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PRE-1990s CHRONOLOGY
after A. J. Orange.

Century Picker

11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th

End of 7th century. First Saxon Church built on St. Nicholas site.

11th Century

c1066- 1072 New Norman Church replaces Saxon Building on site of St. Nicholas.
1085 ALVEVA. Saxon lady who owned part of Feltwell and Hockwold at the time of the Norman Conquest.  Her husband was the Earl of Mercia, one of the five great Earls who between them held the whole of England during the reign of Edward the Confessor.
1086 DOMESDAY BOOK. Feltwell village recorded as Feltwella.  St Nicholas is he only church in the Hundred of Grimshoe.

12th Century

1202 First Rectors recorded at St Nicholas and St Mary's churches.
1135 -
1154
SLEVESHOLM PRIORY (CLUNIAC) - Methwold Fen - founded by Earl Warren during the reign of Stephen.

13th Century

1204 Bishop of Ely held weekly market in Feltwell.
1277 First mention of any buildings in Feltwell erected for the purpose of MILLING.  There was also a mention of a Water Mill by the bridge - probably a drainage mill on the fens.
1287 FELTWELL FAIR traced as an established custom held annually on 20/21st November.

14th Century

1316 NOMINA VILLARUM was drawn up for military purposes whereby each township had to provide 1 foot soldier for the army.
1348/9 BLACK DEATH reduced the population in England by about one-third.

15th Century

  Side-Aisles and Clerestory added to St Nicholas.
1460 OSBERT MOUNDEFORD died.
1463 Adam Moundeford died 7th March.
1479 Osbert Moundeford died 1st January.
1494 St Mary's Church tower and bells damaged by fire.  St Nicholas Nave destroyed by fire and rebuilt.

16th Century

1516 Porch built at St. Nicholas.
1520 MARGARET MOUNDEFORD, wife of Francis Moundeford, died 26th March.
1552 'Inventory of the Church Goods' showed 3 bells in St Nicholas Church.
1579 EDWARD ATMERE, a shepherd, established the Atmere Trust in his will.

17th Century

1603 SIR EDMUND DE MOUNDEFORD received his Knighthood.
1630 FABIAN STEDMAN, the 'Father of Bell-Ringing' believed to have been baptised in St Nicholas Church. There is no record as the registers were destroyed by fire.
1642 ALMSHOUSES endowed by Sir Edmund Moundeford (finally built in 1819).

The Moundeford Charity Trust originated on 10-9-1642.

1651-
1674
Michael DARBIE a travelling Bell Founder cast bells in the former pond in Fair Close, hence Bell Street and the former Bell Inn.
1664 Fire broke out at the West End of the village and burned all the street. Registers belonging to St Nicholas Church destroyed in the fire. (Thought to be in the house of Henry Fisk B.A. Curate-in-charge of St Mary's and St Nicholas.

Feltwell GRAMMAR SCHOOL founded by Henry Fish B.A. master at the school.

18th Century

1729 Rev. THOMAS RAWLINS CHARITY set up under the terms of his will dated 26-8-1729
1737 ROBERT CLOUGH CHARITY founded on 6-6-1737
1771 'POST MILL' belonged to a person named Jacumb.
1781 A Deed dated 17-7-1781 mentions a 'Stone Bridge' at the Quay at the foot of Short Beck.
1783 20 people, men, women and children, set near two acres of corn in the day.
1784 22-24 Bell Street known as 'Sellewings'.

19th Century

1801 FIRST CENSUS. Population of England - 8,873,000, population of Feltwell - 948.
4-6-1805 Benefices of St Nicholas and St Mary's consolidated.
1811 WESLEYAN CHAPEL built in garden of 'Laurels'.  Sunday School established.
1813 Inclosure Act
1819 ALMSHOUSES built in Oak Street.
1827 Agreement drawn up at The Cock Inn to inflict fines on straying animals placed in the village pounds.
1828 Mrs Sarah Archer dies aged 101. Buried in Feltwell 18-11-1828
1831 Rev E. B. SPARKE pays for stained glass windows to be installed in St Mary's Church.
1834 Thorough repairs to St Nicholas.
1841 Census.  Common rights to dig 1200 turves annually also 6 cattle on West Common.
1847 MISS PLEASANCE CLOUGH CHARITY founded 12-6-1847.
1850 -
1857
GLEANER'S BELL tolled for £1 per annum.
1854 BIG SCHOOL built.
NEW ROADS. Five miles and two furlongs of new roads were laid in Feltwell.  A new stretch of road was made from the junction of LONG LANE and LEONARD's LANE, over what was previously known as MIDDLE DROVE, to POPPYLOT.
11-1855 Last marriage solemnised at St Nicholas.
1860 TOWER MILL erected in Wilton Road.
1861 Census held nationally.
1862 NORTH CHAPEL and THATCHED CHANCEL demolished on St Nicholas Church by Canon Sparke.
LAWN HOUSE built on land with Grange View Cottages.
1864 St Nicholas closed for services other than funerals.
1875 Catherine Newcombe died aged 88. Buried in Clough Vault. Last person to be buried in St Mary's Church.
1878 MOUNDEFORD CHARITY rules and regulations drawn up.
1879 Rev. E. B. SPARKE and JOHN JACOB distributed the sum of £17-5shillings to 10 claimants who had been the sufferers by the late fires in Feltwell.
1883 CHEQUERS INN. Landlord was Robert William RICE.
1889 Miss Nellie BEAMIS (born 1879), last person known to have tolled the Gleaner's Bell for 6d (old pence) a day.
1890 HANDBELLS. The church bellringers [aid for the re-casting and tuning of the set of 12 handbells.
1893 'THE WELCOME' built in St Mary's Street. Owned by the RICE family for many years.
1895 OIL LAMPS. Twenty-seven new oil lamps were ordered for the village.

POST MILL wrecked beyond repair.

1898 ST NICHOLAS CHURCH TOWER COLLAPSES.
1899 Travelling Dentist attended to allcomers with the 'Drummer' who played a loud tattoo on his drum at the crucial moment when the tooth was drilled.
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