(Sea) Palling, Norfolk
Palling's village signpost, carved by Henry Barnett and depicting a lifeboat with crew. It was refurbished in 2002.
The village and parish of Sea Palling is in Norfolk. The village is 19.6 miles (31.5 km) south-east of Cromer, 19.6 miles (31.5 km) north-east of Norwich and 140 miles (230 km) north-east of London.
The Domesday Book of 1086 records that the Palling area comprised nine villagers and fourteen smallholders. There were 20 acres of meadow, 14 wild mares, two cobs, 23 pigs and 71 sheep with a total value of £4.00. It was surrounded by areas of salt marsh.
The areas story has been inextricably linked to the sea since pre-history. The town of Waxham Parva disappeared under the waves in the 13th. century together with its church and some of the land that was part of the large estate of Gelham Hall. One of the earliest accounts was written by John of Oxendes, a monk at nearby St. Benet's Abbey, in which he relates the destruction wrought by the great storm of 1287,
"The sea, agitated by the violence of the wind, burst through its accustomed limits, occupying towns, fields and other places adjacent to the coast ... it suffocated or drowned men and women sleeping in their beds, with infants in their cradles ... and it tore up houses from their foundations, with all they contained and threw them into the sea with irrevocable damage".
Several more incursions occurred over the centuries and by 1604 neighbouring Eccles-on-Sea had lost 66 houses and more than 1,000 acres of land. Three years later Sea Palling's defences were breached and Waxham was flooded in 1655 and 1741. The 18th. century owner of Waxham, Sea Palling and Horsey, Sir Berney Brograve, by reviving a previous Act of Parliament, unsuccessfully tried to have the sea breaches repaired after many destructive inundations of his estate. Lack of proper maintenance of the dunes led to continuous breaches and it was not until the 19th. century that a programme of sea defence work was started. The North Sea flood of 1953 took the lives of seven Sea Palling villagers, a memorial plaque is in St. Margaret's Church. Following this tragedy the sea wall was extended in 1986 and in 1995 the Environment Agency undertook a multimillion-pound project erecting four barrier reefs then later in 1998 put up five more to make them more effective.
The sea also provided opportunities for the villagers, smuggling being one which reached its peak in the mid-1770's. Revenue cutters patrolled the coast and there were seizures of tea, Geneva and other spirits on several occasions and it is reputed that Sea Palling was the headquarters of a band of armed smugglers. To counter this a Coastguard service was established in 1822 and a station built at Sea Palling, which contributed to a decline in smuggling.
Alongside smuggling there was also salvage work. Since before the formation of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), lifeboats have been operated from Sea Palling. As far back as 1840 two fast sailing and rowing yawls owned by private beach companies were stationed at Sea Palling, as part of the Norfolk Shipwreck Association, known locally as the Blues and the Whites. It was a perilous occupation and the demands for exorbitant payments may be excusable given the dangers involved. The salvage value of ships that came to grief were used for the upkeep of the lifeboats and to supplement the income of the beachmen. As the companies prospered with the increase in maritime shipping they built brick sheds for storage and a lookout to watch over the Haisborough Sands. On 16th. December 1842 one of the boats was lost with five crew and a few weeks later a yawl went down with the loss of seven crew. The impact on the village was immense as most of the drowned were young men with families.
In 1858 the Sea Palling station came under the control of the RNLI and in 1870 a second station was established. In those times the boats were launched by a gang of work horses from nearby farms. It is said that when a flare was fired to alert the crews of a stricken vessel the horses would make their own way to the station, arriving before the men.
During 1929 the service was reduced to one boat and the on the 16th. January 1931 the station was closed in a rationalisation of regional lifeboat stations. The achievements of the Sea Palling lifeboats are now almost forgotten, yet when the station was closed it had one of the finest records known to the RNLI. During its 91 years of service the boats was launched 400 times and saved 795 lives, a record bettered by only three other UK stations. There were four silver gallantry medals and several commendations awarded to men of the Sea Palling lifeboat for bravery. A replica of the RNLI silver gallantry medal awarded to Tom Bishop is on display in St. Margaret’s Church, Sea Palling.
Without the lifeboat the coast was still hazardous and in December 1948 a steamer, The Bosphorous, was ensnared on Haisborough Sands and its cargo of oranges were jettisoned. To a population emerging from wartime rationing the sight of the beaches strewn with loose and crated oranges was 'miraculous' and revived another Sea Palling custom, that of plunder. The inhabitants of 1948 could trace this pastime back for centuries when the scavengers of wrecks were known as 'pawkers', despite the attempts of the Lords of the Manor to claim all shipwreck. Perhaps the greatest coup was the wreck of Lady Agatha in 1768 with a cargo valued at £50,000, none of which was recovered by authorities.
In 1972, because of the increasing number of tourists visiting this area of the coast, several residents thought it prudent to provide a lifeboat based at Sea Palling. This led to the present independent lifeboat being founded. Following much fundraising and hard work the first lifeboat, The Hearts of Oak was launched. After seven years of service this boat was replaced by the rigid hull inflatable boat (RIB) named Leo. Many local associations contributed towards its purchase including the Norwich Lions Club. Leo was on service for over twenty years and carried out many rescues throughout the years. Today the charitable Palling Voluntary Rescue Service runs a Humber 5.7 Pro RIB (19ft.) called Lionheart, powered by a Mercury 150hp outboard motor, giving her a top speed of 40 knots and a Arancia ILB (inshore lifeboat) named Lion Ros Clipston, powered by a 30 hp Tohatsu outboard motor, giving her a top speed of around 30 knots. Both boats cover the area between Eccles-on-Sea and Winterton-on-Sea.
Away from the sea, the villagers maintained an agricultural existence. There was also, for a time, some brick making. The bricks were transported by wherry along the New Cut to various Broadland staithes. The industry ended around the start of the 20th. century and the kilns dismantled.
(Sea) Palling, Norfolk
Palling's village signpost, carved by Henry Barnett and depicting a lifeboat with crew. It was refurbished in 2002.
The village and parish of Sea Palling is in Norfolk. The village is 19.6 miles (31.5 km) south-east of Cromer, 19.6 miles (31.5 km) north-east of Norwich and 140 miles (230 km) north-east of London.
The Domesday Book of 1086 records that the Palling area comprised nine villagers and fourteen smallholders. There were 20 acres of meadow, 14 wild mares, two cobs, 23 pigs and 71 sheep with a total value of £4.00. It was surrounded by areas of salt marsh.
The areas story has been inextricably linked to the sea since pre-history. The town of Waxham Parva disappeared under the waves in the 13th. century together with its church and some of the land that was part of the large estate of Gelham Hall. One of the earliest accounts was written by John of Oxendes, a monk at nearby St. Benet's Abbey, in which he relates the destruction wrought by the great storm of 1287,
"The sea, agitated by the violence of the wind, burst through its accustomed limits, occupying towns, fields and other places adjacent to the coast ... it suffocated or drowned men and women sleeping in their beds, with infants in their cradles ... and it tore up houses from their foundations, with all they contained and threw them into the sea with irrevocable damage".
Several more incursions occurred over the centuries and by 1604 neighbouring Eccles-on-Sea had lost 66 houses and more than 1,000 acres of land. Three years later Sea Palling's defences were breached and Waxham was flooded in 1655 and 1741. The 18th. century owner of Waxham, Sea Palling and Horsey, Sir Berney Brograve, by reviving a previous Act of Parliament, unsuccessfully tried to have the sea breaches repaired after many destructive inundations of his estate. Lack of proper maintenance of the dunes led to continuous breaches and it was not until the 19th. century that a programme of sea defence work was started. The North Sea flood of 1953 took the lives of seven Sea Palling villagers, a memorial plaque is in St. Margaret's Church. Following this tragedy the sea wall was extended in 1986 and in 1995 the Environment Agency undertook a multimillion-pound project erecting four barrier reefs then later in 1998 put up five more to make them more effective.
The sea also provided opportunities for the villagers, smuggling being one which reached its peak in the mid-1770's. Revenue cutters patrolled the coast and there were seizures of tea, Geneva and other spirits on several occasions and it is reputed that Sea Palling was the headquarters of a band of armed smugglers. To counter this a Coastguard service was established in 1822 and a station built at Sea Palling, which contributed to a decline in smuggling.
Alongside smuggling there was also salvage work. Since before the formation of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), lifeboats have been operated from Sea Palling. As far back as 1840 two fast sailing and rowing yawls owned by private beach companies were stationed at Sea Palling, as part of the Norfolk Shipwreck Association, known locally as the Blues and the Whites. It was a perilous occupation and the demands for exorbitant payments may be excusable given the dangers involved. The salvage value of ships that came to grief were used for the upkeep of the lifeboats and to supplement the income of the beachmen. As the companies prospered with the increase in maritime shipping they built brick sheds for storage and a lookout to watch over the Haisborough Sands. On 16th. December 1842 one of the boats was lost with five crew and a few weeks later a yawl went down with the loss of seven crew. The impact on the village was immense as most of the drowned were young men with families.
In 1858 the Sea Palling station came under the control of the RNLI and in 1870 a second station was established. In those times the boats were launched by a gang of work horses from nearby farms. It is said that when a flare was fired to alert the crews of a stricken vessel the horses would make their own way to the station, arriving before the men.
During 1929 the service was reduced to one boat and the on the 16th. January 1931 the station was closed in a rationalisation of regional lifeboat stations. The achievements of the Sea Palling lifeboats are now almost forgotten, yet when the station was closed it had one of the finest records known to the RNLI. During its 91 years of service the boats was launched 400 times and saved 795 lives, a record bettered by only three other UK stations. There were four silver gallantry medals and several commendations awarded to men of the Sea Palling lifeboat for bravery. A replica of the RNLI silver gallantry medal awarded to Tom Bishop is on display in St. Margaret’s Church, Sea Palling.
Without the lifeboat the coast was still hazardous and in December 1948 a steamer, The Bosphorous, was ensnared on Haisborough Sands and its cargo of oranges were jettisoned. To a population emerging from wartime rationing the sight of the beaches strewn with loose and crated oranges was 'miraculous' and revived another Sea Palling custom, that of plunder. The inhabitants of 1948 could trace this pastime back for centuries when the scavengers of wrecks were known as 'pawkers', despite the attempts of the Lords of the Manor to claim all shipwreck. Perhaps the greatest coup was the wreck of Lady Agatha in 1768 with a cargo valued at £50,000, none of which was recovered by authorities.
In 1972, because of the increasing number of tourists visiting this area of the coast, several residents thought it prudent to provide a lifeboat based at Sea Palling. This led to the present independent lifeboat being founded. Following much fundraising and hard work the first lifeboat, The Hearts of Oak was launched. After seven years of service this boat was replaced by the rigid hull inflatable boat (RIB) named Leo. Many local associations contributed towards its purchase including the Norwich Lions Club. Leo was on service for over twenty years and carried out many rescues throughout the years. Today the charitable Palling Voluntary Rescue Service runs a Humber 5.7 Pro RIB (19ft.) called Lionheart, powered by a Mercury 150hp outboard motor, giving her a top speed of 40 knots and a Arancia ILB (inshore lifeboat) named Lion Ros Clipston, powered by a 30 hp Tohatsu outboard motor, giving her a top speed of around 30 knots. Both boats cover the area between Eccles-on-Sea and Winterton-on-Sea.
Away from the sea, the villagers maintained an agricultural existence. There was also, for a time, some brick making. The bricks were transported by wherry along the New Cut to various Broadland staithes. The industry ended around the start of the 20th. century and the kilns dismantled.