The Castle Rising History Group

The Castle Rising History Group was formed in 2004, in order to learn more about the history of our most interesting village. We are a small group of some eight to ten members, who meet regularly and investigate some of the facts associated with our history. This website reflects some of the findings of the group

Castle Rising has through most of its history been much more important on the national scene than its small size would suggest. It counts among its former owners and residents, Archbishops (Stigand and Odo), a Queen (Isabella, wife of Edward II) and Prime Ministers (Sir Robert Walpole). Samuel Pepys, the famous diarist once represented the borough in Parliament and Castle Rising was famous as a “Rotten Borough” before the Reform Act of 1832.

This web-site is to tell you some of the things we have discovered about the history of our village. We have explored the village throughout its recorded history, and even some of its artefacts from earlier periods. From Roman times when the village was more important than near-by King’s Lynn to the present, we present here some of our findings. We discover some of the ordinary people who lived in the village in times past, people who may be some of your ancestors.

We also tell you about the amenities our village and area have to offer. If you visit North West Norfolk, perhaps on your way to Sandringham, why not drop in and see our Norman Castle and Church, our Jacobean arms- houses, or our eighteenth century farm buildings.  This website provides links to other tourist facilities in our region. If you think you may have had ancestors  who lived in the village, our lists of Castle Rising residents, with some information about their lives,  may be just what you have been looking for.