The Crown Public House with the ‘Cottage’ adjoining on the right (then two shops)Postcard courtesy Carol Ewin Cottage Adjoining the Messuage known as The Crown Historical deeds are extremely helpful when piecing together the history of a house. However even where old deeds survive, those earlier than the 20th century can be fairly complex to…
Category: Clarke
John Robert Barnard buys The Crown
Purchase On the 23rd November, 1810, carpenter, John Robert Barnard purchased The Crown Inn (together with nearby properties and land) from Benjamin and Frances Dennis. Barnard purchased the property with a mortgage of £500 from beer brewer, John Stephenson Cann of Wymondham. A survey of of Great Ellingham dated 1817-1819, shows ‘John Robert Barnard (son…
Town Green at the beginning of the 18th Century
Extract from 1802 Map of Great Ellingham. Russell James Colman Plans. Norfolk Record Office Cat. Ref. C/Ca 1/84. All rights reserved Norfolk Record Office. With kind permission of NRONorth is to the top of the map The ‘triangle’ of Town Green will be familiar to those living in the village today as it was to…
Walter Utting sells Fir Cottage to the Revd James Toll
Fir Cottage is a delightful cottage on the western side and at the southern part of Long Street. It was built between 1857 and 1861. The green arrow indicates the position of Fir Cottage at the southern end of Long Street. Extract from O.S. Map c.1945. Courtesy Ray & Maureen Beales In recent years, Fir…
The ‘Making’ of William Clarke at the Reformatory School at Buxton
I was delighted to be contacted by a descendant of one of the Clarke families who lived in Great Ellingham from at least 1800 to 1902. Angela McCleery has studied the Clarke family for a number of years. She he is able to provide more information about William Clarke following his misdemeanour in the village…
Landlady Alice Jessup, formerly Leath née Clarke
Church Street including the Old Thatche Shoppe to the left, Islay House to the right and the Crown Public House with adjoining shops in the centre. Attleborough Heritage Group Rose & Crown At the turn of the 19th century, Alice Jessup ran the Rose & Crown Public House together with her second husband William Jessup….
Bricks wheelbarrowed across the fields for ‘High View’
‘High View’, Long Street. Photograph taken February 2023 Legend has it that the delightful house known as ‘High View’ in Long Street was built at the same time as the Wayland Infirmary in Attleborough. It has also been said that the builders carted the bricks across the fields from the Wayland Infirmary to Long Street…
The Creation of Great Ellingham Parish Council
Parish Administration Prior to 1894 Prior to the establishment of Parish Councils, the responsibility for the day to day administration of the parish fell to the rector and some of the more affluent landowners – particularly those who could read, write and keep accounts. In Great Ellingham, the parish ‘officers’ such as the churchwardens, the…
How many Villagers had the first name ‘Christmas’?
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…
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…