Auction In 1913, Bertie Wilkins offered his butchers shop, cycle shop and dwelling-house for sale at auction. He had plans to emigrate to Australia. Did Bertie successfully sell his premises and emigrate? Emigration Florence (née Stubbings) and Bertie Wilkins. Courtesy of James Margetts What prompted Bertie and Florence to emigrate? Did they respond to an…
Mixed Fortunes for the Warren Family
Everyday life in Great Ellingham was particularly difficult for many of its inhabitants during the 1830s. James Warren and his family were no exception. James Warren Marriage Postcard of Church Road, Hargham with the Church of All Saints in the centre. Author’s own collection On the 21st January, 1814, James Warren of Great Ellingham married…
Messuage built upon the tenement Greenhouse – Part I
Copyhold Tenure Until the abolishment of copyhold tenure in 1922, Great Ellingham (like many other towns and villages throughout the country), was a mixture of freehold and copyhold land. Copyhold land was subject to the customs of the manorial court. Any change of ownership had to go through the Lord (or Lady) of the Manor,…
Messuage built upon the tenement Greenhouse – Part II
The delightful thatched house on the corner of Church Street and Chequers Lane. Postcard possibly dates from the early 1900s. Courtesy of Carol Ewin We continue the story of the owners (and some of the occupiers), of the delightful thatched house in the centre of the village. Before c.1862, the house was copyhold of the…
Messuage built upon the tenement Greenhouse – Part III
The delightful thatched house on the corner of Church Street and Chequers Lane. Postcard possibly dates from the early 1900s. Courtesy of Carol Ewin The Story of the Owners and Occupiers of the House In Part I we began to explore the owners and occupiers of an early 18th century house, which stands in the…
The Case of Hart -v- Wade
Attleborough County Court – August 1861 The Norfolk News of the 10th August, 1861, published a report of a recent case at the Attleborough County Court. The case centred around an action brought by Mark Hart, a higgler, of Great Ellingham against John Wade, an innkeeper, of Little Ellingham. Hart was seeking to recover £8…
Private G/7208 George Wilkins
The name of George Wilkins is inscribed on the Great War memorial tablet on the west wall of the Church of St James, Great Ellingham. George was a Private in the 1st Battalion The Buffs (East Kent Regiment). Aged just 29, he was killed in action in France, on the 15th September, 1916. Early Life…
1920 Sale of Pieces of Arable Land in Long Street
James Sadd Buys White House Farm James Sadd was already farming and living at White House Farm in Long Street, Great Ellingham, when he completed the purchase of the farm. On the 29th September, 1920, he bought the freehold farm for the sum of £750 from spinster Mary Fortune, of Poplar Grove, Scremerston, Berwick-on-Tweed. The…
Thomas Drake Chilleystone
Newspaper Articles Newspapers are a great source of information for local and family historians. Publications may include reports of events taking place in the parish, or reports concerning the inhabitants. Some articles reflect ‘happy events’. For example, weddings and other celebrations. However, newspapers will also include reports of misdemeanors and tragedies. Nevertheless, together the varied…
The Hall Brothers’ Misdemeanors
1845 Court Hearing In October, 1845, brothers William and Daniel Hall appeared at the County Quarter Sessions in Norwich. They were charged with breaking and entering, and taking items from the home of John Sayer, a miller, of Great Ellingham, on the 20th July. William and Daniel were alleged to have taken seven keys, one…