Tottington, Norfolk
| Tottington | |
|---|---|
 Saint Andrew,Tottington, Norfolk | |
| Population | Expression error: "0 (2001 Census)" must be numeric |
| OS grid reference | TL895955 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Tottington is a deserted village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some 10 km north of the town of Thetford and 40 km south-west of the city of Norwich.[2]
History
Tottington has an entry in the Domesday Book of 1085[1]. In the great book Tottington is recorded by the name of totintune. The main land holder being Ralph FitzHelwin. The survey also states there are fifteen mares.
Evacuation
The village became deserted when it was taken over by the British Army during the Second World War as part of the Stanford Battle Area, an infantry training area that is still in use today. The villagers gave up their homes as part of the war effort[2]. The War office needed a zone to train troops for the Battle of Normandy, which eventually led to the end of the Second World War in Europe. The villagers evacuated willingly, and at the time it was reported that there was cheering at the public meeting at which the evacuation was announced, although this is conjecture[2]. It has never become clear if the people involved were aware that they were never to return to their homes. It is the case that most of the inhabitants were not landowners. Many of the buildings were tied cottages belonging to the Walsingham estate. Few of the houses had running water and none of the properties had electricity. The land that surrounded the village was of a poor quality and the villagers struggled to make a living from it. Since the evacuation the village and the parish are within a prohibited area and access is not allowed without special permission from the Army.[3]
The Parish Church of St Andrew
Saint Andrews is situated at the northern end of the village[2]. Today the roof of the church is clad in blast proof sheeting which was installed to protect the structure of the church. The original pantiles are stored inside the church ready to be restored, if ever, come the time this land is given back to the public. The outside of the church is surrounded by wire fencing designed to protect the church from the war games.
The civil parish has an area of 13.12 km² and in the 2001 census had no inhabitants. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of Breckland.[4]
Place-name meaning
Tottington means "hill of a man called Totta", from the Old English personal name Totta (genitive -n) + dun "hill". A record of the name as Tutindone in 1165 backs up this evidence. The -ington of the place-name is misleading; similar with Islington.
References
- ^ Ordnance Survey (1999). OS Explorer Map 229 - Thetford in the Brecks. ISBN 0-319-21861-9.
- ^ Rootsweb.com (1998-2006). Ghost Towns/Deserted Villages of Great Britain. Retrieved February 17, 2006.
- ^ Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes. Retrieved December 2, 2005.
External links
- Information from Genuki Norfolk on Tottington.
- Information from NorfolkChurches.co.uk on the Stanford Battle Area and its deserted villages and churches.