At the beginning of the 19th century, Great Ellingham had around 655 inhabitants. These villagers were housed in some 97 dwellings. That’s an average of 6.75 persons per household! However, some dwellings will be occupied by one or two persons, with others accommodating much larger households. Dwellings The main clusters of houses were in Church…
Robert Large allows his Widow to Use a Room
Robert Large came to Great Ellingham in the late 1820s or early 1830s. He died in the village on the 21st September, 1843, having made his last will and testament on the 12th December, 1842. Wills can be a great source of information for both family and local historians. However, some wills can be very…
Smallholder & General Dealer, William Dove, buys 3 Dwellings in Long Street
On the 25th October, 1920, Great Ellingham farmer, William Edward Victor Dove purchased three dwellings in Long Street, Great Ellingham. He also bought a nearby acre and a half of land. The sellers were the executors of the late James Houchen, who had died in Great Ellingham on the 29th December, 1916. The three dwellings…
Great Ellingham Property Owner & Carpenter James Houchen
James Houchen was a Great Ellingham man ‘born and bred’. From his birth in 1847 until his death in 1916, James Houchen lived his entire life in Great Ellingham – and, quite possibly, in Long Street. At one time, James’s parents, Francis and Matilda Houchen lived at a farm towards the southern end of Long…
A Christmas Day Wedding at the Methodist Chapel
Great Ellingham Methodist ChapelPhotograph taken February 2017 From the Downham Market Gazette Saturday 8th January 1916: GREAT ELLINGHAMWEDDING – The marriage of Mr Henry Frank Downes, son of Mr and Mrs R Downes, Decoy Farm, Besthorpe, and Miss Edith Ducker, daughter of Mr and Mrs J. Ducker, daughter of Mr and Mrs J. Ducker, Great…
The Unpretentious and Amiable Sophia Pleasance Sparham c.1852-1897
The recent news highlighting the medical condition scoliosis reminded me of Sophia Pleasance Sparham. Sophia is a daughter of Great Ellingham Baptist Minister, Thomas H Sparham. She lived with the same , or similar, condition. Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine. Although, historically, there have been treatments available with some success, it is…
The Occupiers of The Manse through Time
It was during the Reverend James Cragg’s pastorate that a new house for the Baptist Minister was built in Great Ellingham. In the Baptist Church Minute Book, James Cragg sets down what he understood to be the history of the Baptist Church. He also recorded that “A suitable residence for the pastor of the Church…
Occupiers of the Baptist Church’s Cottage
‘Elizabeth Asty’s House’ in Long Street. Photograph taken November 2024 Earlier History This delightful ‘old cottage’ in ‘Chapel Yard’, Long Street was once owned by Elizabeth Asty. She died in or about 1724. Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of George and Elizabeth Asty. The cottage had belonged to Elizabeth’s mother before her marriage. However when…
The Building of a New House for the Baptist Minister
The Manse, Long Street, Great Ellingham It was during the Reverend James Cragg’s pastorate that a new house for the Baptist Minister was built in Great Ellingham. The new house did not include the bay windows, which were added some 30 years later. In 1849, the Great Ellingham Baptist Church celebrated their 150th anniversary. At…
The Building of the Baptist Chapel
Baptist Chapel, Long Street, Great EllinghamAttleborough Heritage Group The listing for the Great Ellingham Baptist Chapel on the British Listed Buildings website describes the building as: Baptist chapel. 1824. Brick with gabled pantile roof. 2 storeys. Pair of modified Doric columns on plinths support Ionic architrave to form porch. One sash window left and right…