Hockering

{{Infobox UK place

| country = England

| official_name = Hockering

| static_image = File:Hockering village sign - geograph.org.uk - 6796557.jpg

| static_image_width = 240px

| static_image_caption = Hockering Village Sign

| population = 829

| population_ref = (2021 census)

| os_grid_reference = TG077130

| coordinates = {{coord|52.675|1.071|display=inline,title}}

| shire_district = Breckland

| shire_county = Norfolk

| region = East of England

| constituency_westminster = Mid Norfolk

| post_town = DEREHAM

| postcode_district = NR20

| postcode_area = NR

| dial_code = 01603

| area_total_sq_mi = 3.13

| hide_services = Yes

}}

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

Hockering is located {{Convert|5.2|mi|km}} east of Dereham and {{Convert|10|mi|km}} north-west of Norwich, along the A47.

History

Hockering's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the people of the rounded hill.{{Cite web |title=Key to English Place-names |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Hockering |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=kepn.nottingham.ac.uk}}

In the Domesday Book, Hockering is listed as a settlement of 47 households in the hundred of Mitford. In 1086, the village was part of the East Anglian estates of Ralph de Beaufour.{{Cite web |title=Hockering {{!}} Domesday Book |url=https://opendomesday.org/place/TG0713/hockering/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=opendomesday.org}}

During the Second World War, Hockering Wood was used as a supply dump for the Royal Air Force. The concrete roads, bomb stores and water tanks still remain.{{Cite web |title=MNF42410 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer |url=https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF42410 |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk}}

Furthermore during the war, part of the parish became RAF Attlebridge which was used by No. 2 Group RAF, the 319th Bombardment Group and the 466th Bombardment Group.{{Cite web |title=MNF3063 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer |url=https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF3063 |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk}}

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Hockering has a population of 829 people which shows an increase from the 711 people recorded in the 2011 census.{{Cite web |title=Hockering (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/admin/breckland/E04006127__hockering/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}

Hockering sits on the A47, between Birmingham and Lowestoft.

St. Michael's Church

Hockering's parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael and dates from the Fifteenth Century. St. Michael's is located within the village on 'The Street' and has been Grade I listed since 1960.{{Cite web |title=CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL, Hockering - 1077354 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1077354?section=official-list-entry |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}} The church still holds Sunday service twice a month and is part of the Mattishall & Tudd Valley Benefice.{{Cite web |title=Hockering: St Michael |url=https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/5510/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.achurchnearyou.com |language=en}}

St. Michael's was restored in the Victorian era and holds an elaborate carved font. The church also holds an elaborate collection of Sixteenth Century plate silver which are held in safety in Norwich.

Amenities

Hockering Church of England Primary School caters to local children and is part of the Eden Federation. The headmistress in Ms. Rebecca Newman.{{Cite web |title=Hockering Primary Academy {{!}} Eden Federation of Church Academies |url=https://edenfederation.co.uk/hockering/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=edenfederation.co.uk}}

Hockering Football Club play home games at Heath Road and operate a number of teams. In the 2024/25 Season, the First XI played in Division 2 of the Central & South Norfolk League.{{Cite web |title=Hockering Football Club |url=https://hockeringfc.com/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250420003751/https://hockeringfc.com/ |archive-date=2025-04-20 |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=Hockering Football Club |language=en-GB}}

Notable Residents

Lilian Leveridge- (1879–1953) Anglo-Canadian teacher and poet, born in Hockering.

Governance

Hockering is part of the electoral ward of Upper Wensum for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.

The village's national constituency is Mid Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative's George Freeman MP since 2010.

War Memorial

Hockering's war memorial is a brass plaque in St. Michael's Church which lists the following names for the First World War:{{Cite web |title=Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Hockering |url=https://roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/Hockering.html |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=roll-of-honour.com}}{{Cite web |title=Geograph:: Hackford to Hunworth :: War Memorials in Norfolk |url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/article/War-Memorials-in-Norfolk/10 |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=www.geograph.org.uk}}

class="wikitable"

!Rank

!Name

!Unit

!Date of Death

!Burial/Commemoration

Pte.

|John Brown

|1st Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment

|4 Oct. 1917

|Ypres Reservoir Cemetery

Pte.