Larling is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Roudham and Larling, in the Breckland district, in the county of Norfolk, England.[1] The village is 8.5 miles east north east of Thetford, 21.4 miles west south west of Norwich and 94 miles north east of London.[2] In 1931 the parish had a population of 159.[3]
The village’s name means 'Lyrel's people'.[4] Earlier spellings include Lurling, Lirling, Lerling, or Lerlingford.[5]
Larling has an entry in the Domesday Book of 1086.[6] In the great book Larling is recorded by the name ‘’Lur(i)inga’’. The main landholder is William de Warenne with the main tenant being Hugh. The survey also mentions a mill.
On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Roudham.[7]
The still-standing medieval church was built in the 12th century, and was expanded in the 1340s creating the chancel, with a tower later being added in the 16th century.[8] The church is built of flint, with stone used only for dressings. The tower is in the 15th-century Perpendicular style. On the north side there is a staircase turret that leads to the belfry. The windows date from the 15th century also. There is an ornamented Norman doorway, with one of the pillars carrying a mass dial. Inside the church is a four-sided font from the 12th century.[9] The walls used to be covered in decorative paintings, one of them including a large painting of St Christopher. An organisation under the name 'Friends of Thurton Church' continue to help raise money for future restorations and the ongoing maintenance of the church.
Shrubb family is one of the longest-running communal communities in England. Founded in 1970 in a 17th-century cottage near the old A11 and the Angel pub, the membership and fortunes of the community have fluctuated over the years, but the ethos of low-impact living and environmental harmony has persisted.[11]
Shrubb is listed on the Diggers and Dreamers online directory, and there is a video of the early days at Shrubb on YouTube titled 'Shrubb Family 1973 part 1 & 2'. Shrubb is featured in "Communes in Britain" by Andrew Rigby, 1974. As of recent years the membership of the group has fluctuated and has been left with around 6 members.[12]
^"The Church of England". The Church of England. Archbishops' Council. 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
^The King’s England series, NORFOLK, by Arthur Mee,Pub:Hodder and Stoughton,1972, page 154 Larling, ISBN0-340-15061-0
^Greater Anglia Trains. "Harling Road". www.greateranglia.co.uk. Greater Anglia. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
^Diggers and dreamers : the 1990/91 guide to communal living, edited by Vera Ansell et al. Dunford Bridge, Sheffield, [England]: Communes Network. 1989. ISBN978-0-9514945-0-9.
^Ansell, Vera. "Diggers and Dreamers". Diggers and Dreamers: the guide to communal living. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
