Bressingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of 15.77 km2 (6.09 sq mi) and had a population of 751 in 305 households as of the 2001 census,[1] the population increasing to 882 at the 2011 census.
History
The name Bressingham is of Old English origin and refers to the homestead of Briosa's people.[2]
Bressingham is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as consisting of 47 households, which placed it in the largest 20% of settlements. At this time, Bressingham was divided between the land of William I (2 acres of meadow, 6 pigs and woodland) and Bury St Edmunds Abbey (16 acres of meadow, 26 pigs and woodland).[3]
Bressingham's St. John the Baptist Church was largely built in the Perpendicular Gothic Style in the 15th century, yet features of the interior, specifically the chancel, date back to the 14th century. The stained glass windows depict St Peter, St Paul, John the Baptist and Christ, and were installed by J & J King of Norwich in 1877.[4]
From 1804, Bressingham had a thriving Amicable Society with upwards of thirty members agreeing to a rudimentary form of life insurance. The society conducted its meetings in the Chequers pub.[5]
Bressingham Methodist Church, High Road- completed in 1900
Bressingham Village Hall & Playing Fields, High Road
Chequers Pub
War memorial
The Bressingham Parish War Memorial is found on the junction between School Road and High Road. It commemorates the following individuals who died in the First World War:
Private Harry Flatman (1880–1918), 20th (Football) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment