Norfolk town deserved to be heard and recognised (9)
I believe the answer is:
discerned
'recognised' is the definition.
('discern' can be a synonym of 'recognize')
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for discerned that I've seen before include "Distinguished, made out" , "Caught sight of" , "Identified by close investigation" .)