[3] The antiquarian John Horsley first identified the passage of the Icknield Way near Icklingham, but refused to speculate as regards the etymology of this ancient road.

[3] The discovery of Romano-British artefacts since the 1720's, with more rigorous excavations in the twentieth century encouraged the view that the village may take its name from an Iron Age tribe, the Iceni, who lived in the area and subsequently in the Roman settlement.

An alternative etymology favoured the Old English Iclingaham as "home of the Iclingas" appears to derive from the royal house descended from Icel of Angeln, which would give rise to kings of both East Anglia and Mercia.

Icklingham has a Roman Christian graveyard, and a lead receptacle, reputed to be a baptismal font, was found on the same site.

It was also one of the largest Anglo-Saxon settlements in the area and can demonstrate nearby occupation to Neolithic times, through research carried out by Liverpool University over many years.

From 1808 to 1814 Icklingham was the site of a station in the shutter telegraph chain which connected the Admiralty in London to its naval ships in the port of Great Yarmouth.

It has been said that on a clear day, a message could reach Great Yarmouth from The Admiralty in London, and receive a reply, in little more than 17 minutes.