John Wilkin of Foxearth

I'm researching my great grandmother's family. She was Catherine/Catharine Felton when she died but her first husband was James Cook, postman and her maiden name was Wilkin.
She was born on Corfu.
I have reason to believe her father, John Wilkin came from Foxearth.

Posted on behalf of Andrea Blackburn

Where there's a Willis....

from Gwyn Bailey

I am trying to find about the above area! My specific question is: has anyone ever heard of a Willis family living there in the late 18th Century? George Willis, who could be my 3x g.grandfather married Elizabeth Osborn in Sible Hedingham in 1798 and gave Belchamp Otten as his home parish. Was he born there or had he just been 'passing through'? He *may* have been a miller, but he may also have been the son of a reasonably wealthy family.

Gibbons, Tarbon, Golding, Mann, Hammond, Butcher

The Scurrys did a lot of marrying into local families at Belchamp St Pauls and Belchamp Otten, so have accumulated info about these too. All in 19th century, but originally from Hundon, Suffolk in 1795

briansown@hotmail.co.uk

Scurrys, Cutmores, Deals, Martins

I've been researching the above families for a long time, so have accumulated quite a bit of info. If anyone is interested in exchanging info I'd be very happy to do so.
Brian Buxton briansown@hotmail.co.uk

Home Ward bound.

I've just moved in to Glemsford and discovered that my Great Great Grandmother and my Great Grandmother were both born and raised in the village. I'm assuming that it goes further back too. My Great Great Grandmother was Mary Ann Oakley (b. abt March 1854) her father was Thomas Oakley and he married Sarah Ann Byford about 7.7.1850. My G.G. Grandmother married John Brown and Sarah Jane Brown was born November 1873 in Glemsford, at some time during her childhood the family moved to Diss for work. Sarah Jane then married Arthur Saunders who became very prominent in the Co-Operative Society setting up a brush works in Leeds, Yorkshire, and travelled the world sourcing materials.

It is quite amazing to find myself in the same village that my forebears originated from as my partner and I have lived in very many places in the last few years such as Shropshire and France. We had no idea there was a Suffolk branch of the family!

Many thanks and kind regards

Joanne Ward
(but apparently, sadly, not related to the Wards of the Brewery! Although Wards are still brewing up in Sheffield where another branch of my family are from!)

(posted on behalf of Joanne Ward by Andrew Clarke. The Ward family are spread throughout the border parishes, and appear in mediaeval documents, but seem to have their epicentre around Long Melford. More information would be very much appreciated on the Byfords, Browns and Oakleys too)

Sadler Tribe

Considerable effort has to date traced my branch of the SADLER tribe back to the uper Stour area.

At present we are stuck with no ancestry for a John Sadler, born ca 1690-1710, who married in Belchamp St Paul a Sarah Marshall 20.10.1731, and later an Elizabeth Osborne 25.12.1738, both times in B St P.

From the second marriage he had 4 children, all born Belchamp St Paul:

Anne 1744 married a James Wells, from whom I have a couple of generations of descendants

Richard 1746 married Mary Parsons 20.10.1766 in Pentlow - this is my line and goes on until the present day through Cavendish and Newmarket

William 1748 married Sarah Goodchild 11.12.1769 in Cavrendish, later a Mary unknown about 1780, again in Cavendish - 5 children

James 1750 married Hannah Harrington 9.8.1770 in Cavendish; four children born in Pentlow.

If anybody has info on a John Sadler born in the area about 1690-1710, I'd be glad to have it. I know there were several Sadler pairs in both Clare and Stoke-by-Clare from 1650 on, but none so far has a John; Stoke -by-Clare records are missing for a period of 10 years just when I need them!

Equally, if i can help anyone working on the name Wells, or who has an odd Sadler in their tree, I would be very happy to do so.

Glemsford, Borley and Foxearth also show up in the tree later on.

Ray Sadlr

The Brown and Wells families

I am gathering a lot of the history of my family from Pentlow, Cavendish, Glemsford , Borley and Foxearth.

The photo you have in Cavendish of Frederick Brown outside his bakery was my great grandfather; the lady outside is Agnes Brown nee Cook from Glemsford. She was my great grandmother.

In the main photo, 'The photo club 1903', there is a man nearly at the front with a moustache. I think he may be Sidney Wells, farmer, of Pentlow. He farmed from 1902 until 1932 at Pentlow Hall Farm. (now Pentlow House). I have a family photo of the Wells family, late 1800s, and Sidney looks like the man with the moustache. This old photo also shows his mother, Matilda Theobald, from Borley.

I have been researching the Wells family of Cavendish, and the Brown family. I have found them all back to 1700, which includes other families.

My mother was born at Boxed Hall to Charles Wells. Ethel Brown & Sidney Wells bought Hooks Hall and Moores Farm in 1919.

I found the information on your site; it has been very useful

Mary Ethelwood

Mary and Sidney Wells at Pentlow Hall Farm

Charles Wells, Matilda Theobald and family

(posted on behalf of Mary Ethelwood. Any replies will be forwarded. The Wells family are a well-known Cavendish family, and descendents live there still)

A Cadge Family Tree?

(posted on behalf of Daniel John)

A quick note from the Southern side of the family. As there are so few of us, is there anyone out there who has done a Cadge family tree and is willing to share with this long lost member of the Cadge Family.

I am Daniel John (Cadge), son of Michael Victor Cadge (deceased).

Feel free to email me on danieljohn01@tiscali.co.uk

from Rupert Mallin

I grew up in Clare and remember undertaking a project about Borley Rectory aged fourteen. I loved being frightened by the place - via Harry's books - but could even then understand rational understanding versus magic!

As the black sheep of my family, I went to Clare Sec Mod, rather than grammar school. Hated the school but somehow got on with pupils and teachers - circa 1967-70. Eventually got myself educated! While 'art & education' is my work, 'history' is my bedrock.

I lived near A.L. Morton's chapel house on Poslingford Corner. Our address was The Royal Oak, Snow Hill, Clare. My dad bought half an old 'malt' pub - that is, they brewed there on site. I know this because, as a child, we opened up a bricked in room there full of old hops and equipment!

Leslie Morton had a brother in Pentlow who used to farm with shire horses leading the plough, probably into the 1970s. My dad Tom was a picture restorer and artist, and then became a writer. He took us kids to Joe Farley's in Pentlow, I remember - and there would be novelist Nigel Balchin and artist Michael Ayrton and others...

Morton's farm was famous! Brother Morton was probably more famous because of his 'The People's History of England." However, his 'history' ends abruptly in 1920. With my one O Level I worked as a cub reporter on the then Haverhill Echo, circa 1970, and interviewed Leslie who was still singing the praises of the Soviet Bloc and his visits there! Strangely, he side stepped Hungary 1956, though, in essence, he was a liberal-Stalinist!! In 1988 I moved here and with my then partner opened a bookshop - and Leslie wrote me a lovely letter celebrating our venture - the last letter he ever wrote...

Nigel Balchin retired to Glemsford. His house had been a pub, 'The Greyhound.' I know this because I helped my father Tom put up such a greyhound sign in his front garden! I was only a boy but there were gatherings at Joe Farley's farm cottage, where Balchin, Ayrton and others visited. Would it have been 'The Larks,' Pentlow? We were also friends with the Bell family who converted their Cavendish riverside house into a restaurant and the Hendersons, who were teachers...

A little further afield I met Edmund Blunden (first world war poet) and still keep in touch with his youngest daughter in Spain.

I presently live in Lowestoft and bumped into local historian Ivan Bunn and told him he must visit your site. He has written extensively about the Lowestoft 'Witches' with an American academic.

My 'historical' regret is that I didn't complete an MPhil on 'independent publishers in Chartist Norwich' in the late 1980s. Yet my artistic work is increasingly bringing me to 'history.' Though the artistic production is always a little cider pressed of historical intention, the research has always been the best part. Most recently I've worked on a project at Dragon Hall in Norwich and a garage worker on the lowly King Street presented me with 200 pages of research about the street!

My next large project is in the offing: to enhance and develop The Burston Strike School, near Diss, as an exciting museum. We've half the funding - fingers crossed! I'll be working with young photographer Adam Shawyer, Sheringham. He worked on the Magnum Agency archives for ten years. Adam knew nothing of the "history" yet, but as real life stories unfold, from all angles, his enthusiasm is now absolute.

In my view, history shouldn't just be brought back onto school curriculums, it should be the school curriculum!

All best wishes, Rupert Mallin
http://rupertmallin.info

The Ginns of Belchamp

I would like to find any information about the Ginn Families living in and around Belchamp St. Paul's in the 19th Century. My maternal Grandfather was Stanley William GINN - born Barnet, Herts 1890 to John Herbert GINN and Alice GINN formerly Caplin. (My great grandparents) John Herbert was born Belchamp St. Paul's 1860. His parents were Henry & Sarah GINN. (My great great grandparents) Henry was born c1833 Foxearth. Henry's parents were John GINN (dob c1801) & Hannah GINN (my great great great grandparents).

It seems to me there were at least 3 Ginn families living in the area in the 1800s and I am sure they were all related. I would love to hear from anyone who could provide me further information or indeed a distant relation.

Many thanks,



Brian Robinson

Kent