Illustration by Christine Fuller 24 year old May Bush lived with her parents and siblings at Rookery Farm, Great Ellingham. May worked in the dairy for her father, farmer William Arthur Bush. She was proficient in dairy skills. Indeed, in the July of 1911, May received a commendation at the Butter Making Championships held at…
Fined for Taking Fish out of a Pond
Illustration by Christine Fuller The Norwich Mercury of Saturday 23rd July, 1881, reported on the recent cases at the East Harling Petty Sessions. Amongst the defendants were Great Ellingham labourers, Frederick Sharman, Robert Carter, Henry Lake and John Lee. They were charged with taking fish from a pond in the village of Great Ellingham. All…
Assault on Police Constable Askew in the Crown Inn Yard
Crown Inn with adjoining shops. Postcard courtesy Carol Ewin The Downham Market Gazette of Saturday 5th June 1909 reported on the ‘Trouble at Ellingham’. It was reported that Great Ellingham labourer, John Hurrell, was brought before the Magistrates at East Harling charged with assaulting Police Constable Askew ‘while in the execution of his duty’. The…
Court Dismisses case against Innkeeper Walter Buckle
Crown Inn with adjoining shops. Postcard courtesy Carol Ewin The Norfolk Chronicle of the 28th June 1902, reported on a case against the landlord of The Crown, Great Ellingham, Walter Buckle. Buckle was charged with assaulting his customer, James Fisher. Circumstances of the Case The Magistrates heard the circumstances of the case. It appears that…
A Double Wedding for the Carter Sisters
1903 ‘Double Wedding’ Jacob Beales & Isabella Carter and Alfred Harry Osborne & Kate Carter. Courtesy Carolyn Boatwright The wonderful Edwardian photograph captures the ‘double wedding’ of sisters, Isabella and Kate Carter. The joint nuptials took place during 1903 at the Baptist Church, Great Ellingham. Looking at the photograph, on the left is 31 year…
John Carter follows his father in the ‘Pub Trade’
The following report was published in the Lynn Advertiser on the 14th November, 1930: THE LATE MR JOHN CARTERThe Rev. E W Hardy (vicar of St Mary’s) officiated on Wednesday at the funeral of Mr John Carter, who passed away on the 8th inst., being in his 68th year.For nearly 38 years he was the…
Landlords of The Crown spanning nearly 200 years!
The Crown Public House courtesy of Tony Brooks. Date unknown There has been a public house on the site of the present Crown Public House for well over two centuries. There is also evidence that in at least 1781, the pub was called ‘The Bell’. By 1800, it had become known as ‘The Rose &…
Landlord Charles Barnard ‘Sells Up’
Church Street including the Old Thatche Shoppe to the left, Islay House to the right and the Crown Public House with adjoining shops in the centre. Attleborough Heritage Group Between 1891 and 1896, Charles William Barnard was the landlord of the Crown Public House in Great Ellingham. On the 4th July, 1896, the following notice…
John Robert Barnard buys The Crown
Purchase On the 23rd November, 1810, carpenter, John Robert Barnard purchased The Crown Inn (together with nearby properties and land) from Benjamin and Frances Dennis. Barnard purchased the property with a mortgage of £500 from beer brewer, John Stephenson Cann of Wymondham. A survey of of Great Ellingham dated 1817-1819, shows ‘John Robert Barnard (son…
George Jude sells land for Recreation Ground
Many of us will be familiar with the large recreation ground we are fortunate to have in our village. But I wonder whether any of us have ever thought how long the village has actually had the recreation ground. Farm Meadows Before the creation of a designated recreation ground, several owners of the larger farms…