The announcement of the death of Robert Wilkins on the 15th January 1878 at Great Ellingham, appeared in the Norfolk Chronicle & Norwich Gazette on January 19th. No further details were provided. Who was Robert Wilkins? The 1871 census shows a 71 year old widower Robert Wilkin living alone in Chequers Lane, Great Ellingham. I…
Category: Carpenters
Three Cottages in the street late called Churchgate Street
1897: Purchase of Three Cottages by James Houchen By an Indenture (property deed) dated 11th October, 1897 three cottages with gardens and grounds were conveyed to James Houchen of Great Ellingham. An earlier deed of 1874 and a later deed of 1920, described the cottages as being ‘in the street then or late called Churchgate…
John Chaplin – Ordered to Maintain his Mother
Court Appearances Drover, John Chaplin of Great Ellingham appeared before the Magistrates at East Harling in June 1873 charged with refusing to obey an order made by the Justices on a previous occasion, for the maintenance of his mother. The Magistrates imposed a penalty and costs of £1 9s. John Chaplin had been before the…
1853: Edmund Houchen makes his Last Will & Testament
The surname Houchen has appeared in the Great Ellingham Parish Registers for many, many years with variations such as Howchen, Houchin. These alternative spellings also occur in the census returns. However I will keep to the spelling as ‘Houchen’ whether or not the spelling appears as such in the documentation to which I have referred….
Charles Carter – Fishmonger at Town Green
Town Green In 1851, the inhabitants of Great Ellingham could buy their fish from Charles Carter living in an area known as Town Green. 32 year old Charles and his wife Lucy, were one of at least 37 households at Town Green at that time. However, ten years later the census of 1861 records only…
William Kybird: Wheelwright & Carpenter
23 year old wheelwright William Kybird settled in Great Ellingham with his wife Mary Ann (known as Polly) after their marriage in 1880 but before the 1881 census. The census of 1881 shows the couple at the Wheelwright’s Shop on the Attleborough Road in the village. Mary Ann Butler Although born in Forncett St Peter,…
A Marriage Uniting Two Long-Established Families of the Village
The marriage of Francis Houchen and Matilda Dey at the Church of St James Great Ellingham on 5th January 1843, joined together two long- established families of the village of Great Ellingham. Houchen The name Houchen (also found as Howchin, Houchin) appears in the Great Ellingham parish registers from at least 1698 although no entries…
Death of George Newby of Long Street
The Norfolk News of 29th August 1874, reported the death at Great Ellingham of 59 year old George Newby. The report stated that George Newby was greatly respected and deeply lamented by his family and friends. I have not found a corresponding burial for George Newby in the Parish Registers for the Church of St…
William Shepherd: Enumerator District 5 Great Ellingham 1871 Census
Rockland All Saints Church lies on a country lane less than a mile from the boundary with Great Ellingham. In the churchyard, I found a headstone for William Shepherd and his wife Abigail Warren Shepherd. The inscription on the headstone is clear: William Shepherd died August 19th, 1914 aged 82 years. His wife Abigail Warren…
The Inhabitants of Chequers Lane – 1861 to 1911
Although the Chequers Inn is mentioned in the census returns of 1841 and 1851, it is not until the census of 1861 that the name Chequers (or Chequer) Lane appears. It is therefore difficult to establish how many households were living in what we know today as Chequers Lane in 1841 and 1851. Further, whilst…