Norfolk Hundreds

White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk 1845

HAPPING HUNDRED

Is of a triangular figure, stretching about eleven miles along the seashore, from Winterton Ness to Walcot, and bounded on the south by West Flegg and Walsham Hundreds; and on the west by Tunstead Hundred; two of its boundaries being about eleven miles, and the other nine miles in length.

The villages are mostly surrounded by low marshes, intersected by numerous broads, or lakes, connected by rivulets and drains, flowing southward, into two channels, to the Bure and the Thurne, and opening a direct navigation to Yarmouth for boats of 14 tons, from almost every part of this Hundred, the greater portion of which was formerly watery meadows, open commons, and extensive rabbit-warrens; but the grounds are now well drained, and all enclosed, except a few small warrens, and several allotments awarded for the use of the poor. The drain waters are pumped from the lower levels by a number of wind-mills. Happing Hundred has suffered considerably from the encroachments of the ocean, though it appears now to be pretty well protected by the high ridges of sand-hills drifted on the coast, and the occasional assistance of a few men employed to repair the breaches.

This Hundred forms, with Tunstead, the Deanery of Waxton or Waxham, in the Archdeaconry of Norwich, and was united with that Hundred, (except North Walsham,) for the support of the poor, in the 25th of Geo. III., when a House of Industry was erected, for the incorporated parishes, at Smallburgh. (See page 474; and Petty Sessions, page 475. [Both in Tunstead Hundred])

Happing Hundred contains 16 parishes, of which the following is an enumeration, shewing their population in 1841, their annual value, as assessed to the County Rate, in 1843, and their territorial extent, in assessable acres.

PARISHES.	Pop.	Annl. Value £.	Acres.
Brumstead	116	1242	768
Catfield	655	2648	2216
Happisburgh	631	3998	1917
Hempstead-with } Eccles }	175 } 53 }	1836	1131
Hickling	860	4786	4020
Horsey-next-the Sea	162	1242	1588
Ingham *	509	2616	1440
Lessingham	241	1080	629
Ludham	924	4724	2678
Palling	425	1630	788
Potter Heigham	420	3356	2347
Ruston (East)	759	5078	2086
Stalham	729	3374	1277
Sutton	365	2240	1310
Walcot	172	1582	674
Waxham	90	2126	1911

Total +	7286	43,558	26,780

[There is more information about individual parishes]

* Ingham, Palling and Stalham returns, included 100 persons attending Ingham stock fair; but 40 fishermen were absent from Palling.

+ The area of this Hundred, including roads, wastes and "broads" is about 30,000 acres. Its population, in 1831, was 6446. Its annual value, as assessed to the property tax was £26,101, in 1815, and £48,818, in 1842. It is in Ludham Police Division.

Notes

Some placenames in the transcription (of page 767) above are given below together with their standard spelling :-
Eccles/Eccles by the Sea, Hempstead/Hempstead near Stalham, Palling/Sea Palling, Ruston (East)/East Ruston, Walcot/Walcott

For more information see :-

General description and layout of Hundreds.
Other hundred descriptions from White's 1845.

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