With Christmas fast approaching, I thought it would be interesting to see whether, in addition to Christmas Chaplin, there were any other villagers in days gone by with the name ‘Christmas’ – either as a first name or a family name. I have not discovered any family with the surname ‘Christmas’, but if you know…
Category: Barnard
Jacob Carter’s Apology for Speaking False & Malicious Words
On the 22nd May, 1780, Great Ellingham farmer Jacob Carter signed an apology to James Barnard junior of Bury Hall, Great Ellingham. Jacob signed the apology in the presence of local man, Daniel Lister. He then arranged for the publication of the apology in the Norwich newspapers. The apology appeared on page 3 of the…
Work for the Poor of the Parish at Denew’s Farm in Rockland
The 1830s was a difficult time for many agricultural labourers in the country. With other factors, the mechanised practices in agriculture resulted in unemployment, reduced wages and poor conditions. The inhabitants of Great Ellingham were not immune to the struggles. The village was affected by the widespread uprising during this time. Farmer John Barnard had…
Sale of Reversion or Remainder in fee expectant on the decease of Widow
1818 Auction of Freehold Property On the 28th February, 1818, the Norfolk Chronicle published the notice of a forthcoming auction of premises in Great Ellingham. The auction would take place at four o’clock on the 12th March, 1818, at the Crown Public House in Great Ellingham. The premises appeared in two lots: Whereabouts was the…
Cousin’s Widow inherits Great Ellingham Cottages
The blog ‘Love Letter or Letter of Apology?‘ touched on a missive written in 1819 by Richard Clarke to Harriet Barnard of Great Ellingham Hall. The couple later married. I wondered whether any other correspondence between Richard and Harriet Clarke survived. If so, who may have been the custodian of the family letters over the…
Love Letter or Letter of Apology?
I am always pleased to hear from visitors to the website. An email from John Forster from Northamptonshire was no exception. John came across my article ‘Robert Barnard of Great Ellingham Hall‘. He told me of the existence of a letter dated July 12th, 1819, addressed to Harriet Barnard at Great Ellingham Hall. The sender…
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…
Sarah Thompson Reeder 1874-1951
Sampler stitched by 12 year old Sarah Thompson Reeder in 1886. Photograph courtesy of Rosemary Jones In 1886, 12 year old Sarah Thompson demonstrated her needlework skills by stitching a sampler at her school in Great Ellingham. By the time the girls at the Board School finished their education, most (if not all) of the…
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 The Story of the Owners and Occupiers of the House We continue the story of the owners (and some of the occupiers), of the delightful thatched house in the centre of…