New Buckenham Common facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 |
|
| Area of Search | Norfolk |
|---|---|
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 20.9 hectares (52 acres) |
| Notification | 1985 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
New Buckenham Common is a special piece of land in New Buckenham, Norfolk, England. It's a type of shared land called a common. About 20.9 hectares (which is around 50 acres) of this common is a very important natural area. It's known as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its unique plants and wildlife. The Norfolk Wildlife Trust helps to look after this amazing place.
Contents
What is New Buckenham Common?
New Buckenham Common covers about 100 acres. A road called 'The Turnpike' (B1113) goes right through the middle, splitting it into two parts. A small stream also flows across the common. People say that this common has looked pretty much the same for 800 years! Long ago, in 1597, there was a disagreement with the nearby village of Carleton Rode about who owned part of the common. This led to a special map being made to settle the problem.
A Home for Rare Plants
Much of the northern part of New Buckenham Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This means it's a protected area because it has rare and important plants and animals. One of the special plants you can find here is the beautiful Green Winged Orchid.
The common also has old clay pits. These are places where people used to dig out a type of clay called marl. This marl was then used for building things.
Grazing Animals and Old Traditions
New Buckenham Common has been used as a place for animals to graze for a very long time. Even today, cattle still graze here every year. This happens because of a long-standing tradition called 'Common Rights'.
What are Common Rights?
There are about 79 'Common Rights' linked to this land. These rights belong to different people, and they allow them to graze certain animals on the common. For example, a right might let someone graze 'a horse, mare or neat beast'. A 'neat beast' is an animal with hooves, like a cow.
How Common Rights Work Today
In the past, many local farmers or families wanted to rent these grazing rights. They would even be auctioned off each spring! This was important for farming in the area, especially after the wool and sheep trade became less popular in the 1700s.
Originally, these rights were given to specific houses in 1770. So, some people own a whole right, while others own just a small part, like a 14th fraction of a right. By the 1960s, fewer people wanted to rent the rights. So, the people who owned the rights formed a group. They now work together to rent the rights directly to a farmer who grazes their cattle on the common.
It's important to know that some of these rights were lost. This happened because they weren't officially registered when a law called the Commons Registration Act came out in the mid-1960s.
Other Commons in New Buckenham
New Buckenham has another common area too. It's the village green, which is also known as the Market Place.
