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Coordinates: 52°22′52″N 1°06′28″E / 52.3812°N 1.1079°E
| Diss | |
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  Diss
Diss shown within Norfolk |
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| Area | 5.32 km2 (2.05 sq mi) |
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| Population | 6,742 (2001 census) |
| - Density | 1,267 /km2 (3,280 /sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | |
| Shire county | Norfolk |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DISS |
| Postcode district | IP22 |
| Dialling code | 01379 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | South Norfolk |
| List of places: UK • England • Norfolk | |
Diss is a town (population 6742[1]) in Norfolk, England close to the border with the neighbouring East Anglian county of Suffolk.
It lies in the valley of the River Waveney, around a mere (lake) that covers 6 acres (24,000 m2). The mere is up to 18 feet (5 m) deep (although there is another 51 feet (16 m) of mud[citation needed], making it one of the deepest natural inland lakes in England). The town may take its name from the Saxon term for lake, or from an old Viking word meaning 'village of the dancing horse'[citation needed].
Diss has a large number of historic buildings, including the early 14th century parish church. It is also home to a museum. Diss railway station lies on the Great Eastern Main Line route from London to Norwich.
Famous people from Diss include John Skelton, a former poet laureate whose poem Ware the Hawk is set in St, Mary's Church. Others include Thomas Lord, founder of Lord's Cricket Ground and England defender Matthew Upson.
Opposite the 14th century parish church of St. Mary The Virgin stands a 16th century building known as the Dolphin House. This was one of the most important buildings in the town. Its impressive dressed-oak beams denote it to be a high-status building, possibly a wool merchant's house. Formerly a pub, the Dolphin, from the 1800s to the 1960s, the building now houses a number of small businesses.
Adjacent to Dolphin House is the town's marketplace, the geographical and social centre of the town. The market meets every Friday (except Good Friday and other holidays, when it is rescheduled to the preceding Thursday) and hosts a variety of local traders selling fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish and cheeses. The market was first granted charter by Richard the Lionheart. The town's post office and main shopping street (Mere Street) are also located by the marketplace.
Early in 1871, substantial alterations were made to a house in Mount Street, about 100 yards (91 m) north of the parish church. The workmen were removing the brick flooring of one of the ground-rooms and excavating the soil beneath, to insert the joists of a boarded floor, when they discovered a hoard of coins. Beneath the bricks, they came upon the original hard clay floor, and in the centre of the room, at about 18 inches from the surface, the remains of an earthen vessel were found, containing over three hundred coins. With the exception of 2 fine gold nobles, all the coins were silver.[2]
In March 2006, Diss became the third town in the UK to join Cittaslow, an international organisation promoting the concept of 'Slow Towns'.[3]
There are two local newspapers serving the town, The Diss Mercury, and the Diss Express which was founded in 1864.
Diss is a predominantly Christian town with Church of England (St. Mary the Virgin), Catholic (Most Holy Trinity), Methodist, Baptist and community churches such as DC3.
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History
In the time of Edward the Confessor, Diss was then officially included in Suffolk, in the Hartismere hundred (a hundred was an administrative subdivision), as recorded in the Domesday book. It is recorded as being in the king's possession as demesne (direct ownership) of the Crown, there being at that time a church and a glebe of twenty-four acres. This was considered to be worth £15 per annum, which had doubled by the time of William the Conqueror, it being then estimated at £30 with the benefit of the whole hundred and half, belonging to it. It was then found to be a league long (around 3 miles or nearly 5 kilometres), and half this distance broad, and paid 4d. (9.6 new pence) in Danegeld. From this it appears that it was still relatively small, but it grew shortly after when it subsumed Watlingsete Manor, a neighbouring area, which was as large as Diss, and seemingly fuller of inhabitants, according to the geld or tax that it paid. This was afterwards called Walcote, and includes part of Heywode, as appears from its joining to Burston, into which town this manor extended.[4]
The whole estate quickly fell into the hands of the Lordship of the FitzWalters (who were raised to Baron FitzWalters in 1295) and in 1299 the then Lord FitzWalter obtained a charter of confirmation for a fair every year at his manor of Diss, to be held around the feast of St. Simon and Jude (October 28), and several days after. A grant made in 1298, to William Partekyn of Prilleston (now Billingford) granted, for homage and half a mark of silver, two homesteads in Diss, with liberty of washing his wool and cloths in Diss Meer. This came on the express condition that the gross dye should be washed off first. It seems as if the church of Diss was built by the same Lord, as his arms were cut into the stone of the south porch of the church several times.[4]
A short while after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, Edward Plantagenet Duke of York, and Earl of Rutland, came to hold Diss manor, hundred, and market, together with Hemenhale; and the title of Lord FitzWalter became attached to the estate. It was part of a much larger estate that included Hemenhale and Diss manors, with the hundred of Diss in Norfolk, the manors of Shimpling and Thorne in Suffolk, of Wodeham-Walter (now Woodham Walter), Henham, Leiden (now part of Leaden Roding), Vitring, Dunmow Parva (now Little Dunmow), Burnham (possibly equating to the modern village of Burnham-on-Crouch), Winbush, and Shering (now Sheering) in Essex. Shortly after, the estate fell into the hands of the Ratcliffe family, who inherited the title of Baron FitzWalter. The Ratcliffe family owned the land until at least 1732, styling themselves Viscounts FitzWalter.[4]
Sport
The town is home to several sporting organisations, including Diss Town FC, who won the FA Vase at Wembley in 1994, Diss RFC (based in nearby Roydon) who won the London 2 North league in 2009 earning promotion to the National leagues, Diss & District Cycling Club and Diss & District Bowls Club.
Diss has produced a few national and international sports stars, including footballer Matthew Upson, who played in defence for England and Arsenal amongst others, and Great Britain judo team member Colin Oates [5]
Local people
Local historian Stephen Govier published an illustrated history of Diss in 2007.
James Govier (1910-1974) was the art master at Diss Grammar School from 1965 until 1972. Govier was a painter and etcher of The Swansea School and The Royal College of Art, he resided at Hoxne in Suffolk.
In 2006, the South Norfolk Youth Symphonic Band, a Diss-based band made up of young musicians from the area, won the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.
References
- ^ Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council, 2001. Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes.
- ^ Coin Hoard Article
- ^ Cittaslow, 2006. Diss becomes Cittaslow.
- ^ a b c Blomefield, Francis (c.1736, published c.1806). History of Norfolk. London.
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/judo/8189692.stm
- An Illustrated History & Guide to Diss, by Stephen Govier, published in 2007.
External links
- Diss Town Council – official town council website
- Map from discoversuffolk
- Diss Online – official town website
- Norfolk: Diss GENUKI Norfolk transcript from History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk, William White, 1845
- History of Diss windmills
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