Great Fransham

{{Infobox UK place

| country = England

| coordinates = {{coord|52.683|0.805|display=inline,title}}

| os_grid_reference =

| official_name = Great Fransham

| population =

| population_ref =

| area_total_km2 =

| shire_district = Breckland

| shire_county = Norfolk

| region = East of England

| civil_parish = Fransham

| constituency_westminster =

| postcode_district = NR19

| postcode_area = NR

| post_town = Dereham

| dial_code =

| london_distance =

| hide_services = true

|static_image = All Saints Church - geograph.org.uk - 1263810.jpg

|static_image_width = 240px

|static_image_caption= All Saints Church, Great Fransham

}}

Great Fransham is a village and former civil parish in the English county of Norfolk

Great Fransham is located {{Convert|5.9|mi|km}} west of Dereham and {{Convert|21|mi|km}} west of Norwich.

History

Great Fransham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the larger Fram's homestead or village.{{Cite web |title=Key to English Place-names |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Great%20Fransham |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=kepn.nottingham.ac.uk}}

In the Domesday Book, Great and Little Fransham are listed together as a settlement of 56 households in the hundred of Laundich. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of William de Warenne and Ralph de Tosney.{{Cite web |title=[Great and Little] Fransham {{!}} Domesday Book |url=https://opendomesday.org/place/XX0000/great-and-little-fransham/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=opendomesday.org}}

Hyde Hall in Great Fransham was built in the Eighteenth Century and has staircases that have been designated of national importance.{{Cite web |title=mnf22252 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer |url=https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?mnf22252 |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk}}

Fransham Railway Station opened in 1848 as part of the Lynn and Dereham Railway. The station closed in 1968 as part of the Beeching Cuts.

On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged to form Fransham.{{cite web |title=Relationships and changes Great Fransham AP/CP through time |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10219050 |accessdate=2 October 2022 |publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time}}

Geography

In 1931 the parish had a population of 222,{{cite web |title=Population statistics Great Fransham AP/CP through time |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10219050/cube/TOT_POP |accessdate=2 October 2022 |publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time}} this was the last time separate population statistics were collected for Great Fransham as in 1935 the parish was abolished.

All Saints' Church

Great Fransham's church dates from the Thirteenth Century, is located on Station Road and has been Grade II* listed since 1960.{{Cite web |title=CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS, Fransham - 1077471 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1077471?section=official-list-entry |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}} All Saints' remains open for Sunday services once a month.{{Cite web |title=Great Fransham: All Saints |url=https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/10259/ |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=www.achurchnearyou.com |language=en}}

The interior of All Saints' is mostly simple in design except for a Fifteenth Century font and some well preserved brass memorials of Sir Geoffrey de Fransham (1415) and Cecily Legge (1500).{{Cite web |title=Norfolk Churches |url=http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/greatfransham/greatfransham.htm |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=www.norfolkchurches.co.uk}}

Governance

Fransham is part of the electoral ward of Launditch for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.

The village's national constituency is South West Norfolk which has been represented by Labour's Terry Jermy MP since 2024.

War Memorial

Great Fransham's war memorial are a set of metal plaques in All Saints' Church which list the following names for the First World War:{{Cite web |title=Geograph:: Garboldisham to Gunton :: War Memorials in Norfolk |url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/article/War-Memorials-in-Norfolk/9#garboldisham-to-gunton |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=www.geograph.org.uk}}

class="wikitable"

!Rank

!Name

!Unit

!Date of Death

!Burial/Commemoration

2Lt.

|Bertie E. Abbs

|7th Bn., Suffolk Regiment

|26 Mar. 1918

|Pozières Memorial

Pte.