Shingham – Name Origin

I diverted off my route a little to go and have a look at Shingham Church, but there’s little else in the village which seems to have depopulated over the centuries. The Concise Oxford Dictionary Of English Placenames still has something to say about it though, noting:

Shingham, Norfolk. Scingham in Domesday Book, Sengham in 1207, Shengham in 1254. Means the ham of Scene’s people.

‘Ham’ in this content is a settlement or homestead, with records suggesting that this used to be a much more important village.