drapers, grocers & boot & shoe warehouse TN4
Playford Herbert G. baker
Potter William, smith
Ralph Frederick photographer. Heath Road
Ransome Frank, shopkeeper
Reynolds Edward William, coal & coke dealer
Reynolds John Charles, nurseryman, Roseneath
Reynolds Rebecca (Mrs) shopkeeper
Riches Ernest James, boot repairer
Robinson Edward, chimney sweeper
Shepherd Percy, beer retailer
* Smith William Henry farmer, Hill House farm
* Stanton Richard Hugh, farmer, Manor House
* Tallent Richard Marner, Ling House (letters through Anmer)
Terrington Douglas, butcher
Terrington Reginald, stationer
Twaite John Thomas, cycle agent
Walden William, builder
Working Men's Bowling Club (Harry Leggett sec)
Working Men's Club (Frank Orbiss, sec)
Wyer Thomas, carrier
Yaxley William Henry, agent Prudential Assurance Co
