Leaving Felsham for Lancashire, 1836: the story of the Gill family

In 1836 William and Mary Gill with their nine children were sent from the Suffolk village of Felsham to work for a landowner and industrialist in Lancashire.  The family were part of a national migration scheme that arranged for families who were receiving poor relief, to move to the north where there was a labour shortage in the cotton mills and coal mining industry. Families with a large number of children were particularly attractive to the northern industrialists who regarded them as a good investment....

...... Read more about the members of this poor Felsham family who made new lives in industrial Lancashire........

"Felsham and Gedding History Group" website

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Through lack of funds this site can no longer be updated.

Suffolk Local History Forum

Check out my new blog at http://suffolklocalhistoryforum.blogspot.co.uk/

Topics include:
Evangelical dissent in Bury St Edmunds
The poor of Mildenhall
The Suffolk Returns from the Census of Religious Worship 1851 Bury St Edmunds

Dinah Morris preaching on the common, 1861 (E. H. Corbould, RCIN 451114), illustrating George Elliott's Adam Bede.

Local history studies: List of publications

A photomontage showing what Felsham windmill may have looked like before its removal in 1867.  The mill would have rivalled the church tower in height and must have dominated this part of the village. The building to the right of the windmill is the Live and Let Live beer-house on Upper Green, while the house to the left is Windmill Cottage on the Cockfield Road.  

Christopher Bornett has been researching the history of Felsham and Gedding since 2010.  

He has written and published booklets on many aspects of Felsham life in the 19th century including a biography of Thomas Anderson (Rector of Felsham 1822 to 1872), a history of education in Felsham and Gedding, and a description of the lives of local farm labourers and their families.

Many of these studies are now available on-line.  Click HERE.

The list also includes access to all the Census Returns for Felsham from 1841 to 1911 and for Gedding for 1841 and 1851

A Felsham Philanthropist: Mary Montgomerie Anderson 1836 to 1914

A hundred years ago, a woman who closely involved herself in improving the conditions of Felsham’s inhabitants over many decades, died at Kilmarnock in Scotland at the age of seventy-eight.  Her name was Mary Montgomerie Anderson and she was the niece of the Rev Thomas Anderson who lived at the Felsham Rectory from 1822 until his death in 1872.

On her uncle’s death she married his eldest son, John, who was also her first cousin.  They lived first in Bury St Edmunds and then at Yewlands (now called Felsham House).  After her husband’s death in 1894, Mary continued to live in Felsham but eventually retired to live near her birthplace in Ayrshire.

During the first thirty years of her life, Mary and her mother frequently travelled to Felsham from Scotland to stay at the Rectory.  She was quite an accomplished artist and during her twenties she made numerous sketches of local landmarks including Gedding Hall, Felsham Hall and the cottage now called Swallow’s Nest.

While living at Yewlands, Mary closely involved herself in village life and in activities connected with the Church.  Along with the then rector, she made a significant contribution to the restoration of the church that took place during the last three decades of the 19th century providing money for a range of projects including the re-roofing of the nave in copper and the provision of a modern organ in the chancel (1899).

Bury & Norwich Post 17 Dec 1878

  In 1897, she provided land on which a new village school was built (now the Village Hall) and made a contribution to the building costs.  In the summer of 1900, Mary attended the annual school treat in the new schoolroom, where “cheers were given for the Rector, Mrs Anderson and other kind friends, who assisted the children to spend a happy day.” (Bury & Norwich Post, 14 Aug 1900)

After the death of her husband, Mary spent more of her time in Scotland but she still took a close interest in Felsham.  In 1906 she paid for the construction of a small Reading Room situated next to the Rectory and which was used by villagers for many years before it was demolished sometime in the mid-20^th century.

In her will, Mary left £100 to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts which in today's money was the equivalent of around £10,000.  A very generous woman indeed.

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Note 1: Mary Montgomerie Anderson and Sir John Tilley

Mary Montgomerie Anderson was the sister of Susanna Anderson Montgomerie, Sir John Tilley's mother.

In her will, Mary left Yewlands with all its furniture plus a lump sum of £5,000 to her nephew (Sir John Tilley).  On his retirement from the diplomatic service, Sir John came to live in Felsham and renamed Yewlands, "Felsham House".

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    Note 2: St Peter's Church and Mary Montgomerie

After her death, a copy of Raphael's "Charge to St Peter" was placed above the Altar in her memory.

The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology

Read about Mary's husband - John Thomas Anderson - and local politics here.

"SIGNPOSTS to local history' Summer 2014

Now available:

Click to enlarge.

The Felsham PARISH PUMP

I have started a new blog that is more political and polemical than this one.  The first post is about the discovery of a long lost village pump that has been covered in undergrowth for many years at Castle Farm. The second post concerns the events in Felsham in 1894, when the Parish Council was formed under the re-organisation of local government in the 1890s.
Go to http://felshamparishpump.blogspot.co.uk/
 CB

Latest edition of SIGNPOSTS TO LOCAL HISTORY now on sale

For more information go to:  http://signpoststolocalhistory.blogspot.co.uk/

Check out a story about the newly revealed mystery village pump HERE

Felsham a hundred and fifty years ago

Trade directories were published throughout the UK from the 1840s onward listing businesses and trades-people for every city, town and village in the country.  Details about local gentry, landowners, charities and postal facilities were also included.  These directories were, in effect, Victorian versions of today’s Yellow Pages.  An example for Felsham from a hundred and fifty years ago - Harrod’s Directory of Suffolk 1864 - is shown below.

FELSHAM is a parish and village in Thedwastry hundred, West Suffolk, about 7 miles west of Stowmarket, and 8 south-east  from Bury St Edmunds, containing 1,605 acres of land.  Fisk Harrison, Esq., is lord of the manor.  The living is a rectory, and has now a yearly rent charge of £490, in lieu of tithes, awarded in 1841.  The Rev. Thomas Anderson, M.A., is patron and incumbent.  The church is dedicated to St. Peter.  In the interior are tablets to the Turner and Dalton families, a tower with clock, and 6 bells.  There are charities, the proceeds of which are distributed by the rector and churchwardens to the poor of the parish.  There is a National school.  A fair of lambs, etc., is held here on the 16th of August.  The population in 1861 was 394.

POSTAL REGULATIONS. – James Raafe, receiver.  Letters arrive from Woolpit at 9.30 a.m.; dispatched at 5 p.m.; post town, Bury.

CARRIER TO BURY – George Boggis, Wednesday and Saturday.  

Anderson Rev. Thomas, M.A.

COMMERCIAL

Banley James, farmer

Bigsby Jeremiah, baker

Boggis, James wheelwright

Brewer Benjamin, bricklayer

Brewer Henry, builder & wheelwright

Brewer Isaac, carpenter & wheelwright

Chipperfield Alfred, grocer & draper

Deadman James, farmer & landowner, Grange farm

Eaves Henry, shoemaker

Frost James, schoolmaster

Golding William, farmer, Stone farm

Gosling William, farmer

Green John, shoemaker

Howe Frederick, blacksmith

Hubbard Thomas, farmer, Felsham hall

King Thomas, farmer

Kinsey Edward, farmer

Kinsey Jacob, Six Bells inn

Last James, farmer

Moore William, farmer

Oxer John Jarman, shopkeeper

Reynolds Edward, farrier

Scott James, farmer, Brook farm

Smith Thomas, farmer

Watkinson William, farmer

The entry for Felsham begins with a brief description of the parish and includes topographical, historical and institutional information, followed by information about postal and carrier facilities, and then a longer list of all the farmers, tradesmen and craftsmen to be found in the village.  The directory provided information for all those in commerce who needed to send goods and circulars out to persons of particular occupation and standing.  For example, an ironmonger in Bury might need to know how to get, say, half a dozen new oil lamps to one of the Felsham shopkeepers.  For this purpose he would use the carrier’s cart belonging to Mr Boggis, and the directory told him which days this ran, in Felsham’s case, Wednesdays and Saturdays.  On sending out his bills, the ironmonger could use the directory to check the correct postal address, etc.  Conversely, anybody in the country could search the directory, just as we browse the Yellow Pages, to find ‘the right man for the job’.  For example, people needing building work done would note that Felsham had Benjamin and Henry Brewer with the experience to complete the job.

As a resource for the local historian trade directories provide valuable information about the economically “significant” people in the village who provided various services, employment, schooling and charity to the majority.  The twenty eight people listed constitute less than eight per cent of the total population of Felsham but they would have formed a “local establishment” or social elite that everyone knew.  The predominance of farmers and craftsmen such as wheelwrights emphasises the fact the village revolved around agriculture in a way that is unfamiliar today when only a small number of people are employed on the land.

How accurate were the directories?  Cross-referencing with other historical sources such as Census Returns indicates that they are generally accurate, but in the example given here for 1864, a number of spelling errors could create confusion.  For example, “Banley, James, farmer” must refer to Mr Bauley, farmer.  Similarly but less easily explained, “Deadman, James, farmer & landowner”, must refer to Mr Debenham who was living at Grange Farm at this time. 

 

Finally, a little snippet of local history is provided by the description of the church tower with it 6 bells and clock.  Information about the Felsham church clock is scarce but a pre-1900 photograph clearly shows a clock roundel just below the belfry’s louvered window opening.  Strangely, the clock face appears “blind” – there is no sign of numbers or hands.  Perhaps the clock had ceased functioning by the time the photograph was taken.  However, we do know that the clock was functioning fully in 1815 because church accounts refer to money being paid for "winding up the church clock."

Bibliography: Mills, D.R., Rural Community History from Trade Directories, (Local Population Studies, 2001)

 

Additional research:

1.  How many farmers were tenant farmers?

The Directory of 1864 mentions that James Deadman (Debenham) of Grange farm was a “farmer and landowner”.  None of the other farmers listed are given a similar label which suggests that Mr Debenham was the only farmer who was an owner-occupier.  A Sale Notice for 1858 in the Bury & Norwich Post indicates that James Debenham probably bought the farm in this year.  With a farm of 218 acres this farmer was a substantial land owner in Felsham. 

The Census Returns for 1861 shows his household thus:

James	Debenham	Head	60	Farmer of 218 acres employing 8 labourers and 2 Boys	Ixworth Thorpe	Suffolk
Sophia	Debenham	Wife	59	Farmer's wife	Glemham	Suffolk
George	Debenham	Son	26	Farmer's son	Hilborough	Norfolk
Kate	Debenham	Daughter-in-law	24		Eastmore	Norfolk
Alice Kate	Debenham	Granddaughter	5		Heacham	Norfolk
Arthur James	Debenham	Grandson	1		Ventnor	Isle of Wight
Mary Ann	Thitmore	Servant	20	Dairymaid	Ellingham	Norfolk
Caroline	Cuthbert	Servant	22	House Servant	Gedding	Suffolk
Sophia	Gladwell	Servant	16	Nursemaid	Felsham	Suffolk

“In the late 19^th century only about a seventh of the land was in the hands of owner-occupiers…  It rarely paid farmers to put spare resources into buying land when the money could be used more profitably in extending the scale of their operations or buying new equipment.  The purchase of one’s farm represented a saving in rent of only three or four per cent of the capital required, while farming.. could be reckoned to produce a good 10 per cent or more.  The consequence was that most farmers were content to be tenants, seeing their capital produce a good return, and feeling perfectly secure under a good landlord.”

GE Mingay: Rural life in Victorian England, (Allan Sutton Publishing, 1990) p50

It is probable that all the other farmers were tenants paying an annual rent for their farm.  For example, Thomas Hubbard, the farmer at Felsham Hall was paying a rental of £237 16s 6d in 1856 for his 151 acre farm, two-thirds of which was down to arable.  The farm was sold in 1860 while Mr Hubbard was the sitting tenant with eight years of his twelve year lease still to run.
 

The Census Returns for 1861 shows his household thus:

 

Thomas	Hubbard	Head	33	Farmer of 151 acres employing 4 labourers and 1 Boy	Finningham	Suffolk
Lavinia	Hubbard	Wife	30	Farmers wife	Ixworth	Suffolk
John C	Hubbard	Son	8	Scholar at home	Elmswell	Suffolk
Laura	Hubbard	Daughter	6	Scholar at home	Tostock	Suffolk
Thomas	Hubbard	Son	4	Scholar at home	Felsham	Suffolk
Jane	Hubbard	Daughter	2		Felsham	Suffolk
William	Hubbard	Son	1		Felsham	Suffolk
Louisa	Chilvers	Teacher	21		Tottington	Norfolk
Eunice	Death	Servant	26	Dairy Maid	Hitcham	Suffolk
Emily Jane	Garrod	Servant	12	Servant	Felsham	Suffolk

 

He was not listed in the Census Returns for 1871 so presumably he had left the village on the termination of his lease to farm elsewhere.

Despite the fact that Thomas Hubbard was a tenant farmer he was still a man of some wealth and local standing.  His children did not attend the local National School but were educated at home by a governess as shown in the Census Return above.

Further research: the security of tenant farmers

2.  How big were the Felsham farms?

It would appear that only the four largest farms are mentioned by name in the Harrod’s Directory for 1864: Grange Farm, Stone Farm, Felsham Hall Farm and Brook Hall Farm.  These are all farms of over 150 acres in size.  The Census Returns for 1861 and 1871 reveal the names and sizes of the smaller farms:

Deadman James, farmer & landowner, Grange farm	Debenham.  Farmer of 218 acres employing 8 labourers and 2 Boys
Golding William, farmer, Stone farm [Slough Farm]	Farmer of 164 acres employing 7 Labourers and 4 Boys
Gosling William, farmer	Valley Farm.  Farmer of 57 acres employing 2 Labourers and 2 Boys
Hubbard Thomas, farmer, Felsham hall	Farmer of 151 acres employing 4 labourers and 1 Boy
King Thomas, farmer	James King? Near Michery House [The Links] and the Grange?
Kinsey Edward, farmer	1861 The Green, Edmund Kinsey aged 43, Farmer of 140 acres employing 5 Labourers and 2 Boys? 1871 Edward Kinsey aged 52,  farmer of Mausoleum House. [Same person? – both born in Stowupland.)
Last James, farmer	Tailor and shoemaker of 17 acres employing 1 labourer and boy.  In 1871 described as ‘Farmer and Master Tailor’.
Moore William, farmer	Rookery Farm [Moore’s Farm] Farmer of 100 acres employing 3 Labourers and 2 Boys.  Also publican at Six Bells in 1871
Scott James, farmer, Brook farm	Farmer of 170 acres employing 6 Labourers and 3 Boys
Smith Thomas, farmer	Farmer of 34 acres employing 1 Labourer and 1 Boy (Hill Farm?)
Watkinson William, farmer	Daver’s Farm [Capel Farm]. Farmer of 124 acres employing 4 Labourers and 2 Boys

It is noteworthy that the smaller farmers sometimes combined their farming with other occupations.  William Moore with a farm of 100 acres was also the publican at the Six Bells Inn.  While, James Last managed to combine working his small-holding of 17 acres with his professions of shoemaker and tailor.

Further research: Felsham villagers with two or more occupations?