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Burnham Overy
Burnham Overy
	The Staithe
	Burnham Overy Location within Norfolk
Area	17.92 km2 (6.92 sq mi)
Population	297 (2021)
• Density	17/km2 (44/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TF843435
Civil parish	Burnham Overy;
District	King's Lynn and West Norfolk;
Shire county	Norfolk;
Region	East;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	KING'S LYNN
Postcode district	PE31
Dialling code	01328
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	North West Norfolk;
	List of places UK England Norfolk 52°57′26″N 0°44′32″E / 52.95720°N 0.74227°E

Burnham Overy is a civil parish on the north coast of Norfolk, England. In modern times a distinction is often made between the two settlements of Burnham Overy Town, the original village adjacent to the medieval parish church and now reduced to a handful of houses, and Burnham Overy Staithe, a rather larger hamlet about 1-mile (1.6 km) away and next to the creek-side harbour.

The civil parish has an area of 8.92 km² and in the 2001 census had a population of 311 in 167 households, reducing to a population of 134 measured at the 2011 Census.^[1] For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.^[2]

Etymology

The villages name means 'Homestead/village on the River Burn' or perhaps, 'hemmed-in land on the River Burn'. 'Overy', meaning 'Over the river', was added to distinguish it from the other Norfolk Burnhams.^[3]

Location

Burnham Overy lies between the larger village of Burnham Market, less than 1-mile (1.6 km) to the west, and Holkham, some 3 miles (4.8 km) to the east. The larger town of King’s Lynn is 20 miles (32 km) to the south-west (with the closest railway station), whilst the city of Norwich is 30 miles (48 km) to the south-east.

History

Burnham Thorpe, the birthplace of Horatio, Admiral Lord Nelson, lies 1-mile (1.6 km) to the south-east. According to various letters and documents, Nelson learned to row and sail a dinghy at Burnham Overy Staithe, at the age of 10, two years before joining the Navy. The village’s only pub is called “The Hero” in his honour.

Historically Burnham Overy was the port for the surrounding villages of the Burnhams. Both settlements lie on the River Burn, and until the end of the Middle Ages trading ships were able to reach the village (now Burnham Overy Town). With the silting of the river, commercial traffic switched to the downstream Staithe. With the coming of the railway to the Burnhams in 1866, commercial shipping declined and the last cargo is believed to have been shipped from the Staithe soon after the end of the First World War.^[4]

Between Burnham Overy Staithe and the sea, the river spreads out into multiple tidal creeks through the salt marshes that fringe this stretch of coast, and finally reaches the sea by passing through the fronting sand dunes at a gap near Gun Hill locally known as Burnham Harbour. Small boats can reach Burnham Overy Staithe through this gap and creek. Today Burnham Overy Staithe, and the associated harbour, is a recreational sailing centre. It is also the point of departure for seasonal ferries to the Scolt Head Island National Nature Reserve.^[5]^[6]

To the east of the Burnham Overy creek, the former salt marshes between dry land and the sand dunes have been reclaimed to form fresh water meadows, part of the Holkham estate. A one-and-a-half-mile (2.4 km) long footpath links Burnham Overy Staithe to the sand-dunes and beach, running along the crest of the embankment which protects these water meadows from the creek.^[5]

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Burnham Overy has a population of 297 people which shows an increase from the 134 people recorded in the 2011 census.^[7]

The village is located along the A149, between King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth, and on the course of the River Burn as it flows out to sea.

St Clement's Church

Burnham Overy's parish church is dedicated to St Clement and dates from the 12th century. St Clement's is located outside of the village, at the junction of Mill Road and Wells Road, and has been Grade I listed since 1953.^[8] The church was not restored in the 19th century and retains many of its Medieval features in addition to a set of Stuart royal arms which have been re-lettered with the name of King George III.^[9]

Notable residents

Richard Woodget (1845-1928), captain of the Cutty Sark, born and died in Burnham Overy.
Robert Austin (1895-1973), artist and engraver, died in Burnham Overy.

In popular culture

In Joan G. Robinson's 1967 book When Marnie Was There, the villages of Little Overton and Barnham are based upon Burnham Overy, especially the key locations of the staithe and the windmill.

Leith House Orchards, a family-run plum, greengage and damson orchard, was featured in January 2023, in BBC Two's The Hairy Bikers Go Local.^[10]^[11]

Governance

Burnham Overy Staithe is part of the electoral ward of Burnham Market & Docking for local elections and is part of the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

The village's national constituency is North West Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative's James Wild MP since 2010.

War memorial

Burnham Overy's war memorial is a granite celtic cross which has been Grade II listed since 2015.^[12] The memorial lists the following name for the First World War:^[13]


Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial
Lt.	Cuthbert E. Bowen	East African Military Police	1 Dec. 1914	Kisumu Cemetery
2Lt.	Thomas H. Webb	1st Bn, Welsh Guards	1 Dec. 1917	Gouzeaucourt Cemetery
St.1C	John R. Loose	HMS Pembroke	3 Sep. 1917	Woodlands Cemetery
Sgt	Thomas J. Broom	61st Bn, Machine Gun Corps	21 Mar. 1918	Pozières Memorial
Sgt	Frederick J. Read	9th Bn, Norfolk Regiment	18 Oct. 1918	Bancourt British Cemetery
AS	Albert Richardson	HMS Defence	31 May 1916	Plymouth Naval Memorial
Pte	Herbert C. Paynter	8th Bn, Border Regiment	5 Jul. 1917	Thiepval Memorial
Pte	Frederick Paynter	1st (Mounted Rifles) Bn, C.E.F.	6 Nov. 1917	Menin Gate
Pte	Walter Seaman	1/9th Bn, Durham Light Infantry	22 Jul. 1917	St Imoges' Churchyard
Pte	Sidney E. Armiger	12th Bn, East Yorkshire Regiment	9 Dec. 1916	South-West Cemetery, Berlin
Pte	Walter R. Haines	1st Bn, Essex Regiment	13 Aug. 1915	Helles Memorial
Pte	Herbert J. Hubbard	1st Bn, Essex Rgt	13 Apr. 1917	Arras Memorial
Pte	Harry Bloomfield	2/5th Bn, Gloucestershire Regiment	16 Aug. 1917	Tyne Cot
Pte	Anthony A. Atkins	1st Bn, Lincolnshire Regiment	16 Jun. 1915	Menin Gate
Pte	George Marsh	7th Bn, Lincolnshire Rgt	23 May 1917	Aubigny Cemetery
Pte	Albert M. Harvey	29th Bn, Machine Gun Corps	14 Apr. 1918	Ploegsteert Memorial
Pte	William Taylor	1/4th, Norfolk Regiment	19 Apr. 1917	Gaza War Cemetery
Pte	Arthur Richardson	7th Bn, Norfolk Rgt	9 Apr. 1917	Bunyans Cemetery
Pte	James Richardson	9th Bn, Norfolk Rgt	14 Oct. 1916	Abbeville Cemetery
Pte	Fred Seaman	9th Bn, Norfolk Rgt	26 Sep. 1915	Loos Memorial
Pte	W. Ned Thompson	1st Bn, South Stafford Regiment	26 Oct. 1917	Lijssenthoek Cemetery
Pte	Edwin G. Wright	1/5th Bn, Yorkshire Light Infantry	5 Jul. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Rfn	Donald J. Taylor	18th Bn, King's Royal Rifle Corps	26 Sep. 1918	Brookwood Cemetery

And: John V. Moorhouse. And the following for the Second World War:


Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Burial
Col.	Sidney Hattersley MC	Royal Army Medical Corps	24 Mar. 1943	St Clement's Churchyard
S/L	Christopher Smith DFC	No. 79 Squadron RAF	22 Dec. 1941	Runnymede Memorial
S/L	Frederick M. Smith	No. 94 Squadron RAF	1 Jun. 1940	Maala Cemetery
Maj.	Henry G. Head	301 (Field) Rgt, Royal Artillery	12 Feb. 1944	Nairobi War Cemetery
Lt. Cdr.	A. H. Browne	HMS Liverpool	14 Oct. 1940	Alexandria War Cemetery
PO	E. C. Harper	No. 106 Squadron RAF	27 Apr. 1944	Durnbach Cemetery
Surg.-Lt.	William Phillips	HMS Niger	6 Jul. 1942	Chatham Naval Memorial
St.1C	Austin Barnes	HMS Volunteer	17 Apr. 1941	Chatham Naval Memorial
Cpl	Herbert Atkins	22 (Bomb Disposal) Coy, Royal Engineers	29 Mar. 1945	St Margaret's Churchyard
St.2C	A. Barnes	H.M.Submarine P514	21 Jun. 1942	Chatham Naval Memorial
Pte	Edward Axon	2nd Bn, North Staffordshire Regiment	21 Apr. 1943	Medjez-El-Bab Memorial