[2] In John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870–72), Wacton, Norfolk (which at the time consisted of two parishes)[3] was described as follows: "WACTON-MAGNA and W.-Parva, two parishes in Depwade district, Norfolk; 1 mile ESE of Forcett r. station, and 1½ SW of Long Stratton-Post town, Long Stratton.

The vast majority of working males in the village were employed in agriculture (37), while the numbers in other occupations were significantly lower.

Evidence of this was uncovered during field walks conducted between 1978 and 1980, during which boiling pots and flints were discovered, along with artefacts from other historical periods.

The only finds from the Bronze Age were flint tools from its earlier phase and socketed spearheads from its later period.

[9] Notable Roman artefacts discovered in Wacton include a gold coin found in a garden on Wash Lane in 1998.

[10] Evidence also suggests that Barbarous Radiate coins were likely manufactured in the southern part of Wacton.

[13] Other less significant artefacts from the medieval period include a cowbell[14] discovered in 1979, a coin weight,[15] and a silver strap fitting.

[16] In more recent history, the Eastern Union Railway ran through Wacton, providing a connection to London from the mid-19th century until its closure in 1966.

Following a period of relatively stable gains and losses from 1801 through the early 1890s, Wacton’s population declined by nearly 30% between 1895 and 1961, reaching a low of 172.

[20] The ethnic composition of Wacton is overwhelmingly White British, with 94.4% of the population belonging to this group.