Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for BRANDON

BRANDON, a small town and a parish in the district of Thetford, and partly in the county of Norfolk, but chiefly in the county of Suffolk. The town stands on the Little Ouse river, adjacent to the Norfolk railway, 6 miles by road, and 7¼ by railway, NW by W of Thetford. It has a head post office,‡ a railway station with telegraph, a banking office, three chief inns, a parish church, four dissenting chapels, a free grammar school, and nine almshouses. The church stands about ¼ of a mile distant; is an ancient quadrangular edifice, of flint and stone; and has a Norman porch, a fine tower, and two cupolas. A weekly market is held on Thursday; and fairs on 14 Feb., 11 June, and 24 Nov. A good grain trade is carried on; and a manufactory of gun flints formed the sole source for the supply of these to government prior to the use of percussion-caps. The town gave name to the Dukes of Suffolk, and the title of Baron to the Earls of Macclesfield; and it gives the title of Duke to the Dukes of Hamilton. Lord Mayor Eyre of London, who built Leadenhall market, was a native. Pop., 2,203. Houses, 512. The parish comprises 6,759 acres. Real property, £7,081. Pop., 2,218. Houses, 519. The property is subdivided. Brandon Park is the seat of H. Bliss, Esq. About 2,400 acres are fen; and there are extensive and productive rabbit warrens. The living is a rectory, united with the rectory of Wangford, in the diocese of Ely. Value, £500.* Patron, T. E. Cartwright, Esq.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a small town and a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Brandon AP/CP       Thetford RegD/PLU       Norfolk AncC       Suffolk AncC
Place: Brandon

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