Evidence of human activity in these villages reaches
back to the period between 8000 and 1000 BC. The discovery
in 1968 of a hoard of 110 silver coins provides a
link with the Roman period. However no proof of Roman
occupation has been found so far. The four panels
of the Mattishall village sign, erected in 1984, depict
different periods of history from Roman, the Domesday
Survey of 1086, medieval. to the mid-twentieth century.
All Saints church, Mattishall dates from the late
14th century, possibly replacing an earlier church
on the site. The Patron is Gonville and Caius College,
Cambridge and it is thought that Dr. Caius was instrumental
in initiating the building of the larger church. Saint
Peter's, Mattishall Burgh, which is much smaller,
is mainly late 13th century.
Mattishall has been divided in a religious sense
for many years, first with the Reformation, then the
growth of Quakerism. The Quakers established a Meeting
House in 1687. Almost 100 years later the Old Moor
Congregational Chapel was built. Both had their own
burial ground. When it become uneconomical to continue
at Old Moor, the Congregationalists transferred to
their Lecture Room in Welgate built in 1829. It is
now the United Reformed Church. Primitive Methodism
gained a following in the 19th century but it was
not until 1900 that a site was found for a permanent
meeting place along the main road. The second half
of the 20th century saw the establishment of the Evangelical
Church.
During the reign of Edward VI, cleric Matthew Parker
married Margaret Harlestone of Mattishall. He became
the first Archbishop of Canterbury to be appointed
under Elizabeth 1. Local tradition has it that the
house behind the butcher's shop in Church Plain was
the Harlestone family home.
In the 16th century the wool merchants of Mattishall
were well known, even notorious, in East Anglia. A
number of them were warned or fined by the Court for
failing to sell their wool through Norwich market.
They had found more lucrative outlets in Suffolk and
other places.
Apart from husbandry, wool combing and weaving, many
other trades were followed in the area. There was
a decline in the wool trade in the 18th century, which
led to unemployment for combers and weavers. These
occupations had almost disappeared by the beginning
of the 19th century. Some found work on the land but
others became chargeable on the Parish and either
suffered the indignity of living in accommodation
set aside for paupers or worse still were sent to
the Workhouse at Gressenhall.
Most farmers brewed beer but brewing on a larger
scale centred on the Malthouse which was demolished
in the 1920s. Apart from the Swan Inn, The George
and Cross Keys there were several ale houses dotted
around the villages and in the 19th century included
The White House, The Ringers, Ivy Cottage, The Duke
of Edinburgh and the Crown and Anchor. Today only
the Swan survives as a public house, in a 20th century
building, which replaced the old thatched place of
centuries past.
The population of the two villages reached a peak
of 1385 in 1841 and then began to decline as, due
to mechanisation on forms, people left the area to
look for work. By 1931 the figure had dropped to 829
and by 1961 was only 929. Since then substantial development
and infilling has taken place resulting in rapid increases
in the population. Despite the growing size numerous
local shops and businesses have not survived the advent
of the family car and of super- and hypermarkets.
The haulage business of A. J. Farrow provided local
employment for many people for more than 50 years.
Other family business, names which have gone, include
Dobbs, King, Horne, Fisher, Howard, Turner and Reynolds.
Norton's Bakery is still run by a member of the family
but Hewitt's Butchers is just a trade name now. In
farming, the names of Hill and Edwards span several
generations.
Some of the very old buildings in Mattishall are
hidden behind brick and mortar skins and Georgian
facades, but others remain to be admired. Of the three
19th century, mills the bases of two remain. One has
been converted recently into a holiday cottage.
The National School was built in 1872. A notable
Headmistress was Miss Johnson (1884 - 1919), the daughter
of the Station Master at Hardingham. Miss Mildred
Edwards, a pupil-teacher, was still around when the
school celebrated its centenary. It was she who planted
the conker, which grew into the very large chestnut
tree in the garden of Church Cottage near the corner
of the school playing field.
The fortunes and well being of the villagers have
fluctuated over the centuries. In 1835 the family
of Sir Edward Parry, the Polar explorer, occupied
South Green House (now Mattishall Hall) for a few
months. On half pay from the Navy, he was sent to
Norfolk as an Assistant Commissioner for the New Poor
Law. His sister-in-law wrote to her mother:
....... a large population, immense families, and
not work for half, and no resident gentleman near
to do anything for them ...... such a disagreeable
neighbourhood....' How would she view Mattishall today
?
This is a pleasant place to live although it is in
danger of losing its rural character. There have been
many developments since the 1960s; a Memorial Hall.
Sports and Social Club, new school buildings on a
large site and an excellent surgery and pharmacy.
Iris Coe
Written for the Mattishall Village Appraisal 2001
Report
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