Worstead

The village's name means "enclosure place".{{Cite web|url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Worstead|title = Key to English Place-names}}

In Domesday Book of 1086 Worstead is called Wrdesteda and Ordested. King Canute gave the village to the abbots of St Benet's Abbey on the River Bure in the Norfolk Broads. At the time of Domesday Book the village had two churches, one of which is believed to have been St Andrew's Church, of which no remains exist.[http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?TNF1618-Parish-Summary-Worstead-(Parish-Summary) Norfolk Heritage Explorer] Parish summary

The village became prosperous from the twelfth century when weavers from Flanders arrived in the area. They had been encouraged to settle in Norfolk by King Edward III of England, who had married a Flemish princess. Worsted cloth derives its name from this weaving heritage, although it is no longer manufactured in the village and the last weaver, John Cubitt, died in 1882 at the age of 91. The oldest Act of Parliament kept in the House of Lords Record Office is the Taking of Apprentices for Worsteads in the County of Norfolk Act of 1497.12 Hen. 7. c. 1 Weaving and spinning demonstrations are part of the annual Worstead Festival on the last weekend in July.[http://www.worstead.co.uk/history_village.htm Worstead village history]. Retrieved 15 December 2005.

The village is {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} south of North Walsham, {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} north of Wroxham, and {{convert|13|mi|km|0}} north of Norwich, and is covered by a conservation area.[https://www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/media/9367/worstead-conservation-area-august-2023.pdf Conservation area, North Norfolk District Council (2012)] The civil parish has an area of 10.65 km². The parish includes the hamlets of Bengate, Briggate, Lyngate, and Meeting Hillfull name is Meeting House Hill; [http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF16449-Site-of-Baptist-chapel-Meeting-House-Hill Norfolk Heritage Explorer] site of Baptist Chapel, Meeting House Hill at the north-east, and Withergate just to the north of the village. Another settlement is along Station Road in the south-west of the parish, with houses, and a food factory which since 2015 has been operated by potato supplier Albert Bartlett.{{cn|date=November 2024}} The North Walsham and Dilham Canal runs along the north-east parish boundary at Briggate.

Worstead parish council consists of nine members, and meets at the Village Hall.[https://worsteadparishcouncil.norfolkparishes.gov.uk/parish-council-council/ Worstead Parish Council] The Council

Worstead electoral ward elects a councillor to North Norfolk District Council (one of 40).[https://modgov.north-norfolk.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0 North Norfolk District Council] Your Councillors The most recent election was in 2019. Before boundary changes in 2019 this ward stretched north to Suffield. The pre-2019 ward had a population of 2,384 in 2011.{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/worstead-e05005876#sthash.41fTl18y.dpbs|title=Ward population 2011|access-date=4 September 2015}} Since 2019 the ward has consisted of the parishes of Worstead, Westwick, Scottow, Swanton Abbott and Skeyton.[https://www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/media/4962/nndc-ward-boundaries-2019.pdf North Norfolk District Council] Ward boundaries 2019

File:St Mary's church - geograph.org.uk - 897706.jpg[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1373814 Historic England] St Mary, Worstead]]

As of 2020 the village has a primary school (Worstead Church of England Primary School),[https://www.worstead.norfolk.sch.uk/ Worstead Church of England Primary School] a village hall (the Queen Elizabeth Hall)[https://qehw.co.uk/ Queen Elizabeth Hall] and adjacent recreation ground,[https://worsteadparishcouncil.norfolkparishes.gov.uk/services-and-amenities/ Worstead Parish Council] Services and Amenities a pub with guest accommodation (The White Lady — formerly the New Inn),[https://whatpub.com/pubs/NOR/1201/white-lady-worstead WhatPub] White Lady, Worstead a Church of England parish church (St Mary the Virgin),[https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/5431/ A Church Near You] Worstead: St Mary and on Thursdays mobile post office and fish and chips vans set up on Church Plain.

The village is served by Worstead railway station on the Bittern Line.Ordnance Survey (2002). OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East. {{ISBN|0-319-21888-0}}.Ordnance Survey (2005). OS Explorer Map OL40 - The Broads. {{ISBN|0-319-23769-9}}.

There is an annual festival, which was first held in 1966, although it was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to Coronavirus.[https://www.worsteadfestival.org/ Worstead Festival]{{cite web| url = https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/worstead-festival-2021-cancelled-coronavirus-7837380| title = Worstead Festival cancelled for second year running| last = Johnson| first = Sabrina| date = 19 March 2021| website = Eastern Daily Press | publisher = Archant Community Media| access-date =31 July 2022}}

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{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Worstead}}

• [http://www.origins.org.uk/genuki/NFK/places/w/worstead/ Information from Genuki Norfolk] on Worstead
• [https://worsteadparishcouncil.norfolkparishes.gov.uk/ Parish Council]

{{Civil Parishes of North Norfolk}}

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Category:Villages in Norfolk

Category:Civil parishes in Norfolk

Category:North Norfolk