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Deb Clark Moore
19-01-2005, 8:37 PM
Hello all.

I have been fortunate enough to have had recent contact with family members here in the US that are related through my great grandfather's brother from England. That branch of the family moved from Burwell, Cambs to West Dereham, Norfolk in 1889.

The family members here in the US have some old letters written from the family in Norfolk to the family in the US and I have a question about the address that was used by the family in Norfolk.

The address is as follows:

Hilgay Road
West Dereham
Kings Lynn
Norfolk, Eng.

My question is why is Kings Lynn in the address? I visited the area last year and Kings Lynn is a quite a ways from West Dereham! Why wouldn't the address simply read Hilgay Road, West Dereham, Norfolk England? This one has me stumped. I'll be visiting the area again this summer and would like to search this area and see if I can locate their old family home, but the Kings Lynn thing has me very perplexed.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Deb Clark Moore
Chicago, USA

Geoffers
19-01-2005, 10:42 PM
The family members here in the US have some old letters written from the family in Norfolk to the family in the US.....The address is as follows:
Hilgay Road
West Dereham
Kings Lynn
Norfolk, Eng.
My question is why is Kings Lynn in the address?
Kings Lynn being the nearest port to West Dereham, I'd guess it was for return letters from North America, to ensure that they arrived at the correct port for distribution from there.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

Londonwhay
19-01-2005, 11:24 PM
Hello all.

My question is why is Kings Lynn in the address? I visited the area last year and Kings Lynn is a quite a ways from West Dereham! Why wouldn't the address simply read Hilgay Road, West Dereham, Norfolk England? This one has me stumped. I'll be visiting the area again this summer and would like to search this area and see if I can locate their old family home, but the Kings Lynn thing has me very perplexed.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Deb Clark Moore
Chicago, USAThis may in part be due to the vagaries of the English postal system. West Dereham is 13 miles from Kings Lynn. In nearby Suffolk Haverhill is 18 miles from Bury St Edmunds, but is considered part of Bury St Edmunds. Diss is in Suffolk, but postal addresses to Diss often state Diss, nr Norfolk. Certainly some businesses in West Dereham still use King's Lynn as part of their address, ( try doing a Google search for proof.)

arquebus
20-01-2005, 11:52 AM
I think you will find that this happens nationally and it is due to the 'Postal Town' proximity....this arose because of the nearest town with a 'Postal Sorting Office Facility'...which was generally on a 'main' railway line ( 'main' as was before Beeching got hold of the Railways).
In other words, Dereham and the surrounding villages would have had their post distributed via Kings Lynn Sorting Office.

I have just checked this with an older relative who worked for the Post Office for years.

Alan.

Deb Clark Moore
20-01-2005, 9:22 PM
Thanks everyone for the help. It really makes a lot of sense. I know that my great grandfather's brother died of a stroke and he was taken from West Dereham to hospital in Kings Lynn, so Kings Lynn being the mail distribution point makes sense as well.

Thanks again!

Deb Clark Moore:)