From the Norwich Mercury
14 Feb 1903
Houghton-on-the-Hill, seperate form Nroth Pickenham by a riverlet, and standing on high ground is a small parish consisting of one farm, about four miles south-east from Swaffham, four and a quarter nroth west from Watton, two south-west for Holm Hale, and 23 west from Norwich, in the Hundred of Greenhoe, rural Deanery of Cranwich ( North Division), Archdeaconry of Lynn, and diocecese of Norwich, It has an area of 606.790 acres of land. And 2.474 of water, mostly belonging to J.T. Mills Esq., of South Pickenham Hall, who is Lord of the Manor
The soil is loam, subsoil chalk; rateable value in 1874 £993, in 1889 £853, and in 1900 £520.
There was a population of 34 in 1821, 52 in 1831, 41 in 1841, 38 in 1871, 48 in 1881, and in 1901 there were 46 inhabitants. The children went to school in North Pickenham.
A Terrier in 1723 states £10 belonging to the Parish was in the hands of Christopher Sarkey, the interest of which was to be distributed tot he Poor by the Minister and Church Wardens every year. This has not been mentioned in any terrier since, and has entirely disappeared.
In 1334 “Howton” was assessed for Tenths, etc., at £3.13s ; 19s being deducted circa 1449.
MANORIAL NOTES
The Domesday Book say In “Houtuna” a freeman named Herluin held 16 acres, valued at 16d., under Raiinald, son of Ivo, bit it was seized by Wihenoc. At the conquest it became the Lordship for Alan, Earl of Richmond, and Riblad, Lord of Midleham in Yorks, brother of Alan, held it under him and Ralph, son of Robert, grandson of Ribald, who was in ward of the Archbishop of Canterbury, held this town and the Pickenhams, temp. Richard I.; it being then valued at £25 per annum. This Ralph married Mary, daughter of Roger Bigot, Earl of Norfolk, and had a sicharge by writ from half a Knight's fee in 12 15, and held Houghton in cpaite.
Blomefield says In 1266, Ralph Fitz-Ralph would not permit the Sheriff to enter into his manors in this Country, which proved that he had Return of Writs therein himself. He dided four years later, and his heart was buried at Richmond ( being the founder of the Friars Minor there), but his body was buried at Coverham in Yorks., in the monastery Church. He died with out male issue, and his estate was divided between his three daughters, Mary, Joan and Anastasia.
In 1271, the Sheriff of Norfolk gave an account of £11 15s 81/2d of the issues of his lands in this township, &c., in Norfolk, before he delivered the third part thereof to Robertde Tateshale, who married Joan, but died s.p. And the other moiety remained in the King's hands, Anastasia, the third and so-heir, being under age, and this part Edward, the King's son, seized and gave it to Gilbert Hansard.
Robert de Nevile, son of Robert, Lord Nevile of Raby, andhusband of Mary, daughter of Ralph fitz-Ralph, was killied in about 1270, and his widow died in 1320, seized of this manor, and the Pickenhams, &c., held in the Honour chmond. She held in cpaite, by half a Knight,s fee, the Manor and advowson of Houton, the Manor of South Pickenham, and the advowson of North Pickenham, and a moiety of the sadvowson fo BErford, and Ralph was her son and heir. In 1341 Ralph de Nevile her grandson, had a charter of free warren here, &c., in 1347 he held Houton, and Sharneburne, one Knight's of the King, and in 1368, died sized of this Manor, and John de Nevile, by his second wife, was his sone and heir, aged 16. eight years later, Sir Ralph de Nevile, Lord Raby, leased this Manor, and that of North Pickenham, to Sir Robert Knolls, and Constantina, his wife for their lives. Sir Robert held this Manor in 1402, and had free warren: in 1405, two fines were levied between John Drew, clerk, John Seymor, of London, and the said Sir Robert of this Manor and advowson: by the first they were settled on John Drew, Trustee for Sir robert, and the second on Sir Robert for life, remainder to Ralph Nevile, Earl of Westmorland, Sir Thomas Colvile, Knt., &c., in trust; in in 1411, Ralph Nevile, Earl of Westmorland, granted to John Bernard, Clerk for life, an annual pension issuing out of this township, North and South Pickenham, and Sutton on Derwent, Yorks.
The above mentioned John Nevile, Lord Raby, son of Ralph, was in the French wars and died in 1389, having married a second wife, Elizabeth, daughter andheir of William, Lord Latimer of Danby, and died sized, in her right, of the Manor of Woodall, in Carbrook, Norfolk, the reversion to the son John Nevile, who married Maud, daugher of Thomas, Lord Clifford, and widow of Richard, Earl of Cambridge, and died in 1431, s.p. , leaving Sir John Willoughby, Kt., son of Elizabeth, his sister, wife of William, Lord Willoughby de Eresby, his next heir. But his great estate was entialed for want of male issue on Ralph Nevile, his eldest brother, firs tEarl of Westmorland, who settled them on George, his third son, by his second wife, Joan, daughter of John O'Gaunt, Duke of Lnacaster, who agreed with Maud, Countess of Cambridge, widow of John, Lord Latimer, that incase Sir John Willoughby, Kt., commenced any suit against them, or that they should grant him any lands, they should bear their proportions, she two thirds and he one third, she having the greatest portion, Sir George, third son of Ralph, Earl of Westmorland, was called to Parliament by the title of Lord Latimer: he married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick. This Lord became a lunatic, and his lands were granted in custody to Richard Nevile, the great Earl of Warwick, and died in 1470, sized of this Manor, both the Pickenhams, Foulden, Carbrook, etc., all which decended to Richard Nevile, Kt., his grandson and heir, byt Sir Henry Nevile, Lord latimer, his only sojn, killed at Degcote Field, in the same yhear that his father had died, and a little before his father, having married a daughter of Lord Berners, by whom he had the said Sir Richeard, who had not livery of the lands till 1491, though he was in arms for the King at the battle of Stoke in 1847; he married Anne, daughter of Humphrey Stafford, of Grafton, Esq., and died in 1531, leaving her a son John, Lord Larimer who was in the rebellion called the “Pilgamage of Garace” during the reighn of Henry VIII. He married a second wife Catherine, daughter of Sir Thomas Parr ( his first wife was Dorothy, daughter of the Earl of Oxfod), she was afterwards married to Henry VIII. By whos interest, most likey John had livery of this
Manor and North Pickenham in 1544; also many Manors in Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Berkshire, Worcestershire, Westmorland and as heir to the EArl of Oxford, of many in Norfolk, Suffolk, Middlesex. Essex, Cambs., Warwickshire, bucks., Leicestershire, Cornwall etc.,
This John Lord Latimer lived until 1578, but had no male issue by Lucy, daughter of Henry, Earl of Worcester, so that by the marriage of his four daughters and co-heirs, the estates were divided.
His eldest daughter Katherine, married Henry Earl of Northumberland; Dorothy, was wife of Thomas, Earl of Exeter; Lucy the third daughter, was wife of Sir William Cornwallis; and the youngest Elizabeth, married Sir John Danvers, Knt., ancestor of the Duke of Leeds, Viscount Latimer.
Shortly after the death of the last Lord Latimer, this Lordship was sold to the family of Bedingfields, of Oxborough, and Edmund Bedingfield, Bt., to Henry Eyre, Esq.,of Bury's Hall, about 1720. He was succeded by his brother John Eyre, Esq., who sold it to Penson, of London, whos family held it in 1800. It afterwards passed to the Applewaithe family. C. M. Applewaithe Esq.,being lord in 1890. It now belongs to Joseph Trueman Mills Esq.,
The temporalties of the Prioress of Carrow here, in 1428 were valued at 2s; and those of the Prioress of Westacre the same.
THE PARISH CHURCH
The Church, dedicated to S. mary the Virgin, is a small uninteresting building in the Decortaed style of architecture, consisting of short chancel, nave, and square wwestern tower. Contining one bell, which bears the tnscription: “C and G Mears founders London Recast A.D.1857” (Daimeter 22”) There were two bells in 6 Edward VI.
Some windows in the nave, of supposed Saxon architecture, and built up, were reopened in 1889. These are very small and deeply splayed externally. The east window is of three lights. Threere is a very ugly square window to the south side of the nave, close by a door. There is another door at the baseof the tower: above which a good Early Decorated window of two lights each:with a lozenge in the head. In the second stage of the twoer are theree small single lights, and above, four windows of two lights each. With the staircase to the belfry is at the south east corner. There are open benches in the church to seat 50 persons. The beilding was restored and a new roof put on, in 1895, at the cost of £43.
The chancel is sperate from the nave by a wall nearly three feet thick, through which the cancel arch is cut about 12 feet high and 6 feet broad. The chancel is about 26 feet long and 18 feet broad: the nave about one foot longer and the same width. No memorials remain in the building.
In Bloomfields time the church was covered with reed, and the tower, of flint and brick, had a cap of wood, which was leaded. The roof of the builing is now slate and there are not gable crosses.
A MS of the 16th century mentions the Arms of Edmund de Holkam, Stpleton, Fastolf, Wetherbye, Mowbray the Earl of Oxford, Plantagenent etc. in the church windows, also the effigy of Henry Palmer in one of them.
In 1304 Lady Mary de Nevile founded a Chantry of two preists here. In 1498 John Barber, Rector left a legacy to S Marys Guild here and to that the Holy Trinity of South Pickenham.
The registers date back to 1678, and are in good preservation.
The communion plate consists of an aciient Chalice and Paten. The marks are almost obliterated by wear. The chalice bears the inscription in Capital. “ FOR THE TOUNE OF HOLTON”
The Patern probably dates like the chalice from temp Ed VI but has the following inscription. “ For the church of Houghton on the Hill 1863. There were 15 Communicants here in 1603
THE LIVING
The rectory was valued at 9 marks in 1310, and the rector had a mans and 44 acres of the glebe. Peters Pend, 6D. Their first fruits in 1474with the manor, and in this the Kings book at £4 18s 9D( clear value £35) and discharged of the first fruits and lenghts. Victorial proccurations 5s synodsals 18D. The living wsa consolidated with Nroth Pickenham on February 27th 1747.
In 1719 Walter Rolf was presented to the recorty by Sir Ralpoh Hare, bart. who ws the trustee to the Bedingfields, and on the death of Rolf the rev Robert Say resigned the vicarage of Swaffham, and held this consolidated rectory union with Beachamwell, he being both rector and patron in 1749. the trustees of Penson of London sold the advowson of North Pickenham and Houghton to the Rev. R Say. It afterwards belonged to Edmund Farrer Esq and was purchased by W.N.L. Champion Esq the present patron.
The title of the consolidated Rectories of North Pickenham and Houghton were commuted for £499. the present gross value is £322 (net £351) and 110 acres of glebe, and residence at North Pickenham, at which place the present rector, the Rev F.B Champion resides. And to whom our thanks are due for the information contained in this article.