Early Trunch, Pre-history, the Domesday Book and Bibliography
Trunch is a small village in North Norfolk, England. It is about 2 miles North of North Walsham, the nearest town, about 2 miles from the sea and about 20 miles North of Norwich. It still contains several historic buildings but the population has grown in recent years by the conversion of farm buildings to residences and the building of many closes of bungalows. Several of the houses are used as holiday homes. Today the only services are 2 churches, a Village Hall, a public house, a social club, a garage, and a playing field. Once there were many more shops and services but this is still a lively village with many community groups.
Click here for photographs
This web site contains some of the information about the history of the village of Trunch that I have managed to collect. There is a chronology of the main facts with dates and also parish register and census information. It is very much work in progress and further information will be added. I have not included much about the church, apart from vicars, graves and memorials as that is readily available elsewhere, in particular from the village website http://www.trunch-norfolk.co.uk/living/churches/st-botolphs/ and here - St Botolph's
Church Guide
No one is absolutely sure how the village of Trunch came by its unique name. Some say it may be derived from Le Tronchet Abbey or from the Celtic for a wood on a promontory. Trunchet may signify a weighing place which would fit in with Trunch's role as a market centre. There is evidence that people lived in the area of the village in pre-historic times. Mesolithic and Neolithic flaked axe heads have been found, and a small hengiform monument, a Neolithic enclosure, a Bronze age ring ditch and pottery sherds, as well as possible Iron Age or Roman settlements and tracks and Saxon pottery.
The first written source of information about the village is the Domesday Book which was completed in 1086. The survey was done for William the Conqueror, who sent men all over England to find out what or how much each landholder had in land and livestock, and what it was worth. One of the main purposes of the survey was to determine who held what and what taxes had been liable. Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex are in a separate volume, called the Little Domesday.
Trunch appears in 2 entries in Domesday Book. The total population was 32.5 households which was quite large and the total tax assessed was 1.1 geld units which was quite small.
- Head of manor: Thorpe Market.
- Value: Value to lord in 1066 £1.9. Value to lord in 1086 £1.9. Value to lord c. 1070 £1.9. How much the manorial lord received from the village in rent
- Households: 14 smallholders. 9 free men. (villagers had most land, then smallholders, then cottagers)
- Ploughland: 7 men's plough teams. Each plough team had 8 oxen
- Other resources: Meadow 6 acres. Woodland 3 pigs. 1 church. 0.08 church lands.
- Lords in 1066: Freemen - 3 & 6. Freeman had 30 acres & 2 plough oxen on average
- Overlords in 1066: Earl Harold; Earl Ralph the constable, Ketil; Edric the steersman.
- Lord in 1086: William of Warrene.
- Tenant-in-chief in 1086: William of Warenne.
- Households: 19 free men.
William de Warrenne came over with the conquest and was lord of 296 English manors including Gimingham (which included Trunch) and a de Warrenne was a patron of the church.
Click here for another personal view of Trunch Invisible Works
Bibliography
“The Story of Trunch” Percival J Goodrich Cambridge University Press 1939
An Essay towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: volume 8
Author Francis Blomefield Pages 179-181
"The Death of Rural England - a social history of the countryside since 1900" Alun Howkins 2003 Routledge
Francis White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk 1854, p. 406-407
William White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk 1883
“From Dawn to Dusk” Arthur H Amis Pub: Simac Marketing, Hill Cottage, Lighthorne, Warwickshire, CV35 0AT, 1992 Early 20th. century memories Click here for an index to the book.
“The Two Farms” Joan Bain Pub: Robert Hale Ltd. Clerkenwell House London EC1R 0HT, 1989 Personal reflections – 1920s, Primrose, May, White House & Ivy farm. Click here for background details and an index.
“A History of Trunch” Ron C Fiske, 1976 I have been unable to find a copy of this book but would be delighted if someone had a copy that I could read.
Trunch Village Trail, District Council Planning department
Trunch Miscellany- a guide to St. Botolph's Church
"The History of an East Anglian Soke" Christobel Hoare 1918 I am unable to provide a direct link for this book but if you search for the title + Toronto University you can read the whole book on-line
"An Historical Atlas of Norfolk" Edited by Peter Wade-Martins. Published by Norfolk Museums Service 1993
"Trunch" An undated leaflet printed to accompany a photographic exhibition