Gayton, Norfolk

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

Gayton is located 6 miles (9.7 km) east of King's Lynn and 32 miles (51 km) north-west of Norwich, along the Gaywood River and the B1145.

History

Gayton's name is of Anglo-Saxon and Viking origin and derives from either the Old Norse for 'goat settlement' or the Old English for 'Gaega's settlement'.

In the Domesday Book, Gayton is recorded as a settlement of 51 households in the hundred of Freebridge. In 1086, the village was divided between the estates of William de Warenne, William d'Ecouis, Hugh de Montfort and Henry de Ferrers.

Well Hall once stood in the parish, it was built around 1700 on the site of a Benedictine monastery.

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Gayton has a population of 1,637 people which shows an increase from the 1,432 people listed in the 2011 census.

Gayton is located along the course of the Gaywood River and at the junction of B1145, between King's Lynn and Mundesley, and the B1153, between Narborough and Brancaster.

St. Nicholas' Church

Gayton's parish church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas and dates from the Fourteenth Century. St. Nicholas' is located within the village on Lynn Road and has been Grade I listed since 1960. The church no longer holds Sunday services, however, it remains open daily to visitors.

The church holds a font dating from the Fourteenth Century as well as a more modern sculpture by the Swedish artist, Britt Wikstrom. There is also a memorial in the church to Captain Douglas H. Marsham who was killed serving with the British South Africa Police at the Siege of Mafeking as well as a restored memorial to the fallen in the First World War of the Gayton Lodge of the Odd Fellows.

Gayton Hall

Gayton Hall was built in the early-Nineteenth Century by Andrew St John, Baron St John of Bletso whose family eventually sold the estate to Charles Marsham, 4th Earl of Romney. Romney's descendant, Julian Marsham, the 8th Earl, is the current owner of the hall.

Amenities

There is one pub in the village, The Crown. The village also has a butcher's shop, Gayton Goslings care/daycare centre, a hair salon, a fish and chip shop and petrol station combining convenience shop/post office. The village formerly had a windmill and is currently seeing a large increase in the building of residential housing.

Gayton Church of England Primary School is located within the village and is part of the Diocese of Norwich Academies Trust. The headteachers is Mrs N. Allitt.

Notable residents

• Julian Marsham- (born 1948) peer, lives in Gayton.
• Martin Brundle OBE- (born 1959) retired racing driver and commentator, lives in Gayton.

Governance

Gayton is part of the electoral ward of Gayton & Grimston for local elections and is part of the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

The village's national constituency is North West Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative's James Wild MP since 2010.

War Memorial

Gayton War Memorial is a wooden lychgate at the entrance to St. Nicholas' Churchyard. The memorial lists the following names for the First World War:

The following names were added after the Second World War:

External links

Media related to Gayton, Norfolk at Wikimedia Commons