Swaffham

Swaffham is a busy market town in SW Norfolk, which was granted its charter (to trade as a market place) in 1216. It is known to have been a Saxon settlement but the discovery of Roman tiles, coins and pottery suggest that the Romans may well have settled here too.

John Chapman, the peddler of Swaffham, is depicted in the stained glass window of the north aisle of the beautiful Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. According to legend Chapman, who lived in the 14th century, dreamt that he would meet a man who could help him make his fortune on London Bridge. He left Swaffham and made for London, after a few days he met a man who explained to him that he had a dream, which foretold he should make for a place named Swaffham and find the peddler’s house, for in the garden was hidden a pot of money. Chapman turned tail and made for home, where he found the pot of money, which he used to build the church’s north aisle.

Swaffham’s other famous resident was Howard Carter, who discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb. Although he was born in London, both Carter’s parents came from Swaffham and he spent much of his youth here.