Fincham

Fincham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a homestead or settlement with an abundance of finches.[1]

Fincham was the site of a major Roman thoroughfare, meaning the parish has yielded numerous Roman artefacts including three separate hoards of silver coins, a curious figure of a hare and hound and a bust of Jupiter. The foundations of a Roman building have been discovered in the north of the parish, which have been excavated by Norfolk Heritage.[2]

The parish has also yielded many artefacts from the Anglo-Saxon period including rare coins dating from the reign of King Eadwold and another that was minted in Maastricht. With later coins found dating from the reigns of King Cnut and Æthelred the Unready.[3]

In the Domesday Book, Fincham is listed as a settlement of 164 households in the hundred of Clackclose. In 1086, the village was divided between the East Anglian estates of William de Warenne, Hermer de Ferrers, Bury St Edmunds Abbey, St. Etheldreda's Abbey, Ralph Baynard and Reginald, son of Ivo.[4]

Fincham Hall is a manor-house dating from the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, with an earlier octagonal brick tower. Today, the hall is available for tourists to rent on Airbnb.[5] Talbot Hall was built in Eighteenth Century and was notable for hosting an impressive collection of orchids currently displayed in Kew Botanical Gardens.

According to the 2011 Census, Fincham has a population of 496 residents living in 239 households. Furthermore, the parish has a total area of 12.03 square kilometres (4.64 sq mi).[6]

Fincham falls within the constituency of South West Norfolk and is represented at Parliament by Lizz Truss of the Conservative Party. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Most of Fincham village is a dedicated conservation area due to its distinct rural character.[7]

Fincham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Martin, with the exterior of the church dating from the Fifteenth Century and the interior being the remains of an extensive Nineteenth Century restoration. St. Martin's font is famous throughout Norfolk due to the fact it stands on four separate legs and depicts scenes from The Gospel of Christ.[8] Fincham once had another church, dedicated to Saint Michael, but this fell into disuse and was subsequently demolished in the mid-Nineteenth Century.[9]

Though at one time Fincham was home to five public houses, today only one remains- 'The Swan'. The pub has stood on its current site since the late-Eighteenth Century and today operates as a freehouse.[10]

Fincham Memorial Hall is located close to the Village Green, and is the venue for monthly car boot sales and the annual Village Fete. The hall has been severely damaged twice in recent memory, once after an illegal rave and secondly by flooding in Winter of 2010.

As of 2016, the village was home to a petrol station and a hairdressing salon.

In 2005, the Fincham Chorus was formed by people from Fincham and the surrounding area. To date, they have staged several concerts and performed at one wedding, as well as taking part in the Christmas carol services. To date, they have raised over £10,000 for St Martin's Church restoration fund.

Fincham's war memorial takes the form of a square plinth topped with a crucifix, made from Portland stone and located inside St. Martin's Churchyard. The memorial was restored in 2012 with the partition chains around the memorial being stolen in 2013 and subsequently replaced.[11] The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:

• Official website - Parish Council Website
• St. Martin's - A church near you
• Memorial Hall
• History Society
• Fincham and the Finchams