Jeremiah John Edwards. Courtesy Jane Sayliss
Jeremiah John Edwards was born in Great Ellingham in 1904. He was the fourth child of George William Edwards and his wife Elizabeth nèe Lincoln.
Tanyard Farm Cottages
Photograph courtesy Bryan Dye
Tanyard Farm Cottages
The 1911 census captures the Edwards family living at Tanyard Farm Cottages. Farm labourer George Edwards is 27 and his wife Elizabeth is 30. The couple married 7 years earlier, during which time Elizabeth has given birth to 7 children. Sadly, three of their children have died.
Their surviving children are 7 year old Alice Maud, George William aged 5, four year old Jeremiah and two month old Florence Mary.
Ten years later, the 1921 census finds the Edwards family still at Tanyard Farm Cottages.
George Edwards is now 38 and his wife is 40. They have five children – 15 year old George William, Jery (Jeremiah) is 14, Florence 10, Phyllis 4 and one year old Ethel. Sadly between 1911 and 1921, George and Elizabeth buried three further children.
The census confirms that George is working as an agricultural labourer for farmer John Penson of Tanyard Farm. I have no doubt that George Edwards ‘got the house with the job’. George and Elizabeth’s two sons, George junior and Jeremiah are also working as agricultural labourers. George jnr is working for Attleborough farmer, George Key and Jeremiah for William Downes at Bury Hall Farm.
1912 Certificate for Regular Attendance awarded to Jeremiah John Edwards
Courtesy Cyril Edwards
The Edwards children attended the local Board School in Hingham Road. Given that some of the children were awarded Certificates for Attendance, it is fair to say that most if not all of the Edwards children regularly went to school.
Jeremiah caught Poaching
Poaching has always been a characteristic of rural life. For many, life was hard. Many villagers would risk a prison sentence, just to procure some ‘free’ meat to put on the table. However, there were those who did it for no more than a dare!
Jeremiah Edwards was around 19 years old when he was apprehended for poaching. Was it for a dare, or was it his intention to take food home for his family to share?
Nonetheless, the story goes that Jeremiah did indeed shoot two pheasants. He had been ‘out on his bike’ and on returning home, he had hid the bicycle in a haystack. I can only assume that when the local policeman caught up with him, Jeremiah protested his innocence.
Nevertheless, he appeared before a Bench of local Magistrates. The Bench included Lord Walsingham (one of the larger landowners in the village), and two ‘ladies’.
I do not know what evidence was brought before the court. However, it seems that Jeremiah’s father’s employer, John Penson, gave Jeremiah an alibi. It is also said that Jeremiah endeavoured to charm the ladies on the Bench to ‘get them onside’, by giving them a wink!
Whatever actually happened, Jeremiah was acquitted. However, he was under no illusion that he would not ‘get away with it’ a second time.
Emigration
In the times before radio and television (and certainly before the World Wide Web and social media), the main source of news and advertising was the newspaper.
Jeremiah had seen various notices in the local newspapers directed at agricultural workers. Under the Empire Settlement Act of 1922, Canada was one of the commonwealth countries endeavouring to attract British agricultural workers. Several schemes offered various incentives, including a piece on land on which to make a living. Many scheme also covered the costs of relocation.
At 19 years of age, Jeremiah decided to leave Great Ellingham and begin a new life in Canada. He travelled to Canada House in London to make the arrangements.
On the 1st May, 1926, he boarded the SS Ohio at Southampton bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He arrived in Halifax on the 8th May.
The passenger manifest confirms that Jeremiah intended to permanently reside in Canada. It also appears that the Government covered the cost of his passage.
On disembarking, it was arranged that Jeremiah would make his way to meet with Thomas Gelley, the Canadian Government Officer in Winnipeg. This was a journey of some 1500 miles.
Success
In the event, Jeremiah’s emigration was a success.
In 1934 he married Canadian Geraldine Saxton. The couple had several children.
In the following years, some of Jeremiah’s family travelled from Great Ellingham to Canada to reunite with the family in Norfolk.
Sources:
GRO Index. Also available via FreeBMD
Great Ellingham Parish Registers. Norfolk Record Office PD609. Also available at www.familysearch.org and www.ancestry.co.uk
1911 census RG14/11473/2
1921 census RG15. RG15. Registration District 231. Great Ellingham Schedule 40. Viewed via www.findmypast.co.uk.
Alberta, Canada, Marriages Index, 1898-1944. Provincial Archives of Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Marriage Indexes. Ancestry.com. Alberta, Canada, Marriages Index, 1898-1944 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017.
Canada, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1865-1935. Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Series: RG 76-C; Roll: T-14805. Ancestry.com. Canada, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.
Thanks to Cyril Edwards, nephew of Jeremiah John Edwards