Attleborough, Norfolk

Description
Attleborough or Attleburgh, a small town, a parish, and head of a county court district in Norfolk. The town has a station on the G.E.R., and is 15 miles SW of Norwich. It was the capital of East Anglia, and had strength enough to check the incursions of the Danes, and it retained fortifications of some note till the time of Henry II. It has lost much of its former importance, but still serves as a county centre. It has a head post, money order, and telegraph office, and a banking office. A corn-market hall was built in 1863 at a cost of £1000. A weekly market is held on Thursday, and there are occasional fairs. A college for a custos and four fellows was founded in the time of Richard II. by Sir Robert de Mortimer, and given in the time of Henry VIII. to Robert, Earl of Sussex. The church of the college still stands; is a spacious cruciform edifice in Norman and Early English, with square tower rising from the centre, and contains monuments to distinguished members of the families of Mortimer, Ratcliffe, and Blickley. The parish comprises 5410 acres; population, 2332. Attleborough Hall, Hill House, and Point House are chief residences. The first turnpike road in England was made in this parish. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Norwich; value, £1570. There are Baptist, Primitive Methodist, andWesleyan chapels, and a Friends meeting-house.