ST. NICHOLAS' CHURCH - ASHILL

The present church is dedicated to St. Nicholas', who is of course the patron saint of Christmas. It was built principally of flint, in the early fourteenth century. Although much has been rebuilt, the tower, chancel and north door are thought to be essentially original, while most of the rest of the church is Perpendicular, or fifteenth century, apart from the vestry, which is nineteenth century
Location and Early History
The area around the village of Ashill is the highest part of Norfolk. It was settled by people in prehistoric times -many items have been found in the area dating from the Prehistoric and Iron Age periods. The Romans also settled in the area; about one mile to the east they built a villa, or possibly a small camp, at a place called Robin Hood's Garden. This was excavated when the Swaffham to Watton railway was built in 1874; one hundred and twenty Roman urns and many other antiquities were found. The settlement may have been linked to the larger campsite at Ovington and possibly to the camp at Threxton. The ancient route of Peddar's Way, which is believed to have been used by the Romans in their efforts to control this region, and which linked many Roman forts, runs only about one and a half miles from Ashill.
Immediately prior to the Norman Conquest Ashill Manor was owned by King Harold, and it passed to William at the Conquest. In Domesday Book in 1086 Ashill was called Asscelea or Essalai, and it is also shown as Aysele and Asschelee in a number of ancient documents. In Domesday Book the main landholder is shown as a man called Reynold, the son of Ivo, and it was under the jurisdiction of the Abbot of Ely. There were fifteen freemen, three villeins (villagers), three bordars (smallholders), and one serf or slave, living in an area of half a league, or approximately one and a half miles, each way.
In the time of King Henry I the manor was in the hands of William de Hastings, who was steward to the king and was granted leave to take charge of the 'nappery' (the table cloths and linen) at the king's coronation.
In 1556 Queen Mary granted Ashill Manor to Sir Henry Bedingfield, of Oxburgh Hall, who was Queen Elizabeth's gaoler. A later Sir Henry, 'Great Sir Harry', claimed to follow the precedent set by William de Hastings and perform the office of the nappery at the coronation of King James II in April 1685; he tried to retain all the table linen when it was finished with but it was not allowed and he was told that his manor had no pretence to the claim. Members of the Bedingfield family were important in Ashill for about two hundred years and owned the manor for most of the time. Some members of the family still live nearby at Oxburgh Hall but nothing is left of Ashill manor house.
Another nearby manor was Panworth Hall, which existed at the time of Edward the Confessor as a small village. This also was owned by King Harold prior to the Conquest, was passed to King William and went through various ownerships, including Sir James Boleyn, uncle of Anne Boleyn, and the Earl of Leicester. An old house is still on the site of the manor about three quarters of a mile east of Ashill, although none of the village remains.

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