Photograph taken December 2023
Despite many changes over the last two centuries, the above scene at the corner of Attleborough Road and Church Street, will still be recognisable to those who lived in village at the turn of the 19th century.
In this article we look at the history of Glenfield House and Glenfield Cottage. These properties are on the far left of the above photograph.
Similar scene from c.1977. Author’s collection
Deeds
Historical deeds are invaluable in piecing together a history of a property. However, many old deeds and documents do not survive the passage of time. Further with the relatively recent compulsory registration of land, deeds are gradually becoming obsolete.
Nevertheless, many old deeds do survive and contain extremely useful information. Further, deeds may also provide facts relating to other properties.
Although I have not come across any historical deeds specifically for this property, I have found references to the property in deeds and documents relating to other properties in the village. Accordingly, I am able to piece together some of the history of this delightful property.
Glenfield House & Glenfield Cottage
I think it is fair to say that it is only in more recent times that the thatched house along the Attleborough Road has the name ‘Glenfield House’ and ‘Glenfield Cottage’.
Glenfield House comprises the tiled roof building together with a larger part of the thatched building. Glenfield Cottage is the far western part of the thatched building.
However for ease of reference, I will refer to the whole building as ‘Glenfield’
18th Century Origins
Norfolk Heritage Explorer describes the property as ‘an early 18th century partly timber framed house with rendered clay lump infill and a thatched roof.’
So, how far back can we go?
Turn of the 19th Century
We begin the story at the turn of the 19th century. George III is the reigning monarch of Great Britain and Ireland.
Great Ellingham’s population is around 655. This number will gradually increase over the next 30 years. However from then on, the population gradually decreases to 583 in 1901. Today the village has a population in excess of 1200.
In the early 1800s, the majority of working people are farmers and agricultural labourers. However, the village also has tradesmen. For example, shopkeepers, carpenters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, tailors etc.
Occupier Samuel Barnard
One such tradesman is Samuel Barnard. The Great Ellingham Inclosures documentation c.1800 shows Samuel Barnard occupying a house, carpenter’s shop and yard along the Attleborough Road. Together, the premises covered an area of 27 perches. The owner is James Rose, the executor of the late William Rose.
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
The green arrow on the above map shows the position of Samuel Barnard’s house with carpenter’s shop.
Son of William & Mary Barnard
I believe he is the Samuel Barnard, son of William and Mary Barnard, who was baptised in St James’s Church on the 9th January, 1755.
Church of St James, Great Ellingham
On the 16th October, 1774, Samuel married Lydia Algar in the same church. I think it likely that Samuel was then at least 21 years old, and had completed an apprenticeship in his trade.
Samuel and Lydia had three known children – all daughters. Elizabeth was baptised in St James’s Church on the 14th July, 1776. Sadly, the couple buried Elizabeth on the 7th January, 1777. Another daughter (also named Elizabeth), was baptised on the 28th December, 1777. She was followed by Mary who, again, only survived a few months. Mary was buried in St James’s churchyard on the 5th April, 1780.
Tragically, Samuel’s wife Lydia died in August 1785. It may well have been after Lydia’s death that Samuel Barnard moved into ‘Glenfield’. Nevertheless, he had moved out of the property before his death at the very end of January 1829.
Rose Family’s Ownership
William Rose also owned the above house and shop. The scene depicted in the postcard is some 100 years after Rose’s ownership
When shopkeeper William Rose died in 1799, he owned two houses with shops in Great Ellingham. One of these properties is ‘Glenfield’ (shown on the map below by the green arrow). The other is a shop with adjoining house just into Church Street. Much later, this shop became known as the ‘Supply Stores’. The grounds of this property adjoined ‘Glenfield’. The blue arrow on the map below shows the position of this shop with house.
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
However, we will come back to William Rose’s ownership after taking the ownership back further. Nevertheless, we begin with William Rose’s purchase.
Earlier Deeds
On the 4th April, 1795, William Rose completed his purchase of certain property (including ‘Glenfield’) from Samuel Cubitt. The price paid is £250. Cubitt was a grocer then living in Norwich. However, he had previously lived in Lowestoft.
The conveyance documentation to Rose describes the property as:
All that Messuage or Dwellinghouse and also all those two cottages late of John Turner and Mary his wife or one of them and by them conveyed unto James Burrow and John Whinard their heirs and assigns situate standing and being in Great Ellingham aforesaid with the Houses Outhouses Barns Stables Yards Gardens Orchards Lands and Grounds to the said Messuage or Cottages or any of them belonging or therewith used occupied or enjoyed as the same Messuage Dwellinghouse Cottages Tenements and Premises were heretofore in the use possession or occupation of the said John Turner and of Daniel Lister and Mary Cowles widow and are now in the use possession or occupation of the said William Rose, Samuel Barnard and others …
This description includes both ‘Glenfield’ and the other house with shop owned by William Rose.
However, a later description in a Deed of 1802 refers only to ‘Glenfield’ as:
All that Messuage or Tenement situate in Great Ellingham wherein Samuel Barnard then resided with Barn, Outbuildings and Yards thereto belonging and adjoins bounded by the King's Highway leading from Watton to Attleburgh towards the north east by the church yard of Great Ellingham towards the South and by the premises late of Jno. Steel towards the west and north west
Nevertheless, the two descriptions are useful. The names recited in the first description concur with the various names contained in earlier documents I have discovered which also relate to ‘Glenfield’. Accordingly, we can be reasonably confident about the names of earlier owners of ‘Glenfield’.
John & Mary Turner
Many historical deeds will recite much earlier deeds. However, the details may be limited to the date and parties to the deed. Nonetheless, this information is still very useful.
Here, the copies of deeds I have discovered which relate to ‘Glenfield’ and the house and shop in Church Street, refer to several deeds between 1762 and 1799.
Borrowing
It was on the 19th May, 1762, that John Turner, a grocer of Great Ellingham, and his wife Mary, conveyed the properties (including ‘Glenfield’) to Samuel Cubitt, a grocer of the City of Norwich.
Given that the names of John and Mary Turner appear again in later deeds, I think it likely that Samuel Cubitt loaned money to John and Mary Turner.
As was the custom at that time, John and Mary Turner conveyed the property to Cubitt by the Deed of 19th May, 1762, which almost certainly will contain a provision for John and Mary Turner to repay the mortgage in full, and for the subsequent re-conveyance of the property on redemption.
It may have been in 1764 that John and Mary Turner sold the property to Samuel Cubitt. There is an Indenture of 6th September, 1764, between John & Mary Turner of the first part, Samuel Cubitt of the second part and Thomas Paul, a merchant of Norwich, of the third part. It is more than possible that Thomas Paul loaned money to Cubitt. However, I am confident that Thomas Paul was not a legal owner of the property.
Marriage & Children
I believe Mary Turner was formerly Mary Wright and that she had married John Turner in St James’s Church, Great Ellingham on the 4th November, 1756.
They had ten known children baptised in the same church between 1757 and 1771. Sadly at least four of the children did not survive childhood.
Samuel Cubitt
Since 1762, Samuel Cubitt had an interest in ‘Glenfield’ (and the other property), albeit until 1764, as a lender.
Nevertheless, I believe there was more borrowing against the property.
I wonder whether Thomas Paul assigned his mortgage debt to J. Burrow and J. Whinard. There are two deeds of the 19th and 20th May, 1769, between Burrow & Whinard of the first part, Samuel Cubitt of the second part and Isaac Hoyle, a gentleman of Norwich, of the third part. Again I do not have copies of these documents. Therefore, we can only guess the nature of the transaction.
Given that it was indeed Samuel Cubitt who conveyed the property (including ‘Glenfield’) to William Rose in 1795, I have no doubt that the transactions of the 19th and 20th May, 1769, related to lending. This lending would have been discharged in full by the time that Cubitt sold to William Rose.
Part II
Even without original historical title deeds, it is possible to put together a history of the owners and occupiers of a property.
We have been able to establish that by 1762, ‘Glenfield’ was owned by grocer John Turner and his wife Mary. Given that they lived in the village, it is more than possible that they lived in (or part of) ‘Glenfield’.
The Turners may well have sold ‘Glenfield’ to Samuel Cubitt in 1764. Cubitt retained ownership until 1795, when he sold to William Rose. It is unlikely that Samuel Cubitt ever lived in either of his properties in Great Ellingham.
We continue the story with William Rose’s ownership in Part II.
Sources:
1802 Russell James Colman Plans. Great Ellingham. Norfolk Record Office. Catalogue Ref. C/Ca 1/84.
1799-1842 F W Horner, Records of the Surveyors to Commissioners for Inclosure in Parishes in Norfolk and Suffolk. Great Ellingham (Act 1799). Norfolk Record Office. Catalogue Ref: NRO, BR 90/2
1800 Inclosure Commissioner’s Particulars and Valuation, Great Ellingham. Norfolk Record Office. Catalogue Ref: NRO, MC 2213/119
Great Ellingham Tithe Map 1843. Tithe Apportionments, 1836-1929 [database online]. TheGenealogist.co.uk 2023. Original data: “IR29 Tithe Commission and successors: Tithe Apportionments” The National Archives
1801. Norfolk & Norwich. Index Villaris. Norfolk Record Office.
Great Ellingham Parish Registers. Norfolk Record Office. PD609. Also available to view various non-subscription and subscription websites including www.familysearch.org and www.ancestry.co.uk
Private Deeds Collection. Adrian & Sue Carlton
Private Deeds Collection. Christine Fuller
Private Deeds Collection. Shirley Caston
Title Deeds and papers relating to Great Ellingham. 1795-1871 Norfolk Record Office. Ref: MC 2868/1/6.