A Short History of Shouldham

 

Written circa 1963 by Mr W Mace who was the Parish Clerk

Shouldham – Described in some text books as a pleasant village, as indeed it is, laying in a hollow and when approached from the West, with the sun shining from that direction too, you overlook most of the village with the Church on the hill to the East and some of the trees of Shouldham Forest showing up on the left hand side as you commence your descent into the village. Anyone with a liking for scenery must admit to seeing one of the prettiest sights in the district.
It appears to have got its name from a small rivulet of water which has its origin in or near “Silver Wells” and flows through the village and empties itself into the Sandy Drain on the Mere Plot Fen. The early Saxon name for such a stream is Scole, Scult, Scoult, Shoud. Add ham for home and so we get Shoudham and later Shouldham.