Church of St Nicholas, Norton

The manor at Norton had belonged to the Abbey of St Albans since c.795, although they lost control of it for a period before it was restored to them in a charter of 1007.

[2][3] The present St Nicholas Church in Norton dates back to about 1119, having been built and dedicated by Hervey le Breton, Bishop of Ely.

[5] The parents of evangelist Rodney "Gipsy" Smith are buried in the churchyard, his mother having died from smallpox on nearby Norton Road in 1865.

The oldest part of the church is the south end of the nave and the Norman clunch chancel arch.

[6] In 1814 the north doorway was blocked up and the coat of arms which now hang over the south door replaced an earlier larger one.

[1] The chancel displays memorials to members of the Pryor family who owned much of the land and most of the cottages in the village.

On the south wall of the nave is a memorial to the daughters of Katherine Cole of nearby Radwell manor who all died in infancy.

In the floor close to the chancel arch is a memorial to their infant son, Guy, who died in April 1686.