| Dumpling Green is a hamlet of
East Dereham and lies approximately one mile south
of the town.
Dumpling Green Sign
George Borrow, the
novelist and travel writer, was born in the village on
the 5th July 1803.
Borrow's father, who was a sergeant in the West
Norfolk Regiment, moved to the regiment's headquarters
in Dereham in 1792. His role was
to recruit men to the regiment, drill them and then to
march them to various barracks up and down the country.
Borrow's Birthplace
George Borrow Plaque
The family rented a farm house at Dumpling Green and
it was here that Borrow is thought to have been born.
The house still stands today and is located at the end
of an unmade-up road. There is a plaque above the front
door commemorating the connection with Borrow. (When you
reach the fork in the road, take the left hand track and
Borrow's house is at the far end.)
Borrow was baptised on 17th July - as recorded by
James Philo the
Parish Clerk. Philo was held in great
respect by the young writer and later appeared in both
Lavengro and Romany Rye. Today there is a
plaque on the wall of Church House celebrating James
Philo.
James Philo Plaque,
Dereham
In fact, Lavengro opens with Borrow's memories of Dereham:
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