 The parish registers date to 1535.In 1878 parish land was described as soil of partly clay areas and partly sand, on which was grown chiefly wheat, oats, peas and roots.Population by 1871 had reduced to 699, with occupations including 19 farmers, one of whom was a blacksmith at Mannings Heath, and one a grocer, three shopkeepers, a carpenter, a bootmaker, a wheelwright at Mannings Heath, the miller at Bircham Bridge, two farm bailiffs, and four beer retailers, one of whom was a shopkeeper.