NORFOLK EPITAPHS

Amended August 2011

The photographs at Stratton Strawless church supplied by Julia Hennessy
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Web author: John Pepperdine Contact me

Why do we want to record memorial inscriptions? It has been estimated from past experience that approximately one third of the inscriptions visible at any one time will not be readable in seventy years time. It follows that some will be only partially readable now which is why I have been collecting examples of texts and verses in the hope that this will be useful in suggesting likely missing words when they are encountered.

This site is made available as a resource for persons wanting to record memorial inscriptions anywhere in the English speaking world, and is a by-product of surveys conducted in Norfolk for NorfolkFHS . You will find lists of verses and other texts which have been found on gravestones in Norfolk, England.
For records of individual inscriptions visitors should contact the churchwarden for the church in question or the relevant Family History Society, see contacts page.

A list of the surveys completed with links to the surveys follows below. There is a locally prepared survey of Great Massingham at
http://www.greatmassingham.net/MEMORIALS%20RECORD%20complete%20V1.2%20%202008-09-22.pdf

If you are looking for a specific surname and do not want to search every page individually, use a search engine to search this site for you.  E.g. for Jones go back to your search engine (e g Google) and type in
Jones site:epitaphorigins.info
you will be given a list of pages on which the name Jones appears.
(Not a lot of help if you are looking for the surname Stone but in most cases it helps.)
Just remember that it may appear more than once on some of these pages (use Ctrl + F to open the search box and enter the name again).
Recent additional surveys may not be included as you will only be looking at cached pages.
You can of course search for any word or phrase such as Australia or blacksmith etc.

For some limited information about Nonconformist and free churches and burial sites see the freechurches page.
if you need to know in which Hundred a particular parish was located use the Hundreds page.

Some guidance on the recording of inscriptions based on practical experience is shown at how to record

Copyright? Given that inscriptions are often taken from books or leaflets in which possible inscriptions are made available for use and that they are then displayed on stone in public places, I tend to disagree that I have ownership of the copyright. All I would ask is that if you publish information found on this site, there is no need to seek permission, but please mention where you found it.

Also: What happened on your Birthday? See Calendar of Norfolk events.

At various times in various places I have had reason to be grateful for the assistance of: Pauline Aisthorpe, Bette Brown, Mary Feakes, Rosie Gill, Mary Mitchell, Hugh Melinski, Pat Newby, Edmund Perry, Richard Smart.

It is difficult to maintain an accurate list of places still to be surveyed. Some of the ruins will have no inscriptions. A more up to date list for the whole County is at:

http://www.norfolkfhs.org.uk/indexes/monumental/monumentinscrip.asp?
 

The three Deaneries where local volunteers will be essential are listed below with places still to be surveyed:

Lynn Deanery:
Ashwicken, Congham, Gayton Thorpe, Grimston, King's Lynn St John, Middleton, North Lynn St Edmund, North Runcton, Roydon by Lynn (and ruins at Bawsey and Mintlyn)

Heacham/Rising Deanery:
Bircham Tofts, Brancaster, Burnham Deepdale, Castle Rising, Flitcham, Heacham, Hillington, Holme next the Sea, Ringstead, Sedgeford, Titchwell, West Newton, Wolferton (and ruins at Ringstead Down)

Redenhall Deanery:
Billingford by Diss, Fersfield, Harleston, Needham, Roydon by Diss, Rushall, Scole, Starston, Thorpe Abbotts (and ruins at Frenze)

I will continue to record in other unsurveyed places concentrating first on Burnham/Walsingham Deanery.

John