Suffolk
Family History Society

Group Closure

Posted by K Pulford on Mon, 1st May 2023

We have decided to close the group down with the final meeting in May.

From Car Park to Cathedral

Posted by K Pulford on Thu, 6th Sep 2018

You may be interested in this local event.

Group Visit to Hawkedon

Posted by K Pulford on Fri, 20th Jul 2018

On Wednesday, 18th July the group was treated to a guided tour of Hawkedon by the villages resident historian Judy Wilson. We were treated to a background to the history of the village and given a guide to the principle houses in the village. It is suituated around a green with the village church in the middle of the green. We all enjoyed a wonderful summer's evening examining the village.

Help Request from Canada

Posted by K Pulford on Thu, 17th May 2018

Deb McDowell write from Canada requesting information about her Everett forebares in Bradfield Combust. If you can help her email address is at the bottom of the text.

Hello

I'm writing to you from Canada in the hopes that someone in your branch might recognize the farmhouse in this photo.  

We believe it is the home of Harry Everett, an agricultural labourer, and his wife Leah who lived on "the Street" in Bradfield Combust, b. 1867 & 1862 respectively.

The family in the photo is the Everett family [my mother-in-law's family]:  
back:  unknown, Harry George Everett [son], Harry Everett [father] 
front:  Gladys Everett [granddaughter], Salome (nee Butler) Everett [daughter-in-law], Leah (nee Roper) Everett [mother].

Various Censuses have them living on "The Street" in Bradfiled Combust.  

In the 1939 Register, the area was enumerated in the following order:

The Manger Inn, The Lodge, Hall Cottages, Broom Barn Farm, Bradfield House, Ivy Cottage and then 6 households on “The Street”, the School House, Eastern Cottage, The Shop, and then the “The Street” again of which the Everett’s are the 5^th household of 8, then Sutton Hall Cottages, Sutton Hall, [an added note “STANNINGFIELD”, The Lyningas [maybe Syringa Farm??], Symthies Farms. 

In 1901, the Census was enumerated as follows:  Chapel House, Loft Farm, Snuff Box Farm, Block Farm, Yew Tree Farm, Cottage Farm, Church Farm, Manger Inn, The Hall, Hall Cottages, Sutton Hall, The Street (2 households), The Rectory, Broom Barn (Ixworth Lane), The Street (3 households), West end Cottage, The Shop, The Street (8 households of which the Everett’s are the 2^nd & 3^rd).

I'm afraid I haven't located their grave yet, so I'm not sure when they stopped living in the house.

Hope you don't mind my asking, but I'd love to know if the building still exists and/or approximately where it was located.  

Or perhaps there is a Facebook that you would recommend that I post my inquiry to instead.   

Any help is greatly appreciated.  Cheers from across the pond,

Deb McDowell (email: mcdowelldeb2@aol.com)

A Moving lecture about the Foundling Hospital

Posted by D A Howlett on Mon, 22nd Jan 2018

Ruth Miller gave a very interesting and moving talk about her early life as a child brought up in the "The Foundling Hospital" system when we held our first meeting of the year on Wednesday 17 January. In front of a smallish audience and without notes Ruth told us about her early childhood, how during the school holidays she was fostered to a family who lived in Duxford. Ruth described how the Hospital gave her the education to go on and have successful career. The talk was illustrated with photographs and artifacts which Ruth had managed to keep from her childhood in the Foundling Hospital.

David Soutar introducing Ruth Miller

Welcome to our Quiz Night

Posted by D A Howlett on Mon, 13th Nov 2017

Don't forget its our Quiz Night on Wednesday 15th November, at the Hyndman Centre, starting as usual at 7.30pm. 
This is very much a social evening so come along and join us and enjoy our annual quiz evening.
Everybody is welcome admission just £2,00, so you are all welcome to join us and enjoy the fun, food and prizes
We look forward to greeting you on Wednesday evening. 

Remember talks in Bury still continue.......

Posted by D A Howlett on Wed, 25th Oct 2017

Dr Megan Dennis gave a fascinating lecture on Voices from the Workhouse,  to a well attended meeting on 19th October.  Megan is the Curator of Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse Museum of Norfolk Life and was able to bring artifacts from the museum to illustrate her talk.

Although the Bury Group have held our last lecture of the year, (remember our November meeting is our well established Quiz Night) we are still able to enjoy a feast of lectures given by the Suffolk Record Office who hold regular talks and  lectures in all of their three Offices throughout the Autum Season. 
Lectures on "Caring for Archives", at Ipswich RO,  on "Haunted Lowestoft" , at Lowestoft RO, are but a few.  The Bury RO is holding a lecture entitled, "Fire" given by a regular visitor to our meetings Sarah Doig on 4 November followed by Pat Murrell giving a talk "Possessions" 7 November. with further talks on varying subjects given approxmately at two week intervals up to the Christmas holidays

Details of all these and other Talks, Courses and Workshops given by the Suffolk Record Office can be found on their website www.suffolkarchives.co.uk or telephone the Bury RO on 01284  741212.   

Voices from the Workhouse

Posted by D A Howlett on Sun, 15th Oct 2017

"Voices from the Workhouse"  by Dr Megan Dennis
The subject of the workhouse is a constant fascination to the family historian, as so many of our ancestors were forced to spent part of their lives in these dreaded institutions.  The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 resulted in the massive intervention by the State in the  governing the way poverty was managed.  Large institutions were built and life within was strictly regimented.  One such workhouse was constructed just quarter of a mile from our meeting hall. This evenings talk will give an insight into the harsh life of the inmates.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday 18 October commencing at 7.30pm  The Hyndman Centre, Hospital Road.   Everybody is welcome  Please Remember that extensive roadworks are being undertaken at the Spread Eagle/Petticoat Road Junction See the notice posted below

Georgian Angel Hill

Posted by D A Howlett on Mon, 18th Sep 2017

We are very pleased to welcome back after our Summer break, Dr Pat Murrell who will be giving us a talk on "Georgian Angel Hill".

Pat is arguably the county's leading expert on Stuart and Georgian history, so there is no one better qualified to give this month's lecture. Pat regularly gives lectures at the Suffolk Record Office and is renowned for her in depth knowledge of the Stuart and Georgian History of our town.  However much we may know, or think we know about Angel Hill there is no doubt that Pat will illustrate her lecture with addtional nuggets of interest we will have missed..

As usual everyone is welcome on Wednesday 20th September at

Hyndman Centre, Hospital Road, IP33 3JT.  The meeting commences at 7.30pm and admission is just £2.00

Please Note that extensive road works are being undertaken at the Spread Engle junction, please refer to the notice posted below for details.

Group's midsummer trip to Woolpit Museum

Posted by D A Howlett on Sun, 20th Aug 2017

Our Group enjoyed an interesting summer evening on 19 July when we visited the small but fascinating museum in Woolpit.

We were hosted by Elizabeth Cockayne and Rita Burr who entertained us with anecdotes about the villiage, its history and surviving artifacts.  Woolpit was famous for its brickmaking industry and was known for its high quality "Suffollk Whites", samples of the surving bricks were on display in the museum.

An additional treat was an invitation to visit St Mary's Church, situated opposite the museum.  It is assumed that the church stood on the site of an earlier church which was built before the Norman Conquest.  The present tower was reconstructed after the previous one was struck by lightning in 1852, (so many church towers in Suffolk suffered the similar fate).  The church survied the ravages the Reformation, Civil War and William Dowsing and has many fine carvings and well worth visiting.

We were treated to a real bonus when we were shown, in the south west corner of the church yard, a rare example of a   "mort-safe", a locked  iron cage designed to deter the body-snatchers of yesteryear.

A fine example of a Mort-safe, these became fashionable for a short time to deter "grave robbers"

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