 A murder was committed in 1896 in Rose Cottage [specific location unknown] where mentally unwell man George Smith murdered his elderly mother.In 2009 the estimated population of Witnesham was 810, decreasing to 792 at the 2011 census.The village amenities include a 1766 inn, The Barley Mow, on Mow Hill (OS grid TM 185 503) south of Witnesham and a small primary school.