Beetley

Beetley is a village and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. According to the 2011 census the parish had a population of 1,396.[1] The village is situated four miles (6 km) north of Toftwood.

Beetley

St Mary Magdalene's church, Old Beetley
Beetley
Location within Norfolk
Area11.02 km2 (4.25 sq mi)
Population1,396 (2011 census)
• Density127/km2 (330/sq mi)
Civil parish
  • Beetley
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDEREHAM
Postcode districtNR20
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England

History

Beetley was part of the Manor of Elmham, held by William Beaufoe, Bishop of Thetford, with the name deriving from the two Anglo Saxon words betel and bietel, both words applying to a clearing where wooden mallets are made. Beetley was then part of the parish of Bittering Magna, however the Parish divided into Beetley and Gressenhall.[2] Beetley was then combined together with the neighbouring parish of East Bilney in 1935.[3] Between 1870 and 1872, an excerpt was written about the town

BEETLEY, a parish in Mitford district, Norfolk; 2 miles WSW of Elmham r. station, and 4 N by W of East Dereham. Post Town, Elmham, under Thetford. Acres, 1,770. Real property, £2,870. Pop., 363. Houses, 82. The property is divided among a few. The living is a rectory, annexed to the rectory of East Bilney, in the diocese of Norwich. The church is good.[4]

Government

The Parish Council of Beetley consists of 7 Councillors, who meet on the first Thursday of every month, except January and August in the village hall. The public are allowed to attend these meetings, and can provide their input certain moments during the meeting, with the local County and District Councillor attending the meetings.[5]

The village is in Lincoln ward of the Breckland district of Norfolk,[5] where the two District Councillors are Richard Duffield (Conservative)[6] and Robert Richmond[7] (Conservative). The former has held the position since 2011[6] and the latter, since 1999.[7] Beetley is part of the Necton and Launditch Ward at County level, with the Ward Councillor being Mark Kiddle Morris (Conservative) who has held the role since 2009.[8]

Necton and Launditch is a part of the Mid Norfolk parliamentary constituency. The MP who represents Mid Norfolk is George Freeman (Conservative), who has held the position since 2010.[9] The constituency has been a strong Conservative area since it was re-established in 1983, with the lowest percentage of votes for the Conservative Party being at 39.6% in 1997, to the highest being 56.69% in 1987.

Geography and geology

Geography

Beetley is:

  • 27.35 km (17 miles) north west of Norwich[10]
  • 80 km (50 miles) north east of Peterborough[11]
    Map of Beetley from 1806
  • 153 km (95 miles) north east of London[11]

Geology

According to the BGS, Beetley has a superficial deposit of glacial sand and gravel, whilst the bedrock of Beetley and the surrounding area consists of sandstone and mudstone, with veins of white chalk running across Beetley.[12]

Climate

Beetley experiences an Oceanic climate.

Climate data for Beetley
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 7 (45) 7 (45) 10 (50) 13 (55) 17 (63) 19 (66) 22 (72) 22 (72) 19 (66) 15 (59) 10 (50) 7 (45) 14 (57)
Average low °C (°F) 1 (34) 1 (34) 2 (36) 4 (39) 7 (45) 10 (50) 12 (54) 12 (54) 9 (48) 7 (45) 3 (37) 1 (34) 6 (43)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 56 (2.205) 37 (1.457) 43 (1.693) 42 (1.654) 47 (1.850) 57 (2.244) 62 (2.441) 59 (2.323) 57 (2.244) 62 (2.441) 63 (2.480) 56 (2.205) 641 (25.236)

[13]

Demography

Since 1801, the population of Beetley has indicated a positive correlation up to the 2011 census, as the population in 1801 was 242[14] whilst the recent 2011 census shows that the population is 1,396. The breakdown of the population includes 672 males and 724 females in Beetley, with 17.6% being under 18, 46.5% being between the ages of 18 and 60 and 35.9% of the population above the age of 60.[15]

Out of the population aged 16 or over, 93.9% of the population were born in England, 0.9% were born in Northern Ireland, 1.6% were born in Scotland, 0.9% were born in Wales, 1.3% were born in EU member nations or accession countries and 1.4% were born in nations outside of the EU.[16]

In terms of religious beliefs, 64.5% are Christians, 0.3% are Buddhist, 0.2% are Jewish, 0.4% follow an alternative religion, 8.4% did not state their religious affiliation and 26.3% do not follow a religion[17]

Out of the population over 16, 22.5% have no qualifications, whilst 77.5% have a qualification or in an apprenticeship, matching the national statistics[18]

A population-time scatter graph of Beetley Civil Parish, Norfolk, as reported by the Census of Population from 1801 to 1961. [19]

Economy

In 1831, the main form of employment in Beetley was through agriculture (78.5%) and handicrafts and retail (19.4%),[20]

According to the 2011 census, 65.8% of the population are economically active, whilst 34.2% are not. In contrast, nationally, 69.9% are economically active and 30.1%.[21]

The largest notable groups of the active population are the 13.3% that are in part-time employment, 34% that are in full-time employment, 14.8% that are self-employed, 1.9% that are full-time students whilst 24.6% are retired, 4.3% are full-time home-makers and 1.4% are full-time carers. The statistics are similar compared to the national statistics aside from percentage of those retired which nationally sits at 13.7%.[21]

Out of the 640 economically active people in Beetley, the main sectors that people are employed are as Managers, Directors and Senior Officials (13.1%), in Professional Occupations (15.3%), are Associate Professionals and Technical Occupations (11.7%), Administrative and Secretarial Occupations (10.5%), Skilled Trades Occupations (18%) and Caring, Leisure and Other Service Occupations (11.1%). These key statistics are similar to the national statistics, aside from Skilled Trades Occupation which nationally equates for 11.4%[22]

Landmarks and notable buildings

Beetley Village Hall

Beetley Village Hall was built in the 1960s and is situated in the centre of the Parish, surrounded by a 9-acre playing field, which hosts football and cricket matches for the local teams, alongside carpet bowls and table tennis events.[23] The site is protected by Fields in Trust through a legal "Deed of Dedication" safeguarding the future of the space as public recreation land for future generations to enjoy.[24] The hall itself contains a large function room, smaller meeting room and kitchen facilities and is regularly used by groups, clubs, events and meetings between councillors.[25]

St Mary-Magdalen's Church

The Church is believed to be built on the site mentioned in the Doomsday Book (1087) and is dated to 1320.[26] The tower of the church was heightened in the 16th Century, with the north isle being demolished in the 18th century and with windows being installed in the wall.[27]

Education

Infant and Junior
  • St Mary's Community Primary School[28]

Local media

Beetley Parish Council publish a newsletter, called "The Beetley Buzz".[29] The newsletter is delivered free to all households and provides information about local events.

Sport
  • Beetley Football Club play in the Crown Fire Central & South Norfolk League at the Village Hall Playing Field.[30]
  • Beetley Cricket Club play in the third division of the West Norfolk Cricket League.[30]

References
  1. "Beetley: Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office of National Statistics. 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  2. "History webpage of the Beetley Parish Council website. Retrieved 26 March 2016". Beetley PC. Beetley Parish Council.
  3. "The "About Beetley" webpage of the Beetley Parish Council website. Retrieved 23 March 2016". Beetley PC. Beetley Parish Council.
  4. Wilson, John Marius (1870–72). "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales". A Vision of Britain. A. Fullerton & Co. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  5. "Parish Council Page of the Beetley Parish Council website. Retrieved 23 March 2016". Beetley PC. Beetley Parish Council.
  6. "Richard Duffield information page on Breckland District Council website. Retrieved 23 March 2016". Breckland Government. Breckland District Council.
  7. "Robert Richmond information page on Breckland District Council website. Retrieved 23 March 2016". Breckland Government. Breckland District Council.
  8. "Mark Kiddle-Morris information page on Norfolk County Council website. Retrieved 23 March 2016". Norfolk CC. Norfolk County Council.
  9. "George Freeman's website. Retrieved on 25 April 2016". George Freeman. Conservative Party.
  10. "UK Distance Calculator. Retrieved on 25 April 2016". Distance Calculators. Distance Calculators.
  11. "Distance Calculator. Retrieved on 25 April 2016". Distance Calculators. Distance Calculators.
  12. "British Geology Survey: Geology of Britain viewer. Retrieved on 25 April 2016". BGS Maps. British Geology Survey.
  13. "Beetley's average temperature and rainfall. Retrieved 24 March 2016". MSN Weather. MSN.
  14. "Vision of Britain: Historical Total Population. Retrieved on 23 March 2016". A Vision of Britain through time. GB Historical GIS/University of Portsmouth.
  15. "Neighbourhood Statistics: Breakdown of age groups. Retrieved on 24 March 2016". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics.
  16. "Neighbourhood Statistics: 2011 Census. Retrieved on 24 April 2016". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics.
  17. "Neighbourhood Statistics: 2011 Religious Breakdown. Retrieved on 24 March 2016". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics.
  18. "Neighbourhood Statistics: Qualification Breakdown. Retrieved on 25 March 2016". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics.
  19. "GB Historical GIS, University of Portsmouth, Beetley AP/CP through time, Population Statistics, Total Population, A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 24 March 2016".
  20. "Vision of Britain: 1831 Occupational Categories". A Vision of Britain through time. GB Historical GIS/University of Portsmouth.
  21. "Neighbourhood Statistics: Breakdown of employment stats. Retrieved on 25 April 2016". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics.
  22. "Neighbourhood Statistics: Breakdown of employment sectors. Retrieved on 25 April 2016". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics.
  23. "Fields in trusts: Beetley Village Hall Playing Field. Retrieved on 25 April 2016". Fields in trust. Fields in trust.
  24. "Beetley & East Bilney Village Hall & Playing Field". Fields in Trust. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  25. "Beetley Parish Council Website: Village Hall. Retrieved on 25 April 2016". Beetley PC. Beetley Parish Council.
  26. "Norfolk Heratige: St Mary Magdalem's Church. Retrieved on 25 April 2016". Norfolk Heritage. Norfolk County Council.
  27. "Beetley Parish Church: Worship. Retrieved on 25 April 2016". Beetley PC. Beetley Parish Council.
  28. "St Mary's Community Primary School website. Retrieved 23 March 2016". Beetley School. St Mary's Community Primary School.
  29. "The Beetley Buzz webpage on the Beetley Parish Council Website. Retrieved 23 March 2016". Beetley PC. Beetley Parish Council.
  30. "Sports webpage of Beetley Parish Council Website. Retrieved 24 March 2016". Beetley PC. Beetley Parish Council.

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