Great Bircham
Signpost in Great Bircham
Great Bircham Location within Norfolk
OS grid reference	TF768325
Civil parish	Bircham
District	King's Lynn and West Norfolk
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	King's Lynn
Postcode district	PE31
Dialling code	01485
UK Parliament	North West Norfolk
List of places UK England Norfolk 52°51′40″N 0°37′30″E / 52.861°N 0.625°E / 52.861; 0.625

Great Bircham is a village, part of the civil parish of Bircham, in the King's Lynn and West Norfolk district, in the English county of Norfolk. It is 12 miles (19 km) north-east of the town of King's Lynn, and 38 miles (61 km) north-west of the city of Norwich.

History

The village's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin^[1] and it is listed in the Domesday Book as a settlement of 21 households in the hundred of Docking. In 1086, Bircham Newton was part of the estates of Ralph de Beaufour and William d'Ecouis.^[2]

In 1740, the common land in Great Bircham was subject to enclosure.^[3]

Great Bircham Windmill was built in 1846 by George Humphrey and was restored in 1977. The mill remains open to visitors today.^[4][5]

In 1931 the parish had a population of 327.^[6] This was the last time separate population statistics were collected for Great Bircham and on 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished to form part of the parish of Bircham.^[7]

St. Mary's church

Great Bircham's church is dedicated to Saint Mary and dates mainly from the 14th-century. The building is Grade I listed.^[8][9]

Governance

Great Bircham is part of the electoral ward of Bircham with Ruddhams for local elections and is part of the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. It is part of the North West Norfolk parliamentary constituency.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Bircham.