THIS PAGE IS REGULARLY UPDATED - your input is always very welcome and I would like to thank Mr. M. Little and Mr. A. Hilton for their help so far. I would also like to give extra special thanks to Mr. J Spinks whose knowledge of local history, particularly the families, is second to none. He has been generous both with his time and his photographic collection.
(A recreation of the Roman Bath House at Brampton from the collection of Mr. J Spinks)
The evidence for Brampton's Roman past can be found within the village. In particular the Saxon tower of St Peters church is made of flints and Roman tiles. There is also a Roman cremation urn above the pulpit and other bits of masonry also exist. Brampton was primarily an industrial area and there is ample archaeological evidence to support this although it isn't that clear on the ground today. 145 kilns have been identified although only 14 or so have so far been excavated. Transportation was by ship as in Roman times Brampton was only 2 miles from the sea. The course of the River Bure in those days was approximately 200 metres south of the present banks. Excavations in 1973 found the remains of a wooden wharf to reinforce the view of the location being a trading port. Below are two artistic recreations of the Brampton port area in Roman times from the collection of Mr. J. Spinks.
Evidence was also found to suggest that metal working was also being undertaken in the third century. A number of artefacts were recovered during the excavations and many can be seen in the Norwich Castle Museum. The remains of buildings have been found with the bath-house being the most spectacular. What remains of that building is now below ploughed farmland. The photograph below was taken during the excavations and it can be seen that the building was of some size.
From the air, in the right conditions, the Roman defences can be seen in the form of an irregular 6 hectare hexagon. Four sides of the hexagon can be seen in the picture below. As can be seen the railway embankment was built right across the old Roman town.
(Photo by Derek Edwards. Copyright Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service)
Industrial activity in Brampton seems to have ceased by the 4th century although in its heyday it was significant with goods made here being found elsewhere in the empire. More information about Brampton's Roman past can be found at Roman Brampton. A large number of artefacts (of all historical periods) from the Brampton area are held by the Norfolk Musums Service who have given us permission to link to them here. It takes you to the search results page listing all of the references to Brampton.
The image of Isabel of Brampton above is taken from a brass in the church and is believed to date from 1483.
The photo at above left shows the River Bure at Oxnead Mill. This was serviced by wherries until the floods of 1912. To the right and slightly off picture is the lock cut. The mill itself is now closed and is a private residence. The photo above middle shows one of the very few wherries that remain, the Albion. She is preserved by the Norfolk Wherry Trust. There is no evidence that she ever visited Brampton but she could have!
The Upper Bure Navigation, sometimes called the Aylsham Navigation involved 9.5 miles of river, a mile of canal cut and 5 locks. It ran between Coltishall (the current head of navigation) and Aylsham basin. It was authorised by Act of Parliament in 1773 and was opened in October 1779. It was destroyed above Horstead Mill by catastrophic flooding in August 1912 which washed out the locks and was formally abandoned in 1928. The floods caught at least one wherry up stream that made its way out with difficulty. The Zulu released herself but only by being taken out of the water and man-handled around the obstructions. There is a photograph in existence of it being moved overland across the road at Buxton. The photo above right shows Oxnead lock after the flood that closed the navigation. For more information about the Bure navigation click here.
There were several wherries based in the area including the "Oxnead" whose skipper was William Spinks. A descendant bearing the same name still lives in the village and he says his grandfather recalled going to Yarmouth on Oxnead as a boy. The journey was very slow as there was very little wind at the time and it had to be punted all the way. Another relative, Tom Spinks, was a carpenter by trade but he was employed to maintain the lock gates on the navigation. The house in Brampton where Tom Spinks lived is also still there today sitting opposite an old track that used to lead to the riverside.
A man called Isaac Helsdon lived in Brampton (his house is also still there today) and he owned the wherries "Hilda" and "Mayflower" although it is believed that he actually based them in Burgh. Finally local legend has it that the wherry "Prospect" still lies sunk around the island in the river at Brampton after she was stuck upstream by the flooding.
We're only 5 years away from the 100th anniversary of the navigations closure. I wonder how we should celebrate that - restore it ???? This is an idle thought but the reality is that a restoration would be next to impossible and cost millions but I think that we should do something.
Brampton – Beating the Bounds 227 years ago.
On a Thursday morning in Spring 1780 four men, at least three of whom lived in the parish, set off on a 4 mile walk. It was Rogation Week, the day before Ascension Day. By tradition it was the time for "Beating the Bounds", by which the priest and village worthies would carry out a boundary inspection and memorise all the distinct boundary markers around the parish boundary. The aim of the perambulation was to keep fresh the local memory of the extent of the area covered by the local church tax or tithe. In many similar cases the young of the village would be taken along in order to ensure the collective memory was continued into the future. In this case there is no record of any children in the group, perhaps the tradition was dying out. The Rector had the foresight to record the occasion on paper.
The following is a transcript of the Rector’s record which I believe was found in Wendy Brereton’s collection. It is of interest as it describes a trip which follows a known route on the map – the parish boundary remains largely unaltered - although many of the features described have long gone there are many recognisable details.
I have followed as much of the route on foot as I can, but I cannot claim to have marched straight through the middle of Burgh Mill (I suspect that this would not be too popular).
I understand the Dool stones referred to are actually Dole Stones, which have been given the Norfolk dialect treatment. A Dole Stone was marker showing the extent of an area of leased land. I assume that these are either large boulders, piles of stone or perhaps even stone gateposts, but I have not been able to locate any, so far.
Copies of the first series Ordnance Survey maps are a very helpful aid. The thought of the "Ancient Inhabitants" huffing and puffing up the slope in a field which can be seen from the Buxton crossroads adds a bit of colour to a spring walk so many years ago. (Perhaps this is a tradition to rekindle, just so long as they don't expect the chairman of the Parish Council to do it! - editor)
Submitted by Mark Little 6th May 2007
Brampton Bounds by Philip Candler, Rector, and several of the ancient inhabitants upon the fourth day of May in the year 1780."
Set of [from] the boarded Bridge over Oxneat little Beck to the Corner of the Park meadow leaving a small Corner to the Parish of Buxton to the Dool Stone in the same meadow. To the Ash Timber in the park Close Sixteen Acres, to the Sycamore in Park Close, 13 Acres, to where the oak stub was in Mr. Lubbocks Park Close, to the Hill against the Norwich Road, to the style in New Close, over the Style to Dudwick field to the Dool Stone against Mr. Barber’s eight acres, to the Corner of Beanlands, Down of Waterdell, to Marsham field, to the Dool of Marsham 9 Acres, then under the Hedge to Brampton Pastures to the Beck directly opposite the Style, by the old Beck, to Brampton Bridge, by the old Beck to Colmans pack f=gate, to Burgh Mill, through the Mill by the Capson, by the old River to Mr, Pys Alder carr Style, to the Bridge we set off from"
PHILIP CANDLER, Rector
GEORGE BARBER
DANIEL PYE Church Wardens
WILLIAM CLIMPSON , Clark
Like nearly all villages Brampton has a war memorial which tells its own story of tragedy and loss. A photograph can be seen of ours below. Some of the families of thosewho lost their lives still live locally in and around Brampton. One of the most poignant aspects of our memorial is the loss in WW1 of three brothers from one family which must have devastated a small community. More details and their last resting places can be found here.
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For those studying their Brampton family histories or simply interested in a fascinating glimpse into the past we have been given permission to link to the GENUKI site for the village. This has a wealth of information including Census material, church records, military records, Poor Law, gazetteers and directories and can be accessed here
Until relatively recent times the only means of transport other than leg power was by horse and cart. A common form of cart hereabouts was the tumbril. In recent years Messrs Spinks (father and son) have restored a tumbril which they believe may originally been constructed locally by their forebears in the Seaman family.
The above before and after shots give an indication of the amount of work required in this restoration. The tumbril had lain in the Howards's garden for very many years getting steadily derelict until it was rescued. The great grandfather of Jonathan (pictured above) was George William Seaman known as Billy and he had many and varied occupations including wheelwright, carpenter, slaughterer and publican. It may have been Billy who originally built the tumbril.
Above, in a photograph that shows its age, is Billy Seaman outside his pub, The Maids Head. He is tending to the horse attached to what he used to call his Sunday Cart which might explain his dress. Below we see another shot from the front of the pub, to the left is the pub sign in the area which later became the car park and was eventually built upon in the 1960's. In this area Billy Seaman also used to fry Fish & Chips as if he didn't do enough already.
The Spinks's have also restored a hay wagon, typical of the sort used locally until around the time of the 2nd World War and even beyond. This one was rescued from Burgh-next-Aylsham and rebuilt in Brampton. It was originally manufactured by a local firm, Cranes who eventually mergeds and formed Crane Fruehof which went on to become one of the worlds premier manufacturers of lorry trailers. They retained their principle UK manufacturing in Norfolk right up to the end which was but a few years ago. members of the Crane family still live locally including at Oxnead.
We have seen the Maids Head above but there is a photograph - see below- dating to the 19th Century. It shows the licensee Mrs Sarah Ann Seaman, who died in 1892, standing outside the front door in her land-ladies apron. She had been the licensee since 1861 and her husband had the role before that. The brewery was Morgans who sold off some of the propoerty surrounding the pub including some cottages which the Seamans purchased. Their descendants in the Spinks family still live there today. By the 1920's this was the only pub in the village and it remained open until the 1960's. The other was the Cross Keys which is still there as a private residence. The Cross Keys was in the hands of the Mack family and one of their descendants still lives in the village today. The Cross Keys closed as a pub in the 1890's and the last licensee was also a Sarah. Sarah Mack was a very tiny lady and Mack family legend has it that when the railway was built the navvies used to get drunk in the Cross Keys and she used to throw them out single handedly.
Although a town in Roman times Brampton settled into being a small Norfolk village and it is little changed over the last few hundred years. There was some new building in the 1960's but little since except for a recent conversion of existing farm buildings. In 1880 a reading room was built so the local men could meet and communally read the newspapers. this is now the Village Hall. The village had a school which closed in 1927 and Miss Lovelace was the last teacher or governess to give her the correct title.. She would only teach from age 3 to 7, after that children had to go to Buxton. Electricity came to the village in 1954 and mains water followed in 1963 but there is still no gas or mains drainage. The village had a shop which doubled as a post office but that closed in the early 1970's. Brampton eventually got a bus service in the late 1920's and we've been waiting for the next one ever since!!! There was a discussion in the village club recently about when the roads in Brampton were given a tarmac covering and the conclusion was the 1930's.
The next set of photographs illustrate how little Brampton has changed over the years. Our photographs are taken on The Street (yes, that's the name of the road)
Although not taken from quite the same spot it will be seen that, car apart, things are much the same in these photographs thought to have been taken nearly 90 years apart. The building in the middle distance is the Old Cross Keys. Let us now turn around and look the other way.
Again these pictures are not taken from exactly the same spot but it is clearly the same place. If you look at the older photo you will see on the right behind the cottages is the reading room and beyond that the school. In the modern photo the reading room is replaced by the village hall which was built in 1973 to replace the reading room. The school, now a house, is behind the tree.
This was the Air Cadet Coprps band at the procession which fanfared the opening of the village hall in 1973. I think this must be the last time anything like a military band paraded through Brampton and may have been the first as well. This photo is also interesting because the shop and post officeis still open (although in its last years) - you can see the ice cream sign. Also the telephone box is outside. it is now on the other side of the road.
Michael Hunt opened the hall - at the time he was a weather forecaster with Anglia Television.
We have had an email from Margaret Lewer nee Mack who lives in the USA but knew Brampton well as a child. She writes "I remember as a child walking to the post office for an ice cream and sometimes my Dad (Blue Mack) would buy me ginger beer at the Maids Head how cool it was on a warm summers day. I remember the butcher and baker and Mr. Seaman the grocer delivering. Oh and the "Lavender Men" used to come on a Wednesday, well Grandma called them that, they used to empty the toilet. Oh the memories it brings back. I am trying to write everything down about my family and Brampton for my grandchildren. The family tree search got me interested in aspects of Brampton, especially the history of the Cross Keys. Oh I could go on an on thank you for helping me remember wonderful summers spent at Brampton and also the names of families there, some of whom are related to the Mack's like the Spinks and Birchams". She later wrote "I am trying to research the history of the Cross Keys, as well as the Mack family, it is sad that Auntie Bubbles is the last Mack to live in the village after all these centuries of Mack's there. She say's that a Mack was in the Cross Keys from the 1700's but I cannot seem to find them although the Coltishall Brewery did sell the Cross Keys in 1736 I believe but I can only find James Mack in the 1800's as licencee, if you know of anyone who could shed more light on it through your site I'd be so grateful.” So come on Bramptonians if there is anybody out there who can throw some light please contact me on webmaster@bramptonnorfolk.org.uk
A group of village men and boys taken we think just after the war. Blue Mack is the tallest to be wearing a cap. I would welcome any other identities.
Above we can see Bubbles Mack at - she says - age 10 or thereabouts making mud pies. Bubbles has spent her entire life in and around the village apart from war service in the Bristol area. She is now in her 80's. The other young girl also lived in the village most of her life and only passed on recently.
Most Norfolk villages have a sign and we are no exception, actually we have 2. The original depicted the mill and the new sign shows the Brampton Dolphins which were found on a dig in 1977. The Dolphins were in reality thought to have been a carrying handle for a Roman military helmet and can be seen in the Castle Museum, Norwich.
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The new sign was officially launched on 6th May 1991 amid much celebration and merriment. It is worthy of close study as the whole history of the village is told. Firstly the village name is shown in both it's modern and medieval forms. Bramtuna being the medieval and meaning "a hill town where broom is grown". The supporting brackets have carved depictions of Rye, Barley, Wheat & Oats to indicate the agricultural connections. Two local family coats of arms are attached to the sign; the Brampton and Marsham families who were connected by marriage. The square upright post has a seperate carving on each face. There are depictions of a Roman ship, pottery, cross keys and the Brampton maid whose brass is shown earlier on this page. Supporting the whole thing are locally found flints.
The Railway came through Brampton in the 1880's although the line didn't actually open until 1890. There was no station in Brampton (unlike now) and people had to go to Aylsham or Buxton to catch the train. The line was built by the Great Eastern and ran from Wroxham to County School Junction where it met the Norwich - Wells line that went via Wymondham, Dereham and Fakenham. The Wymondham to Dereham stretch is preserved as the Mid Norfolk Railway and they ultimately intend to extend to County School. The line is also preseved at the Wells end as the Wells and Walsingham light railway which is the worlds longest 9 inch guage line. Aylsham had two stations, the other serving the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway was known as Aylsham North. The M&GN was affectionately known as the Muddle and go nowhere. The Bure Valley Railway opened on the trackbed in 1990 and they were the first to stop at Brampton. Normal passenger traffic ceased on the line in the 1960's but freight traffic to and from the concrete works at Lenwade continued into the early 1980's.
St Peters, Brampton is one of Norfolk’s round tower churches. The photograph above is of uncertain date but it is definitely pre 1919 as the war memorial is not yet erected and we can also see that the roof is partially thatched which it is not today.
The nave is over a thousand years old and pre-dates the lower half of the tower which is thought date from the 11th century. The tower consists of bands of stone interspersed with flints and old roman tiles robbed from Brampton’s roman remains which must have been extant at the time of construction. The tower now has an unusual octagonal top and this was a late 15th century addition. The contrast between the two halves is striking and gives a most unusual feel to this church.
The porch is 14th century whilst most of the interior underwent a Victorian restoration in 1870 when the vestry was added. A roman funeral urn can be seen above the pulpit. The cross keys of St Peter appear in the tower window and above the lectern is a replica of an engraving depicting the virgin Mary and the young Jesus. This is referred to as the Maids Head. We have already seen that the village had two pubs, the Cross Keys and the Maids Head so it is easy to conjecture that this is how they were named.
The Church is noted for its brasses, particularly those of the Brampton family. In particular the engravings of Robert and Isabel Brampton (which can be seen near the top of this page) are particularly fine and important. These brasses which show the pair in their shrouds both date to the late 15th century. Also of note is the brass of John Brampton who died in 1535. He is seen in his armour with his two wives, Tomasine and Anne and their four children. This has been moved from it’s original location and reset in the north wall.
A church of this age is always in need of money for upkeep and restoration. If you would like to donate to St Peter’s please contact the website and we will put you in touch with the appropriate people.
(St Michaels Church, Oxnead a photograph by Rob Dunham)
This is one of the most peaceful little spots in Norfolk
OXNEAD
Brampton has been linked by geography with Oxnead since Roman times and indeed the Parish Council today covers both. In ecclesiastic matters however Oxnead is linked with Buxton whilst Brampton remains independent although they share a vicar.
Oxnead has a rich history of its own and two architectural gems. The Church, although altered over the years, has stood for over a thousand years. It’s existence was recorded before the Norman conquest in the reign of Edward the Confessor and the nave remains from this Saxon period. The windows are mostly Victorian although the frames of late 15th century windows can be seen from the outside.
After the Norman conquest Oxnead became the property of the Hauteyn family and under their stewardship the square western tower was added to the church. The corners consisting of bricks recycled from the Roman settlement at Brampton.
Towards the end of the 1300’s the manor was sold and subsequently passed to the Paston family after the peasants revolt in 1381 and they remained in charge for centuries. They lived in Oxnead Hall, now a shadow of its former self but nonetheless still occupied although most of the Hall has now been destroyed and can‘t be seen. They too influenced the church and were responsible for the church Bell which was provided for by the will of Sir Clement Paston in 1602 and this is still intact.
The Pastons were immortalised by a series of letters covering the period 1422 - 1509 which dealt with the trials and tribulations of family life (albeit one of privilege) at that time. The wikipedia article on this subject is particularly good and can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paston_Letters
The last of the Paston’s at Oxnead married Charlotte, the illegitimate daughter of Charles 2nd and it is commonly held that the King himself visited the Hall. Subsequently the Hall passed to the seafarer Lord Anson after the Paston fortunes crumbled. Under Anson Oxnead fared badly and the Hall was largely demolished. Today one wing of the Hall remains and the Church is still used for occasional services.
The Church of St Michael’s in particular is of significant importance certainly within the region and arguably nationally because of its age and quiet simplicity. It is now, sadly, in need of restoration and a trust was set up in 1997 to fund it. If any reader would like to donate please let the webmaster@bramptonnorfolk.org.uk know and I will put you in touch with the Trust.