Shropham / Scerepham / Serpeham / Scropham

Blomefield (1805-1810) reports a church in Shropham, and two others in its two hamlets of Breccles Parva/Little Parva and and Broadcar/Bradcar. Breccles Parva, "At the time of the Conquest, was a separate town, belonging to Roger Bigot [...] The church was a rectory, given by Roger Bigot, lord here, to the Priory of Thetford, when he founded it [...] It was annexed to Shropham, and the church was demolished before Edward the Third's time, and the parishioners had the parochial chapel of St. Andrew in Shropham, which till that time belonged to Bradcar, assigned them for their parish church, Bradcar being then entirely united to Shropham; and this continued single for some time, though not very long; for before 1332 the rectory and chapel [...] was annexed to St. Peter and Paul's church of Shropham." Blomefield (ibid.) futher notes that Broadcar "Was included in Shropham at the Conquest, but was independent of it some time after, (fn. 6) and had the parochial chapel of St. Andrew for their church, [...] till it was resigned to the parishioners of Little Breccles, when this was united to Shropham". Bolmefiled (ibid.) names "Will. de Hengham" as he first reported rector of Shropham, in 1284. The Domesday entries for 'Breccles' (fol. 127), and 'Scerepham' (fols. 73, 127, 236, 285) cited in Blomefield (ibid.) mention neither church nor priest in them, but this author gives a confirmation of the church at Breccles in Henry II's time [i.e., 1154-1189]: "Ecclesiam de Serepham, &c. Dug. Mon. Ang. tom. i. fol. 667." A baptismal font here is noted in Pevsner & Wilson (1999): "Font. Late C14, octagonal, with small heads supporting the embattled bowl.- Font cover. Elementary Jacobean." [NB: we have no information on any of the fonts of those early churches].