Tanyard Farm. Photograph Lucinda Bell-Tye Tanyard Farm is one of Great Ellingham’s wonderful historic buildings. Norfolk Heritage Explorer mentions that the origins of this Grade II listed property may well date back to the 14th or 15th century. It was built as an open hall house. It has a timber-frame with a rendered wattle and…
Category: Low Common
Edward Gaskin and his link to Tanyard Farm
Tanyard Farm. Photograph Lucinda Bell-Tye There is no doubt that a last will and testament can provide family historians with valuable information. However, it can throw up more questions than answers! Here we look at the content of the will of Edward Gaskin dated the 15th October, 1763. A time when George III occupies the…
Joseph Warren is the next custodian of Cemetery Farm
Extract from 1906 Ordnance Survey Map. Second Edition. Surveyed in 1881. Revised 1904 In 1862, 31 year old Joseph Warren inherited two farms in Great Ellingham. The farms had belonged to John Whittred, his late maternal grandfather. The larger of the two farms, later known as Cemetery Farm (today Home Farm), was purchased by John…
Hannah Carter and her Illegitimate Children
Many family histories will include children born ‘out of wedlock’. However, do we consider the attitudes of others towards the mothers, and whether the illegitimate births impacted on their future as well as the future of their children? Robert & Sarah Carter Church of St James, Great Ellingham On the 24th September, 1826, Stow Bedon…
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…
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…
Elizabeth Peas guilty of stealing a pair of John Browne’s drawers!
Illustration Christine Fuller The Norwich Mercury of Saturday 27th June, 1863, reported on several recent cases at the East Harling Petty Sessions. The report included the case of Elizabeth Peas, a single woman, of Great Ellingham. Elizabeth was charged by miller John Browne of stealing a pair of drawers at [Great] Ellingham on the 6th…
The History of Glenfield House & Cottage – Part II
Photograph taken December 2023 Great Ellingham is fortunate to have a wealth of historical houses. Many of these may have narrowly escaped the fate of demolition, as happened to so many of the village’s old cottages. Glenfield House and Glenfield Cottage comprise the characterful thatched house standing along the Attleborough Road, near to the junction…
The History of the Double Cottage built on Pennell Common – Part I
Double Cottage at Penhill Road. Photograph courtesy of McDouall family For nearly two centuries, the above double cottage is one of just a few houses in Penhill Road. It was built around 1810 on a piece of land formerly part of of ‘Pennell Common’. Like many other historical houses in the village, the cottage has…
The History of The Crown Public House – Part I
Extract from an 1802 Abstract of Title to an Estate called the Crown in Great EllinghamCourtesy Shirley Caston Deeds contain fascinating and interesting information. For example, details of the land, premises, owners, occupiers and even lenders. Maps or plans drawn on early Indentures are ‘few and far between’. Accordingly, these early documents describe the position…