Longham is situated in the middle of north Norfolk, about four miles north-west of Dereham. It was the home of the Bokkyngs, a modest gentry family, from the late fourteenth century until the early sixteenth century. The focus of this paper is one member of the family, Nicholas Bokkyng, particularly his perception and use of the past, both the recent and the historical past. But to introduce this theme, I shall first briefly review the family's earlier history and Nicholas Bokkyng's own career.

The history of the Bokkyngs before their arrival at Longham is obscure. Their fortunes were established by the marriage, around 1386, of Thomas Bokkyng to Cecily, daughter of Robert Potter of Long Stratton (Norfolk) and his wife Clarice. By a deed of 1386 Potter's feoffees settled the manor of Longham Hall in Longham and the manor of New Hall in nearby Tittleshall on Potter and his wife for their lives, with reversion to Thomas Bokkyng, Cecily and their legitimate issue. This property soon passed to Thomas and Cecily; their son Nicholas was born in or about 1389. Besides the property in Longham and Tittleshall, Thomas Bokkyng also had a manor at Hackford, near Hingham, in south Norfolk. This too came from his wife's family. In 1414 – perhaps at the moment of their daughter's marriage – Thomas and his wife Cecily conveyed Hackford to feoffees, who principally included Edmund Oldhall, Geoffrey Fransham and William Paston, the first two of whom were squires and men of stature and influence in Norfolk county society, while Paston was already a notable lawyer. Thomas Bokkyng, who is almost invariably called ‘esquire’ in the few surviving records relating to him, was not a prominent county figure, but he could certainly call on well-placed associates.