At the beginning of the 19th century, Great Ellingham had around 655 inhabitants. These villagers were housed in some 97 dwellings. That’s an average of 6.75 persons per household! However, some dwellings will be occupied by one or two persons, with others accommodating much larger households. Dwellings The main clusters of houses were in Church…
Category: Howchen
Smallholder & General Dealer, William Dove, buys 3 Dwellings in Long Street
On the 25th October, 1920, Great Ellingham farmer, William Edward Victor Dove purchased three dwellings in Long Street, Great Ellingham. He also bought a nearby acre and a half of land. The sellers were the executors of the late James Houchen, who had died in Great Ellingham on the 29th December, 1916. The three dwellings…
Great Ellingham Property Owner & Carpenter James Houchen
James Houchen was a Great Ellingham man ‘born and bred’. From his birth in 1847 until his death in 1916, James Houchen lived his entire life in Great Ellingham – and, quite possibly, in Long Street. At one time, James’s parents, Francis and Matilda Houchen lived at a farm towards the southern end of Long…
The Baptist’s Meeting House in Long Street
Members of the Baptist Church have met together in Great Ellingham since at least 1699. The semi-circular tablet in the front wall of the chapel gives the year ‘1699’. However this is the year of the formation of a Baptist Church in Great Ellingham, and not when the building was built. The chapel was built…
The Leath Sisters agree to divide their Allotment
At the time of the Great Ellingham Inclosures c.1802, Alice Jessup claimed the following freehold properties: Messuage and 3 roods of land, occupied by herselfCottage and Garden occupied by Robert TookeCottage and Garden occupied by Edward SteelCottage and Garden occupied by Stephen Howchen Alice also claimed the following rights in respect of each of the…
Edward Howchen, Primitive Methodist Preacher
Church Street. Methodist Church. Postcard courtesy of Carol Ewin At the age of 75, Edward Howchen was laid to rest in the cemetery in Wymondham in the August of 1892. The 1891 census captures Edward Howchen with his wife Maria living in Middleton Street, Wymondham. The census tells us that Edward was a Primitive Methodist…
Robert Beales, son of Philip and Sarah
Great Ellingham Parish Church Baptism Philip Beales and his wife Sarah brought their infant son Robert for baptism at Great Ellingham Parish Church on December 4th, 1831. 1841 at Bow Street Around 9 years later, the census of 1841 finds 9 year old Robert Bales (Beales) with his parents, elder siblings James aged 15, George…