Bury Hall. Courtesy Emma Wilson Following the Rushbrooke family’s emigration to New Zealand in 1897, William Downes moved into Bury Hall Farm with his wife and family. Early Life William Downes was born in Attleborough on the 27th July, 1860. He was the seventh of eight children born to James and Ann Downes (née Page)….
Category: Farmers
Book of ‘Family Worship’ belonging to James & Ann Downes
Extract from the Book of Family Worship. Downes Family. Courtesy Rita Downes A Family Bible is a useful resource for family historians. Although the information is usually limited to a list of names and birth dates, it nevertheless helps to piece together members of a family. It may also provide details which would otherwise remain…
Part IV – A History of the Cottage adjoining The Crown Public House
Charles Drake’s premises (cottages with shops) to the right of The Crown Public HousePostcard courtesy Carol Ewin Parts I, II and III of a series of blogs, take the history of the cottage from around 1749 to 1895, when Harry Warren sold the property to Charles Drake. In this blog, we pick up the story…
Robert & Catherine Martin leave their mark on Home Cottage
Home Cottage FarmPhotograph taken October 2023 Great Ellingham is fortunate to have some fantastic historical buildings. One such gem is a delightful farmhouse in Penhill Road. Today, this house is known as Home Cottage Farm. Situated at the far western end of Penhill Road, Home Cottage Farm is a stone’s throw from the parish boundary…
The Tale of the Vanishing Linen!
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…
Luther Beales – a ‘Man of Many Talents’
Joan Barnard is one of many people who have several family connections to Great Ellingham. What’s more, her family retained many of the memories and stories about members of the families, as well as photographs. What follows is Joan’s account of her family member Luther Beales: Luther Beales was born Great Ellingham 1893. He was…
Clement Barker buys Rookery Farm from William J Norton
Extract from 1906 Ordnance Survey Map. Second Edition. Surveyed in 1881. Revised 1904. Rookery Farm is a substantial farm approached by a short drive from the Watton Road, near to the border with Rocklands. Indeed a very small portion of the land belonging to the farm once crossed the parish boundary into Rocklands. Perhaps this…
William Arthur Bush successfully bids for Rookery Farm at Auction
William Arthur Bush may well have been in residence at Rookery Farm when he bid for the farm at auction. Auction At the auction on the 9th September, 1910, held at the Royal Hotel, Attleborough, Rookery Farm was sold in four lots. William Bush successfully bid for Lots 1 and 4, which included the majority…
Great Ellingham born Alfred Lincoln buys Rookery Farm
1790-1909 Extract from 1906 Ordnance Survey Map. Second Edition. Surveyed in 1881. Revised 1904 From 1790 until 1909 Rookery Farm on the Watton Road to Rocklands, was owned by the Norton family. At the turn of the 18th century, the farm comprised two farms – one of some 50 acres and the other 114 acres….
Henry Norton’s Messuages along the main road to Rocklands
Rookery Farm is a substantial property approached by a short drive from the Watton Road, near to the border with Rocklands. Indeed a very small portion of the land belonging to the farm once crossed the parish boundary into Rocklands. Perhaps this is still the case today. Extract from 1906 Ordnance Survey Map. Second Edition….