FELBRIGG
by Colin Cunliffe

The sign standing on the village green in Felbrigg shows the magnificent Felbrigg Hall. The estate owned by the National Trust has a history dating back to the middle ages. Norman settlers took the name Felbrigg and built a manor house on the site of the present Felbrigg Hall.

Felbrigg Hall is surrounded by acres of woodland and pasture through which all visitors are invited to ramble. A walk through the woods by the lake and then across field brings you to the isolated 15th century church of St. Margaret. The church was originally built within the village but it is believed that during some severe plague the village was abandoned and rebuilt on its present site some distance away. Stepping into the Church you are surrounded by the history of Felbrigg Hall, with brasses and memorials of many Lords of the Manor.

The name Felbrigg came down through the ages to Simon de Felbrigg in the 14th century. A very impressive brass of Sir Simon and his first wife Lady Margaret, daughter of the Duke of Teschen, also cousin to Richard II first wife Queen Anne, can be found in the main aisle.

Sir Simon de Felbrigg was a most distinguished knight, winning high favours from King Richard II and eventually became his standard bearer. Not surprisingly he was not in favour when Henry IV took the throne from Richard. He probably went into hiding until Henry the V came to power. He is then recorded in 1415 as having 12 men-at-arms and 36 archers. Lady Margaret died in 1416 and Sir Simon remarried and lived until 1442. His will stated that his manors and lands were sold upon his wife’s death, which came about in 1459.

The new owner of Felbrigg was John Wyndham, a merchant from Wymondham. There were no real changes to the manor until the early seventeenth century when Thomas Windham inherited the manor. He not only changed the spelling of the name but started a building program that resulted in the house we see today. A west wing was added by his son William in the late 17th century and an orangery by his grandson Ash in 1705.

In 1824 Vice Admiral William Lukin inherited the estate then assumed the name Windham. His contribution to the estate was to build the new stables and courtyard. On his death the title passed down to his son William Howe Windham. This was the period when the new Aylsham to Cromer turnpike was being built, and William used his influence to negotiate a few diversions to suit his needs. One such diversion involved him buying a cottage in Ingworth. Then by reducing it to half its original length the gap was wide enough for the turnpike to pass through, before continuing to its original route. He now had access from the turnpike to the water mill that he owned in the village.

Next in line was his son William Frederick, whose eccentric ways earned him the title of ‘Mad’ Windham. His wife tried to have him certified as mad but failed. Eventually she left him when he was almost broke. To help his finances he took over driving the Express Coach along the turnpike in which father had shown interest. It was his proud boast that he would never get into Norwich too late for any passenger to catch the 10-45 am train to London. The coach departed Cromer at 8.o’clock to reach Aylsham by 9 o’clock. It has been written that his galloping entry into Aylsham through its narrow streets was a sight to behold, preferably from a distance. A short stay at the staging post in the market place was needed to replace horses, and possibly to bolster to nerves of passengers with a quick tot of spirits in the bar. Then with a probably crack of the whip the coach would leave for the next stage of the dash to Norwich.

Williams eccentric ways brought ruin to the Windham estate and in 1863 he was forced to sell the manor to John Ketton a Norwich merchant. A new era had begun at Felbrigg, but the name of Windham was to return to Felbrigg, in its original spelling. John Ketton’s daughter married Thomas Wyndham-Cremer who was a distant cousin of ‘Mad Windham.’

Their grandson Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer was to be the last squire of Felbrigg. His most notable contribution was to plant two avenues of trees in a V shape in the land behind the house to create Victory Wood. The angle of the V being the furthest distance from the house. At this point a solitary tree is surrounded by a bench, A plaque nearby reads The Victory V was planted up by Robert Wyndam Ketton-Cremmer (the Late Squire) in 1946, to commemorate VE Day and the death of his brother Richard Wyndam Ketton-Cremmer, who was killed during the Second World War (RAF, Crete 1940). Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer died in 1969 leaving the Hall and all its contents to ‘The National Trust’ its present owners.