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Mattishall Churches ....

by Jenny Pennell & Liz Gilding

There have been a number of vicars in Mattishall - the Rev. Madoc was vicar until his death in the 1930's. Rev. Graham took over and was not very well received by the villagers as he was considered a 'foreigner'. He was rather eccentric and had a flat, black straw Roman Catholic type hat. Florrie Green was the church organist and George Randal was Parish Clerk. During the winter the church caretaker Roper Land used to light the furnace on Sundays but it gave out very little heat and the congregation used to call it 'Holy Smoke'

Church anniversaries were held by the methodists on Neaves Meadow. A stage was erected and lots of the villagers came Dressed in their Sunday best. Recitations, songs and short readings were enjoyed by all. On a Tuesday each week the children and members of the church went round the village accompanied by a piano or harmonium tied to a cart belonging to Wesley Lusher. They sang hymns until teatime when they would go to Mr. Marshall Cole's barn in Welgate Road for tea. Afterwards they would play on his meadow until dark. If you did not belong to the Chapel you were allowed in the meadow by paying 3d.

At the time of the Coronation all the villagers went to the church to watch on a television erected by Mr. Grief who ran the village electrical shop.

There used to be Sunday school outings to Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Hunstanton using Farrow's lorries. Later Thompson's charabanes were used but you had to pay. During the war outings used to be to Ringland Hills as the seaside resorts were out of bounds. A steam engine being driven by Chris Orton Snr. was hired from Farrows. The children were picked up at Mattishall Church for a bumpy ride on bales on straw. If the wind blew the wrong way the children were covered in soot smuts from the steam engine. Andrew Moore who worked in Norton's bakery was a good bell ringer and a Mr. Wright who was a grave digger rang the church bell when somebody died. The church bell was originally the curfew bell.

There was also a Primitive Methodist chapel behind Hewitts the butchers on the Plain.

The Congregational chapel was at Old Moor. The organ from the Old Moor as well as the pews are now in the current chapel. They did not celebrate church anniversaries.

The Quakers also had a chapel and a burial ground on the road to Dereham.

There was a Methodist chapel which was built in front of the Duke of Edinburgh pub. Quite a lot pf the children used to attend the chapel three times a day on a Sunday. Connie Hill used to play the squeeze box. They also went to Scripture Union which was held in a hall behind The Swan and Edith Bear used to collect subscriptions. There was a different teacher each week at the Chapel, either Mr. Lusher, Mr. Leveridge or either of the two Mr Horne's

There used to be lantern lectures at the United Reform Chapel

Amy Grix took Sunday School at Burgh Church

There are still two lampposts in the churchyard which used to have a glass top on.