History
Bawdeswell is sited on a Roman road that ran from Durobrivae near modern Peterborough, across the Fen Causeway to Denver, followed Fincham Drove and crossed Peddars Way between Castle Acre and Swaffham, thence towards North Elmham and Billingford, to Bawdeswell and Jordans Green, and on to Smallburgh. It was a major east-west route and possibly continued via the large Roman settlement at Brampton to Caister or an important port since eroded by the sea. The village lies just over 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Billingford that was a Roman settlement and river (Wensum) crossing (wooden Roman Bridge) point. Some Neolithic and Anglo Saxon artifacts found in Bawdeswell are listed by Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service but no Roman items are recorded. An excavation at The Gables in 1998 revealed an interesting variety of items from prehistoric to post medieval. See http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/SingleResult.aspx?uid=MNF38259 The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and again in the 'Norwich Domesday Book' of 1291. Evidence has been found of a church here since about 1100.
Bawdeswell was the home of Chaucer's Reeve in The Reeve's Prologue and Tale in the Canterbury Tales from which the village magazine 'The Reeve's Tale' gets its name. He was "Osewald the Reeve", "Of Northfolk was this reeve of which I telle, Byside a toun men callen Baldeswelle".
Six roads meet here. From the northwest the road from Fakenham and from the southeast the road from Norwich (A1067). From the west the road from King's Lynn via Litcham and North Elmham and from the east the road from Mundesley on the coast via Aylsham and Reepham (B1145). From the southwest the road from Dereham via Swanton Morely (B1147). Lastly, and in this case least, is the road south to Elsing that starts as Elsing Lane and after reaching Elsing meanders through various lanes to places south such as North Tuddenham and Mattishall.
In times past there were four coaching inns and a turnpike toll gate and it was a busy stopping off point for the changing of horses and coaches, including the Mail coach, for travellers and for Walsingham pilgrims. As with many villages, all the original pubs closed, mostly in the 1920s, but the Bell Inn stayed until 1970 when it was closed and converted into flats.
The buildings of the Tollhouse and of the four original public houses are now residential dwellings within the conservation area of the village. The Tollhouse was built in about 1823 and by the 21st century was semi-derelict but in 2002 work commenced to restore and extend it as a residential dwelling now known as Tollgate Cottage. Chaucer House is reputedly the oldest building in the village dating to the 14th or 15th century and up until 1920 was The Crown Inn (previously Bear Inn) after which it was Crown Farm (farmhouse) before being given its current name. The Ram Inn closed in 1929 and is now a private house 'The Willows'. The Bell Inn closed in 1970 and was converted into 5 flats. The Black Horse closed in 1926 and is now a private residence.
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