Mattishall

Mattishall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated in the heart of Norfolk 13 miles from the centre of Norwich and four miles from Dereham, at the geographical centre of Norfolk.It covers an area of 11.89km2 and had a population of 2,631 in 1,110 households at the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland.HistoryIt is situated on a plateau of boulder clay left by the glaciers about 300,000 years ago. The soil in the area varies from sands around the neighbouring Mattishall Burgh to stickier clays around Mattishall.Evidence of human activity in these villages reaches back to the period between 8000 and 1000 BC. The discovery in 1968 of a hoard of 110 silver coins provides a link with the Roman period. However no proof of Roman occupation has been found so far. The four panels of the Mattishall village sign, erected in 1984, depict different periods of history from Roman, the Domesday Survey of 1086, medieval to the mid-twentieth century.