In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Cley Next the Sea like this:
CLEY-NEXT-THE-SEA, or Clay, a village and a parish in Erpingham district, Norfolk. The village stands on the river Glaven, about a mile from the beach, 4½ NNW of Holt, and 8 E of Wells r. station. It has a post office, ‡ of the name of Cley, under Thetford; had formerly a weekly market; still has a fair on the last Friday in July; carries on a small coasting trade; and is frequented as a watering-place. ...
Prince James, afterwards James I. of Scotland, was forced hither by stress of weather on his passage to France; made a prisoner by the villagers; and given up to Henry IV., who sent him prisoner to the Tower of London. The parish comprises 2, 198 acres of land, and 165 of water. Real property, £3, 857. Pop., 791. Houses, 216. The property is divided among a few. Part of the land has recently been re-claimed by embanking and draining. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Norwich. Value, £400. Patron, W. Bishop, Esq. The church is cruciform, curious, chiefly early decorated English; has a clerestory over the nave; contains a figured font and three brasses; and was recently restored. There are chapels for Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists.
Cley Next the Sea through time
Cley Next the Sea is now part of North Norfolk district. Click here for graphs and data of how North Norfolk has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Cley Next the Sea itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Cley Next the Sea in North Norfolk | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/5132
Date accessed: 26th April 2024
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