Cockley Cley

Cockley Cley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village covers an area of 17.94 km2 (6.93 sq mi) and falls within the district of Breckland.

Cockley Cley
Cockley Cley All Saints, minus tower
(remnants at left)
Cockley Cley is located in Norfolk
Cockley Cley
Cockley Cley
Location within Norfolk
Area17.94 km2 (6.93 sq mi)
Population232 (2011)[1]
• Density13/km2 (34/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTF792042
Civil parish
  • Cockley Cley
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSWAFFHAM
Postcode districtPE37
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England

History

The village's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a clay hill shrouded in trees.[2]

In the Domesday Book, Cockley Cley is recorded as a settlement of 32 households located in the hundred of South Greenhoe. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of King William I and William de Warenne.[3]

Cockley Cley is the site of significant defensive infrastructure built during the Second World War, including a rare example of an 'Allan Williams Turret' designed to mount a Lewis gun in an anti-aircraft role.[4]

In 1974, an unidentified decapitated corpse was discovered near the village. As of 2022, the individual remains unidentified.

Between 1975 and 2004, Cockley Cley was home to a mock Iceni village visitor attraction. The site reopened briefly in 2014 as the 'Iceni Centre' but was subsequently forced to close due to dwindling customer numbers.[5]

Geography

In the 2011 census, Cockley Cley was recorded as having 232 residents living in 117 households.[6]

Cley falls within the constituency of Mid Norfolk and is represented at Parliament by George Freeman MP of the Conservative Party.

All Saints' Church

Cockley Cley's parish church is one of Norfolk's 124 existing Anglo-Saxon round-tower churches. The church was significantly remodelled in the nineteenth century by the architect Richard Phipson. The church tower collapsed on 29 August 1991 and remains unbuilt.[7]

War memorial

Cockley Cley's war memorial is a marble plaque located inside All Saints' Church which lists the following names for the First World War:

  • Corporal William B. Root (1893–1916), 8th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
  • Corporal Frederick Atter (1896–1917), 9th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
  • Lance-Corporal Wallace G. Rungary (d.1918), 1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
  • Fireman Frederick W. Barker (1887–1915), S.S. Sailor Prince
  • Private Henry Norman (1885–1916), 14th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
  • Private Charles R. Wilding (1883–1915), 8th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
  • F. Draper
  • E. Pedgrift

And, the following for the Second World War:

  • Marine Sydney A. Holman (1924–1944), H.M. Landing Craft (Flack) 14
  • Private Russell K. Pigg (1917–1940), 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment

References
  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  2. University of Nottingham. (2022). Retrieved 12 December 2022. http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Cockley%20Clay
  3. Domesday Book. (1086). Retrieved 12 December 2022. https://opendomesday.org/place/TF7904/cockley-cley/
  4. Walker, D. (1996). Retrieved 12 December 2022. https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF24183-World-War-Two-Allan-Williams-Turret&Index=22987&RecordCount=57338&SessionID=79c54ba6-7db7-445f-9c25-ce405215990d
  5. Scotter, K. (2014). 'Iceni Centre, formerly the Iceni Village, closes despite attempted revival' in Eastern Daily Press. https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/21031030.iceni-centre-formerly-iceni-village-closes-despite-attempted-revival/
  6. Office for National Statistics. (2011). Retrieved 12 December 2022. https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E04006102
  7. Knott, S. (2006). Retrieved 12 December 2022. http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/cockleycley/cockleycley.htm

http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Cockley%20Clay

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