Boughton, Norfolk

History

Boughton's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin. In the Domesday Book it is listed as a settlement of 24 households in the hundred of Clackclose. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of Reginald, son of Ivo and Ralph Baynard.

Outside of the village there is an observation post constructed by the Royal Observer Corps during the Second World War, the post was converted into a nuclear warning station during the Cold War.

Geography

According to the 2021 census, the population of Boughton is 233 people which shows a slight increase from the 227 people listed in the 2011 census. The village is north of the route A134 road which links King's Lynn to Colchester. The nearest railway station is at Downham Market for the Fen Line which runs between King's Lynn and Cambridge. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport, although unusually for a village of this size, it has two separate airstrips, Boughton North and Boughton South.

The village is centred around Boughton Pond and nearby is Boughton Fen, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Amenities within the village include a doctors surgery.

Church

Boughton's parish church is dedicated to All Saints. The tower dates from the medieval period, although most of the church was restored in the 19th-century. The church is Grade II listed.

Governance

Boughton is part of the electoral ward of Wissey for local elections and is part of the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. It is part of the South West Norfolk parliamentary constituency.

Notable people

• John Young Stratton (1829/30 – 1905): author, essayist, social reformer and campaigner against rural poverty.
• John Ashworth, clergyman Dean of Trinidad from 1948 to 1954.

References

References

1. ''OS Explorer Map 236'' (2006) – King’s Lynn, Downham Market & Swaffham. {{ISBN. 0-319-23808-3
2. "Key to English Place-names".
3. "Boughton {{!}} Domesday Book".
4. "mnf39558 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer".
5. "Boughton (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location".
6. (2008). Norfolk County Atlas (A-Z Street Atlas). Sevenoaks: Geographers A-Z Map Company.
7. "Boughton Fen Norfolk".
8. "Contact us – Boughton Surgery".
9. "Norfolk Churches".
10. "CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS, Boughton - 1342335 {{!}} Historic England".