Hethersett
| Hethersett | |
|---|---|
 St Remigius, Hethersett |
|
 Hethersett
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| Hethersett shown within Norfolk | |
| Area | 10.9 km2 (4.2 sq mi) |
| Population | 5,691 (2011) |
| • Density | 522/km2 (1,350/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TG157048 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NORWICH |
| Postcode district | NR9 |
| Dialling code | 01603 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| Website | hethersett |
Hethersett is a large village and electoral ward in the county of Norfolk, England, about 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Norwich. It covers an area of 4.22 sq mi (10.9 km2) and had a population of 5,441 in 2,321 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 5,691 at the 2011 census. In 2013 Hethersett became the first village or town in the United Kingdom to receive a Prime Minister's Big Society Award for its outstanding contribution to the Olympic legacy and sport and fitness in general.
The Parish of Hethersett is, by Norfolk standards, a large one, covering 2,695 acres; it was the main settlement in the ancient Hundred of Humbleyard; it lies in the Deanery of Humbleyard and in the South Norfolk District.
Hethersett stretched three miles from east to west along the line of the B1172 (the old Norwich to London road) and two miles from northwest to southeast. The road cuts it into slightly larger northern and smaller southern divisions; the Norwich to Cambridge railway follows its southern boundary but otherwise the parish has no obvious physical limits and presumably represents the land needed to feed the Saxon settlements that grew up in the area.
From the west, moving in a clockwise direction, the parishes contiguous with this are those of Wymondham, Great Melton, Little Melton, Colney, Cringleford, Intwood (now part of Keswick) and Ketteringham.
The meaning of the name of Hethersett is not clear; the guide to the church suggests the enclosure for the deer: 'heedra' is an Old English word for heather or heath, and 'set' is Old English for a dwelling place, camp, stable or fold. This would give the meaning as being that of a camp or enclosure on the heath.
Although the name is Saxon, we have evidence of earlier settlers; a New Stone Age long barrow (burial mound) lies in Cantley and two areas of Roman pottery have been found in the northern part of the parish; in view of the existence of a great Roman centre at Caister St Edmund, the latter finds are nor surprising.
The earliest description of Hethersett comes to us in the Domesday Book account of 1086; it would seem that there were perhaps 400 people in the parish by that time. The Lord of the Manor had 87 sheep and seven hives of bees, perhaps gathering nectar from the heather, among his possessions.
The Domesday Book also mentions the church with its 60 acres of land, a handsome endowment: no Saxon or Norman work remains to be seen because of later rebuilding. There is also mention of a second church and this presumably applies to the church of Cantley, then a separate parish, of which nothing now remains except some mounds in a pasture to the north of Cantley Farm. This small parish was amalgamated with its larger neighbour in 1397 although the church was used as a chapel until the 16th century.
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Wikipedia