Illustration by Christine Fuller 1866 Court Appearance Jonathan Rivett of Great Ellingham appeared before the East Dereham Magistrates in the June of 1866. He pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a horse and cart furiously along Swan Lane in East Dereham on the 1st June. Rivett was fined £1 with costs of 8s. The…
Category: Places and Buildings
An Early Start for the Bell-Ringers of Great Ellingham
Tower and Spire of Great Ellingham Church Celebrations for the King’s Coronation The Bell-ringers, led by Mr Wilkins, were at their post in the Church Tower at Great Ellingham soon after five o’clock on the morning of the 9th August 1902. The bells would be rung in celebration of the King’s Coronation. The Coronation of…
Series of ‘Penny Readings’ benefiting the British School
Illustration by Christine Fuller What were Penny Readings? According to Wikipedia, “The penny reading was a form of popular public entertainment that arose in the United Kingdom in the middle of the 19th century, consisting of readings and other performances, for which the admission charged was one penny.” Penny Readings with Entertainment in Great Ellingham…
Charles Stubbings, Butcher & Farmer, at Town Green
1881 Census The 1881 census finds 65 year old butcher and farmer, Charles Stubbings, living with his wife Ann (also aged 65) and 29 year old son Charles (also a butcher) living in Town Green in Great Ellingham. 1885 Auction Four years later, a notice appeared in the Norwich Mercury of 3 October 1885 for…
Henry Warren – Harness Maker & Saddler
A Harness & Saddler Shop to the left of the postcard on the Corner of Church Street and Chequers Lane. Possibly dates between 1900-1913 Henry Warren was living and working in Great Ellingham as a harness maker from at least 1881 until some time after the 1911 census. But who was Henry Warren and where…
The Potts Family of Ellingham Hall
Inside the Church of St James Great Ellingham. Courtesy Christine Bell There are two marble tablets in the floor of Great Ellingham Parish Church in memory of members of the Potts family who lived at Ellingham Hall over 350 years ago! Roger Potts married heiress Mary Davy in Great Ellingham Church of St James, Great…
The Chequers Public House at the beginning of the 19th Century
Chequers Public House. Date unknown. Photograph courtesy of Ray Beales 1800 Occupier of the Chequer Inn William Warren According to the Particulars and Valuation of the Parish of Great Ellingham taken by the Commissioners for the Inclosing of the Commons, Common Fields and Waste Lands in Great Ellingham in the year 1800, William Warren occupied…
Ann, Wife of Layer Vynne, buried in 1759
Memorial to Ann Vynne in Great Ellingham Parish Church This Memorial caught my eye on a visit to the Church of St James. The inscription looks to be as clear as the day the stone slab was laid into the floor presumably not long after February 1759. Around 260 years ago! Who were Layer and…
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…
Dedication of the Church Tower & Bells after Restoration in 1900
The Church of St James in the distance. Photograph taken from Hingham Road 2019 Dedication Service Village news for Great Ellingham appeared in the Eastern Daily Press on Wednesday, April 25th, 1900. It was reported that there was a large congregation at the dedication service for the recently restored spire and belfry to the Church…