ALL SAINTS CHURCH , EARSHAM
Earsham is a village of about 400 houses, with its centre a mile from Bungay. The Rectory is sited here, near to our C of E VA Fist School for about 75 children aged 4-9, and we have a popular village pub and village hall, bowls club and sports pavilion. The parish boundaries encompass about 3000 acres of farmland, woods and riverside meadows.
The church, possibly of Saxon origin, is sited within the village and average attendance at 11am services each Sunday is about 25. At our Fourth Sunday service we usually have a group of adults to provide the music, with a rota of organists for the other Sundays. In addition, the 8am HC Service on the second Sunday uses the 1662 Prayer Book and is valued by the congregation of around 12 people, some of whom do not attend other services.
We have close links with the school; members of the Staff Team take assembly on one day each week and the school hold their merit assemblies, plays and concerts in the church. Several PCC members are school governors. We have a fortnightly Home Group.
The village is supportive to the church; although many do not attend often, their underlying appreciation is shown at festivals, especially the Carol Service when over 200 people pack the church and many stay for Holy Communion afterwards. The church participates in the annual Village Festival; we serve teas in the church and run stalls on the village green.
Financially we are supported by a Trust fund, from a sale of land some years ago. It has enabled us to underwrite the employment of a P.A. and have funds available to support the Benefice Youth work and for other projects. It also enabled the building of a meeting room etc. onto the church, which has proved a very considerable benefit and is regularly used for a variety of purposes.
In addition to this short description of church life as it is now we would emphasise that we are receptive to new ideas and would always hope to be seen as open and welcoming to others. In both congregation and PCC there are some who prefer more traditional or more modern styles of worship: we are all happy to respect and work round each others’ viewpoints. In this spirit, also, we enjoy and appreciate our partnership with the other five parishes of this benefice.
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A Historic Connection
Our church bells around the Benefice rang out, with others all over Norfolk, on the weekend of the 200th anniversary of the battle of Trafaglar, in October 2005
One of our churches has a particular link with the battle: at Earsham is interred the body of a veteran of the battle, Capt. John Windham Dalling RN, who at the age of 16 had taken part at Trafalgar as a Midshipman. He died in 1853, aged 64, at Earsham Hall, where he had come to live during his retirement.
Luckily for him, perhaps - though doubtless to his great regret at the time - his ship, Defence (Capt: Sir G.Hope), was one of the few out of that great fleet which saw little action. A couple of years later, however, he was involved in some of the notable "Small Boat Actions" in the Adriatic, in command of one of the boats. His Captain now - on HMS Amphion - was Sir W.Hoste, another Norfolk man and celebrated today as one of Nelson’s commanders at Trafalgar. JMM.
Further information: After Adriatic, posted to Cape (where RM was Lt.Governor): c1816 posted Scotland in command of a sloop – became a friend of Sir Walter Scott: later commanded HMS Raleigh and HMS Daphne: promoted Post Captain 1828, retired c1840.
Married 1844 Frances Fanshawe (b.1813); no children.