Thetford

Thetford: ruins of a Cluniac prioryRuins of a Cluniac priory in Thetford, Norfolk, Eng.

Thetford, town (parish), Breckland district, administrative and historic county of Norfolk, eastern England. It lies on the edge of Thetford Chase Forest.

The town possesses the remains of a Cluniac priory, a Benedictine nunnery, and a large medieval mound known as Castle Hill. Excavations have revealed traces of an Anglo-Saxon town of about 4,000 inhabitants with considerable industry and a mint.

Officially designated an “expanded town” for London’s overspill population, Thetford has grown since 1960. It has a number of industries, including paper and pulp manufacture, canning, and light engineering. Pop. (2001) 21,588; (2011) 24,340.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.