Bodney is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Hilborough, in the Breckland district of the English county of Norfolk. Bodney is located 10 mi north of Thetford and 26 mi west of Norwich. In 1931 the parish had a population of 70.

History

Bodney's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for 'Beoda's island.' This suggests that in the Early Medieval Period the area around the settlement was completely surrounded by marshland. In the Domesday Book, Bodney is listed as a settlement of 19 households in the hundred of Greenhoe. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of William of Warenne, Ralph of Tosny and Hugh de Montfort. Bodney Hall Farmhouse, located within the village, dates back to the Sixteenth Century with significant Eighteenth Century additions. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Hilborough. During the Second World War, warplanes operated from RAF Bodney. From 1940 to 1943, the airfield was used by the Bristol Blenheims of No. 21 and No. 82 Squadron and, subsequently, from 1943 to 1945 by the 149th, 486th and 487th Fighter Squadrons of the United States Army Air Forces.

Geography

The B1108, between Carbrooke and Ipswich, runs through the village. As well as the course of the River Wissey.

St. Mary's Church

Bodney's parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary and dates in the most part from the 12th century. The church was significantly remodelled in the 19th century, but a font survives within from the 15th century. St. Mary's has been Grade II listed since 1960.

Governance

Bodney is part of the electoral ward of Ashill for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland. The village's national constituency is South West Norfolk which has been represented by Labour's Terry Jermy since 2024.