Content
There is evidence that much of Norfolk has been intensively farmed from the late Iron Age onwards so it is not surprising that agriculture has always been a major influence on the life and times of the townsfolk of Wymondham.
Our display reflects the area’s rich agricultural heritage with artefacts from farming of yesteryear. Some of them have caused scratched heads as visitors work out what they were used for.
A feature of our display are the memories of Percy Corbould who kept diaries of his life as a worker on a farm at Browick, just outside Wymondham. His diaries reveal how hard life was for a farm worker in the 1940s, working a six-day week with only two weeks holiday. The working day was long and consisted of hard manual labour and the work was mainly outside in all weathers all year round.
Mechanisation was beginning to enter the world of farming but jobs driving tractors were specialised so, for Percy as shown in the image, horses remained the main source of power.
The single day off each week was vital for farm workers in order to ease the aches and pains and Percy spent his free time going to the cinema and playing and watching football and darts.
Percy passed away in 2001 but through his diaries, our display gives visitors a fascinating insight into the life of the farm worker of yesteryear.
In the First and Second World Wars the Women's Land Army was a huge part of the homefront working the land across the country helping to feed the nation. Norfolk was no different with girls aged 16 to 40 joining the Women's Land Army, often moving away from home and across the country. The work was manual heavy and physical from dawn til dusk.
Our tribute to the girls of the WLA includes an example of a Land Girls 'walking out' outfit and would typically have been worn to Church services and Parades. The uniform on display is part of our collection from Mary Kett (nee Flatt) of Glebe Farm, Swaffham and Mary Briggs who worked at Mr Polls farm in Hethersett. Both sets of uniform have been kindly bequeathed to us along with other Land Army memorabilia on display.
Below are some examples of how agriculture has influenced life in the town.
King John gave the town its first market charter in 1204 although it is probable that a market was held earlier. The Market Cross, which was rebuilt in 1617 after the disastrous town fire of 1615 destroyed the original, is still a major landmark standing in the centre of the town.
In the 16th century, the enclosure of common land that affected the livelihood of small farmers drove Robert Kett to lead a rebellion in 1549 that threatened the overthrow of King Edward VI before it was ruthlessly crushed.
By the 16th century, huge numbers of sheep were kept for wool and weaving was an important industry in the town. It flourished between the 1740s and 1830s when, for a time, more people were employed in weaving than in any other industry. In the 19th century there were three weaving factories in Wymondham but the Industrial Revolution spelt ruin for the town's weavers and all the factories had closed down by the early 20th century.
In the late 18th century, Randall Burroughs lived and farmed at Browick Hall. He is well-known for keeping a farming journal in which he recorded his farming system of integrating animal and arable husbandry.
In addition to farming, the town also had a major seed grower and plant nursery started by Charles Samuel Daniels in the early 1900s. The site of the nursery covered thirteen acres between Barnham Broom Road and Melton Road. It closed in 1971 and the land was sold for housing. The original sign for the nursery forms part of our display.
