BILLINGFORD or Pyrleston, a parish and village 4 miles E. of Diss, contains 45 houses, 221 souls, and 1,000 acres of land, mostly belonging to the executors of the late George St. Vincent Wilson, Esq., the lords of the manor and patrons of the rectory, valued in the King's book at £9. The Rev. Augustus Cooper, B.A., is the incumbent. There are 26a. of glebe, and the tithes are commuted for £296 10s. per annum. The Church, dedicated to St. Leonard, had formerly a square tower. Thomas Havers, Esq., has a farm of 96a in this parish. In the time of Henry III., here was an Hospital with 13 beds for travellers, founded by William Beck. The poor have £2 a year out of the hall farm, left by an unknown donor, and 5s. a year, left by the Rev. J. Bryers, in 1717.
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