Cawston is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.

Cawston is located three miles south-west of Aylsham and nine miles north of Norwich.

History Cawston's name is of combined Anglo-Saxon and Viking origin and derives from the Old English for a Viking named Kalfr's settlement.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, Cawston was recorded as being a settlement of 26 households in the hundred of South Erpingham. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of King William I and William de Warenne.

Cawston was the scene of Norfolk's last duel, which occurred illegally in August 1698 between Sir Henry Hobart of Blickling Hall and Oliver Le Neve of Great Witchingham. The duel was fought with swords and ended with the fatal wounding of Hobart, resulting in Le Neve fleeing to the Netherlands. Today, a memorial stone to the duel is maintained by the National Trust.

During the Second World War, part of Cawston Parish fell within the grounds of RAF Oulton, a satellite airfield of RAF Horsham St Faith. After the war, most of the airfield was returned to agricultural use with most of the runways being broken-up to be used for the construction of the A140.

Geography According to the 2021 census, Cawston has a population of 1,613 people which shows a slight decrease from the 1,640 people recorded in the 2011 census.

Cawston is located at the junction between the B1145, between King's Lynn and Mundesley, and the B1149, between Holt and Norwich.

Cawston Railway Station opened in 1880 as part of the Great Eastern Railway and closed in 1952 due to declining passenger numbers. The station building is now a private residence.

St. Agnes' Church Cawston's parish church is dedicated to Saint Agnes and dates from the Fifteenth Century, being built at the request of Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, the Lord of the Manor. St. Agnes' is located on Church Lane and has been Grade I listed since 1961.

St. Agnes' boasts a painted rood screen, depicting twenty figures in all, which has been called one of the best in Norfolk as well as good examples of Medieval stained-glass windows and a hammerbeam roof, embellished with life-size carved wooden angels.

Amenities Local children attend Cawston Church of England Primary School which moved into its current building in 1953.Cawston Church of England Primary School. (2022). Retrieved 23 November 2022. http://www.cawstonprimary.dneat.org/ The school was awarded a 'Good' rating by Ofsted in 2016.Ofsted. (2016). Retrieved 23 November 2022. https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/142837

Notable residents Matthew Fletcher- British fundraiser and student.

Governance Cawston is part of the electoral ward of Eynesford for local elections and is part of the district of Broadland.

The village's national constituency is Mid Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative George Freeman MP since 2010.

War memorial

Cawston's war memorial is located in Cawston Cemetery and is a Medieval-style cross. The memorial was first erected in 1920 and was funded by the Parish Council and the local branch of the Royal British Legion. Curiously, the memorial was rebuilt in 2001 after being struck by lightning in 1999. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War: +RankNameUnitDate of deathBurialLt.P. A. A. Enright DFCNo. 22 Squadron RAF2 Nov. 1918Doiran Memorial2Lt.Anthony B. Enright17th Bde., Royal Field Artillery11 May 1917Étaples Military CemeterySgt.William Casson2nd Bn., Manchester Regiment19 Jun. 1918St. Sever CemeteryCpl.Robert T Tuddenham16th The Queen's Lancers20 May 1915Menin GateCpl.W. H. Riseborough11th Bn., Lancashire Fusiliers10 Apr. 1918Cabaret-Rouge CemeteryLCpl.Victor J. R. Hewitt7th Bn., Leinster Regiment1 Feb. 1917Pond Farm CemeteryLCpl.Elijah Bartle7th Bn., Lincolnshire Regiment22 Mar. 1918Arras MemorialLCpl.Clifford W. Lilly7th Bn., Norfolk Regiment3 Jul. 1916Thiepval MemorialLCpl.Stanley H. Hill8th Bn., Norfolk Regiment21 Oct. 1916Regina Trench CemeteryLCpl.Fred W. Riseborough1/5th Bn., Northumberland Fusilers14 Nov. 1916Warlencourt CemeteryGnr.Robert O. King45th Bde., Royal Field Artillery10 Nov. 1916Thiepval MemorialPte.Frederick Wells4th Bn., Bedfordshire Regiment29 Apr. 1917Arras MemorialPte.Claud F. Shreeve1st Bn., The Buffs15 Sep. 1916Guillemont Rd. CemeteryPte.William J. Bellboddy116th (Ontario County) Bn., C.E.F.29 Sep. 1918Sainte-Olle CemeteryPte.Arthur D. Keeler1st Bn., Coldstream Guards15 Sep. 1916Guards CemeteryPte.Fred G. Tuddenham1/6th Bn., Durham Light Infantry5 Nov. 1916Thiepval MemorialPte.Ernest H. Dix3rd Bn., Royal Fusiliers4 Oct. 1918Prospect Hill CemeteryPte.George Wells7th Bn., King's Shropshire L. I.18 Apr. 1918Tourcoing CemeteryPte.Peter E. BurkeWestern Comm., Labour Corps16 Jul. 1918Cawston CemeteryPte.Frederick Sampson28th Bn., Middlesex Regiment17 May 1916Cawston CemeteryPte.Dennis H. Douglas8th Bn., Norfolk Regiment11 Aug. 1917Menin GatePte.Walter A. Barker9th Bn., Norfolk Regt.18 Oct. 1916Bancourt British CemeteryPte.George D. Douglas9th Bn., Norfolk Regt.15 Sep. 1916Thiepval MemorialPte.Percy Bryant10th Bn., Norfolk Regt.22 Nov. 1918Cawston CemeteryPte.Ernest Office1st Bn., Northumberland Fusilers26 Oct. 1914Le Touret MemorialPte.George Carman1st Bn., Queen's Royal Regiment3 Nov. 1916Thiepval MemorialPte.Alfred Betts6th Bn., Queen's Regt.23 Aug. 1918Méaulte British CemeteryPte.Thomas Sampson14th Bn., York & Lancaster Regiment9 May 1917Arras MemorialRfn.Lewis Tubby1st Bn., Rifle Brigade5 May 1918Loos MemorialSpr.Thomas Betts207th (Field) Coy., Royal Engineers10 Oct. 1917Tyne Cot And: Harold Hampson-Jones, Arthur F. C. Rump and Ralph V. Shreeve. As well as the following for the Second World War: +RankNameUnitDate of deathBurialFOLeonard A. BarhamNo. 199 Squadron RAF25 Sep. 1944Cawston CemeterySgt.Charles G. M. OgilvieNo. 214 Squadron RAF16 Nov. 1944Cawston CemeteryASStanley F. GaskinHMS Cornwall5 Apr. 1942Chatham Naval MemorialLCpl.Eric G. Monsey1st Bn., East Surrey Regiment23 Apr. 1945Argenta Gap War Cemetery

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