Diary entries can be a very useful historical source. Many will include entries about an individual’s ‘day to day’ life as well as a record of other happenings and events. Minute Books for meetings taking place in a particular parish can also include details of important and, sometimes, unusual events. In this case, I found…
Category: Lebbell
The Baptist Church sells the ‘Old School Room’
The former British School in Long Street. Image courtesy of Sue Fay Norfolk Heritage Explorer describes ‘Great Ellingham British School’ as ‘A small, plain building’. It also goes on to say that ‘There is little known of its history, and it is now a house’. Looking at the image of the building (possibly from the…
The History of The Crown Public House – Part III
The Crown Public House possible 1960s. Courtesy Tony Brooks The Crown in Church Street is one of at least five pubs and beer houses which were once in Great Ellingham. However, it is now the only surviving public house in the village. The origins of the pub go back over 200 years. The first mention…
Thomas Rix buried in the Grave of his first Wife
White House Farm, Long Street, Great EllinghamCourtesy Justin Wilkins From Great Dunham to Great Ellingham It may well have been around 1839 that Thomas and Elizabeth Rix moved from Great Dunham to Great Ellingham. Thomas Rix purchased White House Farm, which included several acres of arable land. Marriage Prior to moving to the village, Thomas…
George Saunders makes an elm coffin for Jeremiah Edwards
George Saunders’ house & premises is in the centre of this postcard (the house side-ways) in Church Street, Great Ellingham Kelly’s Directories of 1908 and 1912 lists the name ‘George Saunders’ under Great Ellingham. Saunders is described as a carpenter, builder and undertaker, with the added words ‘joinery a speciality‘. Bill of G.Saunders for providing…
The Marriage Settlement of Harriet Barnard and Richard Clarke
Historically it was common for aristocratic families, the gentry and those families owning land, to want to control the descent of their property. This could be done by incorporating a trust within a purchase deed or in a Will. However it was also common to do this by Marriage Settlements. Arranged Marriages For centuries, arranged…
Part II – A History of the Cottage adjoining The Crown Public House
Crown Public House in the centre with Cottage & shop(s) adjoining on the right Courtesy Attleborough Heritage Group Part I Part I looks at the history of the cottage adjoining the Crown Public House from around 1749 to 1819. In this blog, we take the history forward from William Rose’s purchase in 1819 to his…
Landlords of The Crown spanning nearly 200 years!
The Crown Public House courtesy of Tony Brooks. Date unknown There has been a public house on the site of the present Crown Public House for well over two centuries. There is also evidence that in at least 1781, the pub was called ‘The Bell’. By 1800, it had become known as ‘The Rose &…
George Jude sells land for Recreation Ground
Many of us will be familiar with the large recreation ground we are fortunate to have in our village. But I wonder whether any of us have ever thought how long the village has actually had the recreation ground. Farm Meadows Before the creation of a designated recreation ground, several owners of the larger farms…
Great Ellingham’s Recreation Ground’s Byelaws
On the 28th February, 1931, the Parish Council purchased a piece of land known as ‘Town Piece’ for the purposes of a recreation ground. The blue arrow on the below map shows the location of this ‘L-shaped’ piece of land. Extract from O.S. Map c.1945. Courtesy Ray & Maureen Beales Although the Parish Council purchased…