Thetford No. 5 / Deodford / Tedford / Tefford / Tetford / Theford / Sitomagus

Martin (1779) reported that a fragment was found in 1717 in the churchyard of the Church of St. Giles, Thetford, "about the size of a bushel […] probably a font". Blomefield (1805-1810) writes: "St. Giles's Church stands on the Norfolk side, on the left hand of the street leading from St. Peter's to St. Cuthbert's church; it faces the lane called St. Giles's-lane, which leads from the aforesaid street, to Alice's-lane. It was a rectory in Thetford deanery and Norwich archdeaconry, valued in Edward the Third's time [i.e., 1327-1377] at 16s. given to the Prior of the canons, by the founder, who paid a stipendiary curate to serve it, till about Edward the Fourth's time [i.e., 1461-1463], and then the parish was annexed to St. Cuthbert's, and the church let to a hermit, who lived in it, and performed service there for his own profit. At the Dissolution it was given to Sir Richard Fulmerston, and was sold afterwards by Sir Edward Clere, and is now [1738] the property of Mr. Hatch; it is turned into a barn, the steeple (if there was one) being quite down, and a new gable in its place." [NB: we have no information on the present whereabouts of this object].