Dereham Town FC

Next on our coverage of East Anglian teams is

, aka, The Magpies. What we discover is a Town with a fascinating history of bodysnatching and burning. And, interestingly, for a town on Norwich's doorstep, a connection to Ipswich’s most famous son – Ed Shee, sorry, Thomas Wolsey.So, let's #GetInTheBadge and see what we can learn about this team, and their Norfolk hometown.

Sat about half way between Norwich and Kings Lynn this team currently occupy 8th place in the @ThurlowNunnL, with a good shot of the playoffs this season if their continue recent form.Founded in 1884, Dereham Town FC has undergone several name changes and league promotions. More on which a bit later. They’ve won the Norfolk Senior Cup five times, most recently in 2019, and achieved promotion to higher leagues multiple times.

In 2022, they joined the Northern Premier League but were relegated back to the Eastern Counties League in 2023.Their badge reflects their colours, black and white, from which their nickname derives - The Magpies. But, there is a case to be made here that a different animal has equal claim to the name... the doe. The doe is central on the town's coat of arms - and the name itself derives from "Deer Village", in Old English. So, it fitting that Dereham is supposed to be home to Saint Withburga, who's miracle tale involves two does.The legend says Withburga was the daughter of Anna, King of the East Angles. Yes, he was called Anna). Withburga, who, after her father's death, decided to build a convent. Noticing her workers only had stale bread to eat, she prayed for help. Two wild does appeared at a well, providing milk each morning. When a local official, unimpressed by such otherworldly nonsense, tried to stop the miracle by hunting the does, he was thrown from his horse and died. In the town centre today, a sign hangs across the road showing the official hunting the does—a warning to officials entering the town thereafter.

But Withburga is only just getting started:

In 799, after her death, the townspeople dug up her body to move it. Upon doing so, they found her body "entire, and free from decay," as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Odd, considering she had been buried for 55 years. Word of this miracle spread, and Dereham became a place of pilgrimage.

But wait, there’s more…

A century later, greedy monks from Ely, envious of Dereham’s miracle, decided to steal it. Clearly, the town was making too much money from letting spare rooms through AirBnB and selling novelty Withburga snowglobes to incoming pilgrims. Ely wanted a piece of the pie—actually, the whole pie.

The Abbot of Ely, Brithnoth, arrived with monks and armed men. They went down the local pub, buying rounds for the locals and inviting everyone to join. While they were suitably distracted, Brithnoth’s men dug up the body of Withburga and fled back to Ely.

With sore heads the next morning, the Dereham townsfolk realised they’d been tricked. They gave chase through the Fens, but it was too late, by the time they reached Elu the body was safely interred inside Ely Cathedral.

Dejected, embittered, and hung over, the Dereham boys returned home to discover yet another miracle! From the hole where she’d been buried, fresh water suddenly sprang forth—a well that remains to this day. Haha, Dereham has the last laugh!

Surely an annual pre-season game between Dereham and fellow @ThurlowNunnL team, @ElyCityFC needs to be played for a ‘Withburga Cup’ or something?

Aside from stolen saints, Dereham is also known for the ‘Burning Bishop,’ Edmund Bonner. A close friend of Ipswich’s Cardinal Wolsey who first gave him his break in government. He later rose under Thomas Cromwell, becoming a key figure in the newly formed Church of England. As a reward, Bonner received numerous positions, including rector of Dereham. His cottage, now a museum, commemorates his role in the Reformation.

A skilled administrator, Bonner initially supported Protestant reforms. However, under Edward VI, he grew uneasy with the rapid changes and reverted to Catholicism. This shift aligned perfectly with Mary I’s reign, earning him the role of Bishop of London. Tasked with prosecuting ‘heretics,’ Bonner gained the nickname ‘Burning Bonner.’ Recent historians, however, suggest he was more pragmatic than zealous, often looking the other way to avoid persecuting people where possible. The jury is still out.

So, that’s Dereham, a fascinating tale of Doting Does, Stolen Saints and Burning Bishops.

More than enough to be proud of, and like Withburga herself, I don’t think History is yet done with Dereham. The Magpies are looking to write the next chapter.