Hevingham

The village name has Old English origins and is translated as homestead of the people of Hefa. Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the village has been occupied since the Bronze Age. But there are much earlier signs of activity, a Mesolithic flint axe-head being the earliest archaeological find recorded, with several Neolithic flint axe-heads also being recovered. There is evidence of Roman activity. A Roman iron-working site was found during ploughing and was subsequently excavated. Archaeologists also investigated pottery kilns in the parish in the 1950s. Five kilns were recorded. These produced cooking vessels and other pottery during the 2nd century. The names of two potters…

A sign of two crossed birch brooms which recalls a staple industry of the village in the past. The idea for the sign was conceived by a Mr. Wymer, one of the last of the brushmakers. The background imagery of the sign fits with the description given by Rev. Francis Blomfield when he wrote about the village in 1750, mentioning that "it lay at the confluence of several small streams". The sign is situated at the corner of the village green on Westgate (Formerly a pond called 'Westgate pit') and the current incarnation was erected in 2009.