(from 'Norfolk Churches: Hundred Of Way land' by T Hugh Bryant (1898) In the course of his researches into local churches Leslie came across this interesting account of St. Peter's.

"This parish stands at the east end of the Hundred of Way land, about five and a half mile from Watton, and four miles from Attleborough. It is a village of scattered houses containing a little over a thousand acres with a population of under 300. In Blomefield's History of Norfolk we find this parish described in the Hundred of Shropham, It is now included in the Hundred of Wayland, although in the Deanery of Rockland. The parish is united with All Saints and St. Andrew for school purposes and a Board school was erected in 1877 capable of holding 100 children.

In old documents we find the name spelt 'Rokelunt' and 'Rochelhunt' which signifies the 'Land of Hills'. At one time it was undoubtedly a place of some note from the fact of it having been the residence of the Deans of the large deanery of Rockland, and having no less than three parishes within its own bounds, the deanery itself containing all the parishes in the Guiltcross and Shropham Hundreds. A small country fair - now discontinued - once held on Midsummer Day, was in reality the outcome of the guild of St. John the Baptist, held in St. Peter's Church before the Reformation, and about the time the church was joined to the Hundred in which it is now included.

The following is a list of the Deans of Rockland to the year 1500. The first was Peter, the Dean, then followed in 1315 Robert de Stokeneyland, an accolite; 1338 John de North Kellesey, an accolite; 1341 Peter de Normandeby, accolite; 1345 Adam de Sudbury, priest; 1348 Lawrence de Littleton, he was afterwards rector of Massingham; 1350, September, John de Breydeston; 1350, November, Anthony de Goldesburgh; 1410 William Oxenford. clerk; 1456 John Pyers; 1473 John ap Howell, and in 1498 Robert Gasele.

The church, dedicated to St. Peter, is the deanery church of Rockland. It is a small structure of flint, with stone dressing, built in the Early English and Decorated styles and has a thatched roof. It consists of chancel, nave, north and south porches, round western tower with octagonal top, and one bell, which is cracked, there is inscribed upon it "+Sancta. Maria. Ora...." On the crown are three shields, and a bell and crosskeys. There were three bells in the 6th Edward VI; Blomefield says," The tower was struck by lighting some years ago; and bears the marks to this day, viz., a large fissure on the south side running into the belfry window.

There is a good staircase turret on the south side of the tower, which adds greatly to the picturesqueness of the building. The octagonal top is of the Decorated period, and the latest in the whole deanery.

There is in a window on the north side of the nave a fair specimen of Decorated work, but the windows on the south side are Perpendicular. These were inserted in the period when harmony of light and beauty of composition were sacrificed to colour, for in the place of the old ones are inserted large windows with stiff tracery, probably for the accommodation of good stained glass, which is lacking in most of the churches. There are at present no stained glass windows of any description in the building.

The interior of the church is uninteresting, there being very little to note. The chancel is extremely small, and was partially rebuilt in 1730 by the Rev. G. Taylor, who was then the rector. The building contains no heraldry excepting