Worstead is a village and civil parish in the North Norfolk district of Norfolk, England.
In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 862 in 365 households;Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes . Retrieved 2 December 2005. the population increased to 922 at the 2011 census.
History The village's name means "enclosure place".
In Domesday Book of 1086 Worstead is called Wrdesteda and Ordested. King Canute gave the village to the abbots of St Benet's Abbey on the River Bure in the Norfolk Broads. At the time of Domesday Book the village had two churches, one of which is believed to have been St Andrew's Church, of which no remains exist.Norfolk Heritage Explorer Parish summary
The village became prosperous from the twelfth century when weavers from Flanders arrived in the area. They had been encouraged to settle in Norfolk by King Edward III of England. Worsted cloth derives its name from this weaving heritage, although it is no longer manufactured in the village and the last weaver, John Cubitt, died in 1882 at the age of 91. The oldest act of parliament kept in the House of Lords Record Office is the Taking of Apprentices for Worsteads in the County of Norfolk Act of 1497.12 Hen. 7. c. 1 Weaving and spinning demonstrations are part of the annual Worstead Festival on the last weekend in July.Worstead village history . Retrieved 15 December 2005.
Geography The village is south of North Walsham, north of Wroxham, and north of Norwich, and is covered by a conservation area.Conservation area, North Norfolk District Council (2012) The civil parish has an area of 10.65 km2. The parish includes the hamlets of Bengate, Briggate, Lyngate, and Meeting Hillfull name is Meeting House Hill; Norfolk Heritage Explorer site of Baptist Chapel, Meeting House Hill at the north-east, and Withergate just to the north of the village. Another settlement is along Station Road in the south-west of the parish, with houses, and a food factory which since 2015 has been operated by potato supplier Albert Bartlett. The North Walsham and Dilham Canal runs along the north-east parish boundary at Briggate. Worstead Windmill was built in the 1850s and worked by wind until 1902. It has been converted to residential use.
Governance Worstead parish council consists of nine members, and meets at the Village Hall.Worstead Parish Council The Council
Worstead electoral ward elects a councillor to North Norfolk District Council.North Norfolk District Council Your Councillors Before boundary changes in 2019, the ward stretched north to Suffield. The pre-2019 ward had a population of 2,384 in 2011. Since 2019 the ward has consisted of the parishes of Worstead, Westwick, Scottow, Swanton Abbott and Skeyton.North Norfolk District Council Ward boundaries 2019
Amenities
As of 2020 the village has a primary school,Worstead Church of England Primary School a village hall, and adjacent recreation ground,Worstead Parish Council Services and Amenities a pub,WhatPub White Lady, Worstead and a Church of England parish church dedicated to St Mary the Virgin.A Church Near You Worstead: St Mary
The village is served by Worstead railway station on the Bittern Line.Ordnance Survey (2002). OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East. .Ordnance Survey (2005). OS Explorer Map OL40 - The Broads. .
There is an annual festival, which was first held in 1966.Worstead Festival
References
External links
Parish Council