Walcott is a small village and civil parish on the North Norfolk coast in England between Mundesley and Happisburgh.

[note 1] The geology and geography in the vicinity of Walcott have been shaped by past ice ages, sea incursions and rivers that have deposited material over the underlying chalk.

Eventually there were wide inter-tidal estuaries around Norfolk,[5] which started to deposit marine clay over the original peat in the Broadland area.

[6] Around 3000 BC the Norfolk coastline was roughly similar to today's outline,[7] although the local cliffs continued to erode.

[8] Some of the eroded material goes to form the sand bar, a few miles (kilometres) offshore, that runs parallel with the coastline and is a danger to local shipping.

From the Iron Age to the end of the Roman period (800 BC – 410 AD) the climate became wet and cold[10] and locally the sea level probably reached about 1 metre (3') above today's average.

[11] Around 500 AD (during the Anglo-Saxon period) spits of land further south started once again to exclude the sea from the local estuaries[12] and the inlets forming the peninsular began to 'dry out'.

The coastal erosion in the vicinity has been estimated at an approximate rate of 1 metre (3') per year[13] and accounts for the loss of an approximate 1¼ mile (2 km) wide strip of land since the Roman invasion of AD 43 as a result of which several medieval villages (e.g. Waxham Parva, Markesthorpe) disappeared into the sea.

[14] Note: Details of the past vegetation and climate of the region have been determined from borehole logs (and pollen analysis) such as that at Ranworth Broad.

[15] The climate was very different during the Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age Era (pre 10,000 BC) as shown by the bones of elephants, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, hyena, etc.

[17] The majority of the artefacts recorded in the vicinity of Walcott from this period were flint hand axes,[18] which suggests forest clearance.

Little activity is noted in the vicinity during the Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age Era (10,000 – 5000 BC) with few artefacts recorded.

[18] During the Neolithic or New Stone Age Era (5000 – 2500 BC) the majority of the artefacts found in the vicinity are concentrated on higher ground.

The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus records barbarians harassing Britain's east coast in AD 367.

Grave goods found from this period strongly suggest a large influx of people from the Anglian region of Schleswig in north Germany/south Denmark (the Angles), confirmed by the Venerable Bede.

[25] Walcott is in the Happing Hundred The cutting of peat that resulted in the formation of The Broads is thought to have started around AD 900.

Whilst some historians consider him to have been Danish, as depicted on the village sign at Happisburgh, all (admittedly slender) evidence relating to his origin suggests that he was English.

Immediately after the Conquest Walcott was given to Robert Malet who died before the Domesday Survey of 1088 when it was granted to Ralph (Ranulf), brother of Iger and held by Humphrey, possibly his nephew.

2 other ploughs, 8 acres (3.2 ha) of meadow, 1 mill, 2 cobs (horses), 16 cattle, 24 pigs, 70 sheep & 4 beehives.

[29] The font stands on a Celtic limestone memorial slab and both are from an earlier church, the foundations of which may have been discovered in a nearby garden.

[36] Between 1250 and 1350, manorial accounts from Lessingham suggest that the main agriculture in the vicinity was about 50% Barley, 20% Legumes, 15% Wheat and the remaining 15% was Rye, Oats and mixed grain.

[41] High inflation followed the Black Death as a result of the reduction in the population and the King responded by legally forcing wages down and imposing a Poll (or head) Tax.

There is access to the beach via: There is an infrequent bus service through the village connecting it to North Walsham via a circular route.

[51] The experimental film Wordland[52](2008) by Phil Coy features the devastation following the flood and interviews with affected locals.