Great Melton

{{Infobox UK place

| country = England

| coordinates = {{coord|52.60771|1.15237|display=inline,title}}

| os_grid_reference = TG135057

| official_name = Great Melton

| population = 147

| shire_district = South Norfolk

| shire_county = Norfolk

| region = East of England

| civil_parish = Great Melton

| constituency_westminster = South Norfolk

| postcode_district = NR9

| postcode_area = NR

| post_town = NORWICH

| dial_code = 01603

| london_distance =

| static_image = St Mary, Great Melton, Norfolk - Ruin - geograph.org.uk - 852625.jpg

| static_image_width = 240px

| static_image_caption = Ruin of St Mary, Great Melton

| area_total_sq_mi = 3.95

}}

Great Melton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.

Great Melton is located {{Convert|9.4|mi|km}} south-east of Dereham and {{Convert|6.3|mi|km}} west of Norwich.

History

Two hoards of Roman coins have been discovered in Great Melton equating to around 300 coins in total.{{Cite web |title=mnf9266 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer |url=https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?mnf9266 |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk}}{{Cite web |title=mnf19988 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer |url=https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?mnf19988 |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk}}

Great Melton's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the large middle farm/settlement.{{Cite web |title=Key to English Place-names |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Great%20Melton |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=kepn.nottingham.ac.uk}}

In the Domesday Book, Great Melton is listed as a settlement of 79 households in the hundred of Humbleyard. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of Godric the Steward and Ranulf Peverel.{{Cite web |title=[Great] Melton {{!}} Domesday Book |url=https://opendomesday.org/place/TG1406/great-melton/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=opendomesday.org}}

In the Eighteenth Century, Melton Hall was built. Some of the original buildings remain but most of the ground have reverted to agricultural use.{{Cite web |title=mnf30505 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer |url=https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?mnf30505 |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk}}

A field within Great Melton, upon which the old Norwich Road ran, is reputed to be haunted by a carriage-drawn bridal party driven by a headless carriage driver which fell into a roadside pool. Similar stories are told about a similar field near Bury St Edmunds and another near Leigh, Dorset.{{Cite web |title=The Paranormal Database - Norfolk |url=https://www.paranormaldatabase.com/norfolk/norpages/norfdata.php?pageNum_paradata=5 |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=www.paranormaldatabase.com |language=en-gb}}

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Great Melton has a total population of 147 people which demonstrates a decrease from the 163 people listed in the 2011 census.{{Cite web |title=Great Melton (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/admin/south_norfolk/E04006551__great_melton/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}

The confluence of the River Yare and River Tiffey is located within the parish.

All Saints' Church

Great Melton's parish church is located outside of the village on Market Lane and dates from the Eleventh Century.{{Cite web |title=Church of All Saints, Market Lane {{!}} Historic England |url=https://live.historicengland.org.uk/advice/grants/visit/church-of-all-saints-market-lane-nr9-3bh/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}} All Saints' is no longer open for Sunday services.{{Cite web |title=Great Melton Church: All Saints |url=https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/10131/service-and-events/events-all/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=www.achurchnearyou.com |language=en}}

The churchyard contains the ruined tower of St. Mary's Church which was demolished to enlarge All Saints' in the 1880s by the architect, Joseph Pearce. All Saints' features stained-glass windows depicting Saint Fursey by Goddard & Gibbs and Saint Walstan by Horace Wilkinson.{{Cite web |title=Norfolk Churches |url=http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/greatmelton/greatmelton.htm |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=www.norfolkchurches.co.uk}}

Governance

Great Melton is part of the electoral ward of Easton for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.

The village's national constituency is South Norfolk which has been represented by the Labour's Ben Goldsborough MP since 2024.

War Memorial

Great Melton War Memorial is located at the end of Great Melton Park and is a stone greensward. The memorial was unveiled in 1920 in a service led by Major Edward Evans-Lombe, the principal landowner in Great Melton, and Rector Major Hadow.{{Cite web |title=Great Melton War Memorial, Great Melton - 1406649 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1406649?section=official-list-entry |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}} The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:{{Cite web |title=Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Great Melton |url=https://roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/GreatMelton.html |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=roll-of-honour.com}}{{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=2025-04-03 |website=www.geograph.org.uk}}

class="wikitable"

!Rank

!Name

!Unit

!Date of Death

!Burial/Commemoration

Brig.

|Charles Gosling CMG

|10th Bde., 4th Infantry Division

|12 Apr. 1917

|Hervin Farm Cemetery

Capt.