Booton is a village and civil parish in the Broadland district of the English county of Norfolk.

Booton
Village and Civil Parish
The village sign, showing its distinctive church towers at left
Booton is located in Norfolk
Booton
Booton
Location within Norfolk
Area11.5 km2 (4.4 sq mi)
Population216 (2021 census)
• Density19/km2 (49/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTG109228
Civil parish
  • Booton
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNORWICH
Postcode districtNR10
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52��45′40″N 1°07′32″E / 52.761°N 1.12544°E / 52.761; 1.12544

Booton is located 0.7 miles (1.1 km) south-east of Reepham, 5.7 miles (9.2 km) south-west of Aylsham and 12 miles (19 km) north-west of Norwich. The civil parish of Booton also includes the smaller village of Brandiston.

History

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The origin of Booton's name is uncertain. It is either of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for Bota's farmstead or settlement or of Viking origin, deriving from the Old Norse for Bo's farmstead or settlement.[1]

In the Domesday Book, Booton is listed as a settlement of 7 households in the hundred of Erpingham. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of Tihel of Hellean.[2]

Within the village is Booton Hall, a red-brick structure which dates back to the Seventeenth Century though has significant Eighteenth Century re-modelling.[3] There is also an Eighteenth Century threshing barn located nearby.[4]

There are two Grade II listed structures on 'The Street', including Town Farmhouse and a nearby barn.[5]

A postmill was constructed in the village by Mr. R. George in 1848. It stood until it was largely dismantled in 1900.[6]

In 1940, a polygonal bunker was built as part of the defences against a possible German invasion of Britain.[7]

Geography

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According to the 2021 census, Booton has a population of 216 people which demonstrates an increase from the 196 people listed in the 2011 census.[8]

St. Michael the Archangel's Church

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Booton is dominated by its parish church which is dedicated to Saint Michael. St. Michael's was built largely due to enthusiasm of Whitwell Elwin who built over the much smaller Medieval church.[9] The church has been Grade I listed since 1961.[10]

Governance

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Booton is part of the electoral ward of Great Witchingham for local elections and is part of the district of Broadland.

The village's national constituency is Broadland and Fakenham which has been represented by the Conservative Party's Jerome Mayhew since 2019.

Notable Residents

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  • Whitwell Elwin- (1816-1900) clergyman and critic, lived in Booton.
  • Stephen Fry- (b.1957) actor and comedian, grew-up in Booton.

War Memorial

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Booton's war memorial takes the form of a grey marble plaque in St. Michael's Church. It has gold lettering and a grey wreath of poppies carved at the top, it lists the following names for the First World War:[11]

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Other Commemoration / Burial
Cpl. Robert J. Hall 2nd Battalion, Norfolk Regiment 1 December 1915 Basra Memorial
Pvt. Wilfred Stackwood Norfolk Regiment 26 March 1916 St. Michael's Churchyard, Booton
Pvt. Stanley W. Davidson 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment 13 August 1915 Helles Memorial
Pvt. Albert S. Bacon 2nd Battalion, Norfolk Regiment 13 May 1916 Amara War Cemetery
Pvt. Sidney A. Davidson 3/4th Battalion, Queen's Regiment 30 December 1917 British Cemetery, Flesquières
Rfn. William Coe 9th (Queen Victoria's Rifles) Battalion, London Regiment 28 November 1917 Communal Cemetery, Achiet-le-Grand
Rfn. Sidney Page 9th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment 8 September 1917 Maroc British Cemetery,Grenay

And: William Hall, John Long, William Roberts, Herbert Wells and William Douglas.

References

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  1. ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Booton | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  3. ^ "BOOTON HALL, Booton - 1169055 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  4. ^ "BARN AT BOOTON HALL, Booton - 1076896 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  5. ^ "BARN AT TOWN FARM, Booton - 1306708 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Norfolk Mills - Booton post windmill". www.norfolkmills.co.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  7. ^ "MNF18380 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Booton (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Booton". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  10. ^ "CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS, Booton - 1342776 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Booton". www.roll-of-honour.com. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
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