Hilgay is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England, 4 miles (6 km) south of Downham Market.

The name Hilgay is derived from the Old English to mean 'island or dry ground in a marsh', of the followers of a man called Hytha or Hydla during Anglo Saxon times.

[4] The scholar and poet Phineas Fletcher (1580–1650) became chaplain to Sir Henry Willoughby, who presented him in 1621 to the rectory of Hilgay, where he married and spent the rest of his life.

A small plaque attached to the bottom of the supporting post states the village sign was 'Erected by Hilgay Parish Council 1987'.

The Grade II* listed building has some 13th-century masonry; the south aisle was added in the late 14th century, and the west tower was built in brick in 1794.

[11] A chapel of ease dedicated to St Mark was built at Ten Mile Bank in 1847 and is described by Historic England as "a virtually unaltered example of a simple place of worship".

[14] In November 2023, plans were put forward to amalgamate the two schools and close the Ten Mile Bank site, owing to low numbers of pupils.