Editing Herringfleet

{{Short description|Former civil parish in Suffolk, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name            = Herringfleet
| country                  = England
| region                   = East of England
| static_image_name        = Herringfleet Smock Drainage Wind pump - geograph.org.uk - 1919532.jpg
| static_image_alt         = 
| static_image_caption     = [[Herringfleet Windmill]]
| static_image_2_name      = 
| static_image_2_alt       = 
| static_image_2_caption   = 
| area_total_sq_mi         = 
| area_total_km2           = 5.2
| area_footnotes           = <ref name=she>[https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/media/pdfs/herringfleet.pdf Herringfleet], Suffolk Heritage Explorer, [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 2021-03-13.</ref>
| population               = 50
| population_ref           = (2011 est.)<ref name=ash>[http://www.ashvillages.org.uk/our-area/ Our area], ASH Villages, Somerleyton, Ashby and Herringfleet parish council. Retrieved 2021-03-13.</ref>
| os_grid_reference        = TM475980
| map_type                 = 
| map_alt                  = 
| coordinates              = {{coord|52.524|1.650|dim:5000|display=inline,title}}
| label_position           = 
| post_town                = [[Lowestoft]]
| postcode_area            = NR
| postcode_district        = NR32
| dial_code                = 01502
| constituency_westminster = [[Waveney (UK Parliament constituency)|Waveney]]
| civil_parish             = [[Somerleyton, Ashby and Herringfleet]]
| shire_district           = [[East Suffolk District|East Suffolk]]
| shire_county             = [[Suffolk]]
| website                  = 
| hide_services            = yes
}}
'''Herringfleet''' is a place and former [[civil parish]], now in the parish of [[Somerleyton, Ashby and Herringfleet]], in the [[East Suffolk (district)|East Suffolk]] district, in the north of the [[English county]] of [[Suffolk]]. It is located {{convert|5.5|mi|km}} north-west of [[Lowestoft]]. The parish was combined with [[Somerleyton]] and [[Ashby, Suffolk|Ashby]] to create the parish of "Somerleyton, Ashby and Herringfleet" on 1 April 1987.<ref>[https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/12764/waveney-parishes-order-1987.pdf The Waveney (Parishes) Order 1987] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828135104/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/12764/waveney-parishes-order-1987.pdf |date=28 August 2021 }}, [[Local Government Boundary Commission for England]]. Retrieved 2020-01-25.</ref>

The western edge of Herringfleet is marked by the [[River Waveney]]. Prior to [[Local Government Act 1972|local government reorganisation in 1974]], the former parish included the village of [[St Olaves]] to the north. This was combined with the parish of [[Fritton (near Great Yarmouth)|Fritton]] and the new parish of [[Fritton and St Olaves]] transferred to the county of [[Norfolk]]. Previously the entire area south and east of the [[River Waveney]] was part of Suffolk.<ref name=she/><ref>Clapham L (2014) [https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/graphic-the-day-six-suffolk-villages-moved-into-norfolk-and-651046 The day six Suffolk villages moved into Norfolk – and it definitely wasn't an April Fools' joke], ''[[Eastern Daily Press]]'', 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2021-01-15.</ref>

Prior to the loss of St Olaves, the population of the former parish was 262 at the [[1961 United Kingdom census]].<ref name=she/> At the [[1981 United Kingdom census|1981 census]] it was 58{{efn|The 1981 census was the last time the population of Ashby as a parish was recorded.}} and the current population of Herringfleet is estimated to be around 50.<ref name=she/><ref name=ash/> There is no village centre, with the population spread across a number of scattered farms and small settlements. Much of the land within the area of the former parish is owned by the [[Somerleyton Hall|Somerleyton Estate]].<ref name=ash/><ref name=hs>[https://www.healthysuffolk.org.uk/uploads/Somerleyton,_Ashby_and_Herringfleet-_Parish_Profile.pdf Somerleyton, Ashby and Herringfleet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830125408/https://www.healthysuffolk.org.uk/uploads/Somerleyton,_Ashby_and_Herringfleet-_Parish_Profile.pdf |date=30 August 2021 }}, Healthy Suffolk, 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-13.</ref><ref name=np>[http://lound.onesuffolk.net/assets/Uploads/Neighbourhood-Planning/Final-Draft.pdf Lound with Ashby, Herringfleet and Somerleyton Neighbourhood Plan], Lound Parish Council, 2018. Retrieved 2021-03-14.</ref>

==History==
[[File:St Olave's Priory in St Olaves - geograph.org.uk - 1801631.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|The ruins of [[St Olaves Priory, Herringfleet]]]]
Herringfleet was occupied during the [[Roman Britain|Roman period]], and there have been archaeological finds made dating occupation to the [[Neolithic]] period. According to the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, a manor of one [[carucate]] was owned by the [[William the Conqueror|King]].<ref name=she/><ref name=od>[https://opendomesday.org/place/TM4797/herringfleet/ Herringfleet], Open Domesday. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref>

The place-name ‘Herringfleet’ is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as ‘Herlingaflet’. It appears as ‘Herlingefleth’ in the [[Feet of Fines]] in 1202, as ‘Herlingflet’ in 1254 in the ‘Valuation of Norwich’, and as ‘Heringflete’ circa 1255 in the ‘Calendar of Charters and Rolls in the [[Bodleian Library]]’. The name means “the stream of Herala’s people”.<ref>[[Eilert Ekwall]], ’The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names’, p.236.</ref>

During the medieval period, a ferry was established across the Waveney at St Olaves. [[St. Olaves Priory, Herringfleet|St Olaves Priory]] was founded nearby in about 1216 by Roger Fitz Osbert as an [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] priory.<ref name="lewis">{{cite web |title=Herringfleet - Heston A Topographical Dictionary of England. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp491-497 |website=British History Online |publisher=S Lewis, London 1848 |access-date=25 January 2025}}</ref> It was dedicated to [[St Olav]] and operated until the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] in 1537, controlling the Herringfleet parish church as well as those at [[Burgh St Peter]] and [[St Margaret's Church, Hales|Hales]] as well as land at [[Tibenham, Norfolk|Tibenham]].<ref name=lp>[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1172374 St. Olave's Priory], List entry, [[Historic England]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref><ref name=norfp>[http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF10715-Ruins-of-St-Olave%27s-Priory-Fritton-and-St-Olaves&Index=2&RecordCount=4&SessionID=39431d8c-f6f1-4d9e-a89b-f78c275f5973 Ruins of St Olave's Priory, Fritton and St Olaves], Norfolk Heritage Explorer, [[Norfolk County Council]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref><ref name=eh>[https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/st-olaves-priory/history/ History of St Olaves Priory], [[English Heritage]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref><ref name=page>Page W ed. (1975) 'Houses of Austin canons: Priory of Herringfleet', in ''A History of the County of Suffolk: Volume 2'', pp.100–101. London: Victoria County History. ([http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/suff/vol2/pp100-101 Available online] at British History Online. Retrieved 2021-03-17.)</ref> The site is largely in ruins, although the [[undercroft]] survives in good condition.<ref name=norfp/><ref name=eh/>

By around 1509 the first stone bridge across the Waveney had been built, possibly replacing a bridge first mentioned in 1298. This was replaced with a cast iron [[Tied-arch bridge|bowstring girder]] suspension bridge in 1847. The bridge is the only crossing point on the Waveney between [[Great Yarmouth]] and [[Beccles]].<ref name=she/><ref>[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1305125 St Olave's bridge], List entry, [[Historic England]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref>

[[Henry Jerningham]] owned the priory site by 1546 and a Tudor manor house was built on the site. By the 18th century the manor was owned by the Leathes family, and Herringfleet Hall dates from this time, the new hall having been built to replace an older manor house to the south.<ref name=she/><ref>[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1031949 Herringfleet Hall], List entry, [[Historic England]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref><ref>[https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/Monument/MSF23237 Monument record HRF 014 - Manor House Farm; Herringfleet Hall (1880s); Old Hall (1837)], Suffolk Heritage Explorer, [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref> A series of [[duck decoy (structure)|duck decoys]] are known to have been operated at [[Fritton Lake|Fritton Decoy]] at the north-east boundary of the former parish at this time, and are believed to date from the 17th century.<ref>[[Ralph Payne-Gallwey|Payne-Gallwey R]] (1886) ''The book of duck decoys, their construction, management, and history'', pp. 164–167. London: John van Vorst. ([https://archive.org/details/bookofduckdecoys00paynega/page/164/mode/2up Available online]. Retrieved 2021-03-13.)</ref>

The [[Yarmouth–Beccles line|Great Yarmouth to Beccles railway line]] opened in 1859 and passed through the former parish, with a [[St Olaves railway station|station at St Olaves]]. This operated until 1959.<ref name=she/><ref>[http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF13574-Route-of-East-Suffolk-Railway-(Yarmouth-to-Beccles) Route of East Suffolk Railway (Yarmouth to Beccles)], Norfolk Heritage Explorer, [[Norfolk County Council]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref> On the western edge of the former parish, [[Herringfleet Windmill]], a timber smock drainpipe [[windpump]], was built in about 1820. It is a Grade II* listed building and is within the area of [[The Broads]] national park.<ref name=hs/><ref name=np/><ref>[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1183297 Herringfleet Marsh Mill], List entry, [[Historic England]]. Retrieved 2013-03-13.</ref>

During [[World War II]] parts of the parish, including the area around Fritton Decoy, were used for training ahead of the [[Normandy landings]] in 1944. The [[79th Armoured Division]] used the site for the testing and development of amphibious [[DD tank]]s from 1943, and it was used until 1947 as part of the [[British Army]]'s Assault Training and Development Centre, and later became part of the Specialised Armour Development Establishment.<ref>Sommers M (2013) [https://suffolkarchaeology.co.uk/reports-pdfs/2013_052.pdf Tank Training Site, Fritton Lake Somerleyton, Ashby & Herringfleet HER ref. SOL 029], Archaeological Survey Report, [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref><ref>[https://theddaystory.com/markers/duplex-drive-tank-training-wing-freshwater-fritton/ Duplex Drive Tank Training Wing, Freshwater (Fritton)], The D-Day Story, Portsmouth. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref> Other areas in Herringfleet and the surrounding area were used as campsites for the units involved in training.<ref>[https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/Monument/MSX27212 Monument record SOL 030 - Site of World War Two military training area, probably related to Herringfleet military camp], Suffolk Heritage Explorer, [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref><ref>[https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/monument/MSX27213 Monument record SOL 031 - Site of World War Two military training area, probably related to Herringfleet military camp], Suffolk Heritage Explorer, [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref><ref>[https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/Monument/MSX27214 Monument record SOL 032 - Site of World War Two military training area, probably related to Herringfleet military camp], Suffolk Heritage Explorer, [[Suffolk County Council]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref>

==Church of St Margaret==
[[File:St Margaret's church - geograph.org.uk - 1505362.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|St Margaret's Church, Herringfleet]]
The parish church, which is dedicated to St Margaret, is one of around 40 [[round-tower church]]es in Suffolk.{{efn|The exact number of round-tower churches in the county is a matter of debate. Some sources list 38,<ref name=tt>[https://thetempletrail.com/round-tower-churches-map/ Round Tower Churches Map], The Temple Trail. Retrieved 2021-03-09.</ref><ref name=wc>[https://wealdanddownlandchurches.co.uk/suffolk-churches/ Suffolk Churches], Weald and Downland Churches. Retrieved 2021-03-09.</ref> others cite between 40 and 43.<ref name=gc>[http://greatenglishchurches.co.uk/html/norfolk_round_tower_churches.html Norfolk Round Tower Churches], Great English Churches. Retrieved 2021-03-09.</ref><ref name=sh>Hart S (2019) [https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/roundtower/roundtower.htm Round Tower Churches], Building Conservation, Cathedral Communications. Retrieved 2021-03-09.</ref><ref name=scrt>Knott S [http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/abround.htm Suffolk churches with round towers], Suffolk Churches. Retrieved 2021-03-09.</ref><ref name=rtc>[https://www.roundtowers.org.uk Welcome to the Round Tower Churches Society], The Round Tower Churches Society. Retrieved 2021-03-09.</ref> They almost all date from the late [[Anglo-Saxon]] or early [[Normans|Norman]] periods and were mostly built between the 11th and 14th-centuries. There are around 183 round-tower churches in England, most of them in Norfolk, which has around 124, and Suffolk.<ref name=sh/><ref name=rtc/> Four of the churches now in Norfolk were previously in Suffolk before [[Local Government Act 1972|boundary changes in 1974]].<ref name=scrt/>}} It dates from the medieval period, with the tower thought to date from the 11th-century at the latest, with a possibility of it dating from the [[Anglo-Saxon]] period, although this is considered unlikely due to its construction in [[Caen stone]].<ref name=hart>Hart S [http://www.roundtowers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Herringfleet-RT-by-Stephen-Hart.pdf Herringfleet, St Margaret], Round Tower Churches Society. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref> The parish came under the control of St Olave’s Priory after it was established in the 13th century.<ref name=page/>

The [[nave]] doorway dates from the 12th century and there are 12th- and 13th-century windows in both the nave and [[chancel]]. The church was restored from 1824 by the Leathes family, and contains Victorian stained glass windows as well as painted glass dating from as early as the 14th century.<ref name=lc>[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1031950 Church of St Margaret], List entry, [[Historic England]]. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref><ref>Knott S (2008) [http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/herringfleet.htm St Margaret, Herringfleet], Suffolk Churches. Retrieved 2021-03-16.</ref> The church is a Grade I listed building.<ref name=lc/>

Two bells hang in the tower, one cast by William and Alice Brend of [[Norwich]] in 1611, the other by the [[Whitechapel Bell Foundry]] in 1837.<ref>[https://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?tower=20830 Herringfleet Tower details], Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 2022-03-10</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Herringfleet}}
*[http://www.roundtowerchurches.de/Suffolk/Herringfleet_St_Margaret/herringfleet_st_margaret.html Website with photos of Herringfleet St. Margaret], a [[round-tower church]]

{{East Suffolk}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Waveney District]]