Denton, Norfolk

Rogerson’s Wood

This page provides some information on how the Wood was planned, funded and planted.

Introduction

Rogerson's Wood is a 4 acre wood located in the centre of the village at the bottom of the playing field. It was created as the Denton Millennium Wood, being planted in February 2000 as part of the millennium celebrations in the village. The wood was created under the Woodland Trust's 'Woods on your Doorstep' scheme. This created 200 new woods across England and Wales to celebrate the millennium of which Rogerson's Wood was the only one in Norfolk.

'Woods on your Doorstep' was backed by the Millennium Commission with an award of up to £6.5 million and supported by the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts and the Forestry Commission.

The total cost of the scheme was almost £35,000 and, though generous grants were available, the village itself had to find £7,000. A local appeal was well supported (see below) and a series of fund-raising events made up the balance. External funding came from a number of organisations, notably TXU Europe, South Norfolk District Council and local charitable trusts.

The 4 acre site was acquired by the Woodland Trust in 1999. The land was formerly owned by the Rogerson Trust, created to follow on the work of former rector Robert Rogerson, and local people chose to retain his name for the new wood.

The Wood was planted in February 2000 with the help of local people and the pupils of Alburgh with Denton School. The dominant trees are oak and ash with smaller numbers of willow, hornbeam, field maple, alder and small leaved lime. A mixture of shrubs has been planted around the fringes of the site including hazel, hawthorn and dog rose.
One of the nicest features of the project was the development of links with friends in Denton, Texas. Thus the only departure from the use of native species was the planting of some American Red Oaks. These were planted by the Mayor of the City of Denton, Mrs Euline Brock, during a visit to the UK. A plaque to record this trans-Atlantic link was erected in the Wood with a matching plaque erected in South Lakes Park over in Texas.

To mark the millennium a locally produced bench was placed in the glade and a time capsule containing a wide variety of items, including a copy of the village's Millennium Book, was buried nearby.
Further information about the capsule can be seen on a Separate Page.

You are welcome to walk here at any time

More information about the Woodland Trust is available.

Spring 2020

After 20 years the wood is progressing well and provides a lovely place for fauna and flora to be admired. An example of the latter is the appearance of the two blooms shown below. The one on the left is a Bee Orchid, that on the right a member of the Broomrape family, a parasitic herbaceous plant.
The photographs were kindly provided by Johnnie Carslake.

The only real concern is how the many Ash trees we planted are coping with the arrival of the ash dieback fungal disease.

The Beginning

Below are some photos from February 6th 2000, the day the wood was planted.

For a larger version just click on the individual pictures.

The History Behind the Wood

The land for the wood was bought from the Rogerson's Charity. The following extract from an old document tells you about the land and the man after whom the wood was named.

The Reverend Thomas Rogerson, by his will, dated the 24th December 1722, devised a parcel of land, which his father purchased off Robert Snell in the Parish of Denton, to the rector of Denton and his successors, on trust, to employ one moiety of the clear yearly rent towards the support and maintenance of a Church of England Charity School in the said Parish, and in failure of such school in furnishing every poor family with a Bible, Whole Duty of Man and Christian Monitor, and every poor person with a Common Prayer Book; and in providing with the remainder, so many loaves of bread to be distributed in the church every first Sunday in the month, after evening service, amongst such poor housekeepers as should constantly join in the common prayers of the church, and frequently receive the holy sacrament: the other moiety of the clear rents to be paid to the treasurer of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, or in failure of that society, to the relief of poor widows and children of the clergy of Norfolk, at the discretion of the said rector.

In the deed whereby the premises devised by the Rev. Robert Rogerson were conveyed to him by Robert Snell, they are described as the Heigh Close, containing by estimation six acres, and the Middle Close, containing by estimation three acres.

The lands now held in respect of the Rogerson Charity are divided into three closes containing together about seven acres, and are in the occupation of Wales Corneby, as yearly tenant, at a good yearly rent of £10 10s. The whole rents have been received by the rector of Denton. In 1830, inquiry was made on the part of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel as to the application of the rents and whether any reason could be assigned why the society had not had received one moiety for many years past, which it was stated they had done for about 20 years after the death of the testator. On being informed of the value of the property, the society, in consideration of the long interval which had occured of the suspension of payment to them, and which form the insufficiency of the means to answer all the intentions of the testator, they thought was probably owing to some compromised, waived their claim to the moiety, stating it appeared that it could not be more beneficially applied than in support of the Church of England school in Denton, and the other local purposes to which it was applied; and the rector's letter, with the memorandum thereon, was directed to be preserved to prevent further trouble on the subject.

Of the rents above mentioned £8 8s is paid to a schoolmistress, who keeps school in a house provided by herself, and takes as many children as are appointed by the rector, being all the poor children of the parish who offer themselves, and teaches them reading and writing and the girls needle-work.

The remaining £2 2s is applied, 10s 6d every quarter in a distribution of sixpenny and three-penny loaves amongst poor persons who are regular attendants at church, the larger quantity being given to those who are in most regular attendance, and have the largest families to maintain.