Extract from 1906 Ordnance Survey Map. Second Edition. Surveyed in 1881. Author’s Collection For nearly 150 years, two clay and tiled semi-detached cottages standing along the Attleborough Road, Great Ellingham, were occupied by tenants and not by the owners. During this time, the cottages saw the comings and goings of several families. However, the Wenn…
Category: Court Hearings
Emma Le Grice widowed after the tragic death of husband Robert Le Grice
Father – Local Publican Robert Lebbell Emma Le Grice was born Emma Lebbell in the village of Great Ellingham. The day of her birth was either at the very end of 1842 or just into 1843, as she was baptised in the Church of St James on the 8th January. Her parents were local publican…
‘Black Sheep’ in the Family
I am sure that many of us will find a few ‘black sheep’ amongst our ancestors. These ‘black sheep’ are usually individuals who are seen as troublemakers, failures or just people who do not fit in with the rest of the family. They may also bring disgrace or disrepute upon the family and, in consequence,…
Chelsea Pensioner’s Wife convicted of a Violent Assault
In the August of 1852, Rhoda Carter of Great Ellingham appeared before a special sitting of the Petty Sessions at Attleborough. She was charged with violently assaulting Elizabeth Fame of Hingham. However, the report in the Norfolk News of the 28th August, 1852, did not provide specific details of the offence. Was this just a…
Elizabeth Terrington gains free travel to Van Diemen’s Land
As a result of the reformation of the Poor Law in 1834, the administration of parishes transferred from the parish to a local district Poor Law Union. Consequently, Great Ellingham came under the Wayland Poor Law Union with an elected Board of Guardians. Wayland Union Workhouse. Courtesy of Liz Barrett The Minutes of a meeting…
Six of One and Half a Dozen of the Other
Guilty of Assault The Diss Express of Friday, 4th August, 1905, reported on proceedings at the East Harling Magistrates Court. This included the case concerning a fracas between two women in Great Ellingham. Widow Elvina M Rushbrooke of Great Ellingham was charged with assaulting her neighbour Maud Halls on the 23rd July. Halls was charged…
Theft of Two Bushels of Wheat results in Prison Sentence
Norfolk Assizes 29-year-old Edward Long appeared at the Norfolk Assizes on the 31st July, 1841. Long stole two bushels of wheat in chaff from local farmer, Mary Mann. What’s more, Long had been working for Mary Mann at the time of the offence. He was found guilty and sentenced to two months’ imprisonment. Edward Long…
Forfeiture of Freedom in Addition to Copyhold Land
Entries relating to Jonathan Lock caught my eye whilst looking through some Manor Court Books. Jonathan Lock was a copyhold tenant of each of the Manors of Buckenham Lathes Outsoken, Buckenham Castle Outsoken and Buckenham Close Outsoken. The copyhold land was in Great Ellingham. The entries tell us that following a conviction for felony, Lock’s…
William Yeomans sentenced to Confinement in Asylum for Arson
Crown Court At the beginning of August, 1879, 34-year-old labourer William Yeomans appeared at the Crown Court in Norwich. Yeomans pleaded guilty to the charge of ‘unlawfully and maliciously’ setting fire to a stack of wheat at Great Ellingham on the 7th June. The stack was the property of farmer, William Barnard. Defence of Insanity…
Guilty of Theft of Sack of Oats from John Dixon
Odd Hands In January 1916, farmer John Dixon employed two local labourers, Walter Lister and Charles Hall, to help with the threshing of a stack of oats. Lister and Hall worked at Dixon’s farm at Town Green, Great Ellingham, as ‘odd hands’. Magistrates’ Court Lister and Hall subsequently found themselves before the Magistrates at East…