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: Hingham Road
Robert Large allows his Widow to Use a Room
Robert Large came to Great Ellingham in the late 1820s or early 1830s. He died in the village on the 21st September, 1843, having made his last will and testament on the 12th December, 1842. Wills can be a great source of information for both family and local historians. However, some wills can be very…
First Occupants of the Hingham Road ‘Council Houses’
The first known ‘council houses’ or ‘houses for the working class’ were built in Mill Lane. Around 1928, Wayland Rural District Council (Wayland RDC) commissioned a terrace of four houses in Mill Lane. The Council also built a pair of semi-detached houses near to the terrace, which were either built at the same time or within…
William Wells steals John Yeoman’s Trousers!
Illustration Christine Fuller The Norfolk Chronicle published on Saturday 9th April 1853, included a report of some of the recent cases heard at the Norfolk Quarter Sessions at The Shirehall in Norwich. Amongst the defendants is 18 year old William Wells. Wells had been lodging with Robert Rose in Great Ellingham along with fellow lodger…
The History of Swamp Lane Cottages – Part I
‘Swamp’ can mean an area of low-lying, boggy or marshy uncultivated land. We can apply some of this description to ‘Swamp Lane’ in Great Ellingham. The area on the eastern side of the lane is certainly low, and was once part of the common of Great Ellingham. A stream or rivulet borders this area and…
The History of Swamp Lane Cottages – Part II
At the turn of the 19th century, there were very few dwellings along the lane which we know today as Swamp Lane. Those that did exist were at the northern end of the lane. Part I In Part I, we discovered that at the time of the Great Ellingham Inclosures, the Commissioners awarded Alice Jessup…
The History of Swamp Lane Cottages – Part III
It is not until the 1901 census that I find the name ‘Swamp Lane’ recorded on the census returns. However, earlier electoral registers going back to at least 1878, refer to the area as ‘The Swamp’ or ‘Swamp’. Nevertheless, some of the census returns prior to 1901 refer to the few cottages along the lane…
Houchen’s Cottage in Hingham Road
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 NRO At the turn of the 19th century, Stephen Houchen’s home was along the eastern side of the road to Hingham. The cottage (with a garden) stood…
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…
The History of The Crown Public House – Part II
In the past, there were at least five pubs in Great Ellingham. Today, The Crown is the only pub remaining. The Crown Public House, the venue for the Heritage Open Days’ events in 2023 & 2024 There has been an inn or public house on either the exact same spot, or very near to, the…