The ancient parish of Pulham St. Mary the Virgin, to give it its full name is
the middle one of the three parishes. Although lacking the attractive village
green of its sister parish, the heart of the old village forms an interesting
centre with the village pub, the former forge and the the old school being obvious
features. To the north lies one of the village's big houses, The Grange, now
being restored after years of neglect. The village
shop and post office is close to the centre, while the church and village
hall are a few hundred yards to the east. You'll find a map of the village here.
The church, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, is believed to date from around 1258. The village boasts a fine collection of old buildings, around 80 of which are listed as being of architectural and historic interest.
The village centre has a number of these old buildings, some thatched, all rendered and colour washed. Among the most interesting is the village's pub, the King's Head and what at first sight looks to be a fairly conventional Victorian school building, Pennoyer's School. Look a bit closer at this and you'll find that part of it is 600 years old. It has a fascinating history. The village sign stands near the King's Head and the old school and celebrates a more recent period in the village's history, when Pulham St Mary was home to airships of the Royal Naval Air Service.
It is believed that the Romans had a presence in Pulham St Mary; pieces of Roman tile, coin and oyster shells have been found in the village. Garlic Street, the settlement in the easternmost part of the parish, is thought to have been so named because garlic was grown there for Spanish soldiers serving in the Roman army, though this is not proved.
In the 10th century Pulham was in the ownership of Athelwold, Bishop of Winchester who gave it to the abbey of St Etheldreda at Ely, betwen 963 and 984AD. Control by the See of Ely imposed on Pulham villagers the obligation to supply it with provisions for two weeks each year.
In 1066AD Pulham was described as two miles long by one mile wide, with a wood large enough to maintain 600 pigs, a mill, three working horses, 11 head of cattle, 40 pigs, 50 sheep, 40 goats and four beehives. Its value for tax purposes was £8. By the time of the Domesday survey in 1086 this had risen to £15 although the woodland by then could apparently only support 300 pigs, though this may have been the result of creative accounting to avoid excessive taxation.
The name Pulham is thought to mean the homestead or enclosure by the pools or streams... Earliest records show the name as Polleham (c. 1050) or Pullaham (1086) this latter spelling being the Domesday Book entry.
From School's Out by Hilary Clutten, 1994. Reproduced by permission.
Though Hilary Clutten goes on to report that one of the Rectors of the Parish was of the opinion that the name may derive from that of an early settler called Pul.
In 1249AD, the monks were licensed to hold a weekly Wednesday market which took place in the western part of the parish. The development of houses in the vicinity of the market area eventually gave rise to the separate parish of Pulham Market.
Although today the Pulhams are two separate villages, they were for many years ecclesiastically recognised as one parish and it was not until 1857 that they became separate livings.
Pulham Market Conservation Area Statement, South Norfolk Council, 1984. Reproduced by permission.
Descriptions of the village and lists of the principal inhabitants were given in directories published in the nineteenth century. We have included extracts from White's Directory for 1845 and for 1883 (and links to the Pulham St Mary entry in Kelly's Directory for Cambridgeshire, Norfolk & Suffolk for 1883).
Like all communities, Pulham St Mary is more than a collection of buildings. The village has an active Parish Council and a range of organisations, activities and facilities.
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