Banham, Norfolk

Etymology

The name of the village derives from "Bean homestead/village", or perhaps "hemmed-in land where beans grow".

Population and governance

The civil parish has an area of 16.17 km2 and in the 2001 census had a population of 1,443 in 573 households, including for census purposes the neighbouring village of Fersfield. This increased to a population of 1,481 in 603 households at the 2011 Census. For local government, the parish lies in the district of Breckland. Since 2015, the parish has formed part of The Buckenhams and Banham ward, which returns one councillor to the district council.

Schools

Acorn Park School is a registered children's home and school for children and young people with autistic spectrum disorders and is part of the Acorn Care and Education Group.

Banham Marshalls College, an independent school in the village, was subject to Norfolk's biggest ever child-cruelty investigation, along with another school in Banham, The Old Rectory School. As a result of the investigation into the schools, which were for children with special needs and ostensibly specialised in Emotional and Behavioural Disorders, the proprietor of each and former head teacher received a two-year suspended prison sentence. George Robson died the day after his sentencing. Two other former members of staff was also convicted.

Banham Marshalls College was closed by the Department of Education in 2003. The site is now occupied by Acorn Park School.

Notable people

The village was the birthplace in 1795 of the schoolteacher, writer, poet, and hymn writer Emily Taylor.

The Rev. Edward Thomas Daniell of the Norwich School of painters, a talented amateur etcher and painter, was curate of St Mary's for 18 months, from 1832.

References

Bibliography

References

1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Office for National Statistics.
2. Ordnance Survey (1999). ''OS Explorer Map 230 – Diss and Harleston''. {{ISBN. 0-319-21862-7
3. {{NHLE
4. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170211032229/https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/groups/public/documents/general_resources/ncc017867.xls Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census 2001. Retrieved 2 December 2005]
5. "Acorn Park Care and Education Group".
6. (12 November 2007). "Victims' anger at cruelty sentence". [[Archant Regional]].
7. (29 May 2015). "Banham Marshalls College: Ex-pupils settle school abuse claims". BBC News.
8. "School Staff Convicted Of Child Cruelty Following Police Investigation". [[Norfolk Constabulary]].
9. (14 May 2004). "School staff on cruelty charges". [[BBC News]].
10. {{Cite BAILII. (2006). (21 December 2006)
11. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27024. Alexander Gordon, "Taylor, Edgar (1793–1839)", rev. Eric Metcalfe, ODNB, Oxford University Press, 2004, pay-walled. Retrieved 16 September 2014.]