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…
Category: Great Ellingham Hall
‘Houses for the Poor’ Sold at Auction
1769 Dwelling House for the Poor In 1769 a house to accommodate the poor was built upon land at the lower part of the common of Town Green. The land was given to the parish by the Lady of the Manor of Ellingham Hall, Margaretta Colman, the wife of the late Fysher Colman. The common…
Great Ellingham’s Valentines
For centuries, children have been given the name ‘Valentine‘ whether or not they actually came into the world on the 14th February. I wondered whether there had been any ‘Valentines’ in Great Ellingham? Valentine Garratt Church of St James, Great Ellingham Marriage The marriage between Valentine Garratt of Gressenhall and Elizabeth Frost of Great Ellingham…
Cousin’s Widow inherits Great Ellingham Cottages
The blog ‘Love Letter or Letter of Apology?‘ touched on a missive written in 1819 by Richard Clarke to Harriet Barnard of Great Ellingham Hall. The couple later married. I wondered whether any other correspondence between Richard and Harriet Clarke survived. If so, who may have been the custodian of the family letters over the…
Love Letter or Letter of Apology?
I am always pleased to hear from visitors to the website. An email from John Forster from Northamptonshire was no exception. John came across my article ‘Robert Barnard of Great Ellingham Hall‘. He told me of the existence of a letter dated July 12th, 1819, addressed to Harriet Barnard at Great Ellingham Hall. The sender…
Robert Barnard of Great Ellingham Hall
Around the time of the Act of Parliament for the dividing, allotting and inclosing the commons and waste grounds in Great Ellingham c.1800, Robert Barnard owned several properties as well as some 35 acres of land in the village. However save for 30 acres of land, the properties owned by Robert Barnard were let to…
Henry Cobon of White Hall, Town Green
Following the departure of the Barnard family from The Hall at Great Ellingham, the next occupiers were Henry and Mary Cobon. Great Ellingham Hall. Photograph taken September 2020 Old Hall Farmhouse in Great Ellingham is a Grade II listed building. British Listed Buildings website describes the c.1570 building as timber framed with wattle and daub….
A Silver Table Centre Piece amongst the Personal Effects
Illustration by Christine Fuller Wills are a great source of information for both family and local historians. Not only providing names of family members and friends, wills can provide details of some of the personal items treasured by the testator, as well as a description of any land or premises owned or occupied by the…
Strongly Worded Letter received at The Hall
The above letter was written by John Nichols, a farmer, living in Northrepps on the 18th July 1858. It was addressed to Benjamin Barnard of The Hall at Great Ellingham. The content of the letter referred to the payment of an annuity due to Mrs Barnard from the ‘Stanfield Estate’. It seems that there had…
Valentine Treats at The Hall
Illustration Christine Fuller For many years, Sarah the wife of Benjamin Barnard, of The Hall, Great Ellingham, entertained members of the church choir and friends on or around Valentine’s Day, the 14th February. The Norfolk Chronicle of February 20th, 1875 reported of such an event organised by Mrs Benjamin Barnard at the Hall on February…