Forncett St Mary


Forncett St Mary is a village in Norfolk, England. It is close to Forncett St Peter. The two shared a railway station Forncett on the main line between London and Norwich. It was closed as part of the Beeching Axe. The two villages together form the parish of Forncett, with a combined population of around 1000.

History

Forncett St Mary's is mentioned in the Domesday Book where much of the land surrounding it was owned by Roger Bigod of Norfolk with a smaller part of it being owned by Osbern FitzOsbern, Bishop of Exeter. It was originally merged with the nearby village of Forncett St Peter's but the two eventually split to become separate villages. It is not known why the two split however it is believed that the division was made during the Elizabethan era as a part of Church of England parish boundary changes. Between the 13th century and 1845, the villages shared a rector to serve both churches.

Church

St Mary's Church in Forncett St Mary's was constructed in the 13th century with a tower being added in the 15th century. It was restored in 1869-70 by Reverend J. Cooper. In 1985, the church was declared a redundant church by the Church of England and closed with the pews being removed in an act of vandalism. However a community group called Friends of Forncett St Mary Church was set up with the hope of restoring the church to regular use. In 2012, English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery gave a grant to allow the church to come out of redundancy. It received a further grant of £10,000 to help fix the roof from the Norfolk Churches Trust.