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Pearman family of Glemsford Butcher Family You are here: Home: People & Memories: Families: Pearmans By Jean Curtis Having always believed that my family on both sides of my Tree came from London, when I finally took up the challenge of finding out about them, it came as a great surprise to find that my maternal grandfather’s family (the Tindley family) originated from Sudbury, and my maternal grandmother’s family (the Butcher family) from Glemsford! The common thread running through both families is the Weaving and Silk industries, with grandfather and grandmother meeting in Sudbury and then moving to London, where my mother was born. Great great grandfather was Samuel, who ran a grocer’s shop, the address shown as White Ash. There is also a Samuel Butcher who is shown as a pork butcher and grocer in Egremont Road, although I cannot prove it is the same Samuel however. Alfred Butcher was my great grandfather: he was a silk weaver and he married a Rebecca Debenham. After his death in 1877, Rebecca married a Joseph Welham. My grandmother, Annie Elizabeth Butcher, was born in 1873, on the 1881 census living at Woodfield Alley. Her siblings were Albert, Alice, Ellen and Alfred. Are there any descendants of these Butchers still living in Glemsford who might remember the family? If so, I would love to hear from you. Notes We have started a little bit of research for this lady, but if anyone feel they can shed some light please send an email to Jean . Some of you may remember ‘Woodfield Alley’ from an earlier newsletter, it was a passageway that ran between ‘Patches’ and ‘Ash House’, Tye Green, and changed names three times over the 1871, 81 census returns and again in the 20th Century. Egremont ‘Road’ I suspect should be ‘Street’ but what about ‘White Ash’? Send email

Pictures on display, on large baffle boards in the Heritage Room at Village Hall Back to Streets 1 Brook Street. The entrance to Crownfield is in the space between the two rows of cottages. Those nearer to the camera were pulled down,along with the nearby factory. 2 The former Crown Inn. Later became Serenity House situated on the right hand side of Brook Street, just before Chequers Lane. 3 Oscar Clarke. With delivery van, outside Fair Green House and The Little Cottage. 4 The Prince of Wales Inn. Located in Churchgate, approaching St Mary's Church. 5 The Horsehair Factory in Bells Lane Now living accommodation, but the windows are still visible today. Believed to have been Kolle's from1884 -1905, and then Arnold and Goulds, from 1907 – 1998 6 Harvest time. A big annual event in Glemsford, was the arrival of the threshing machine. This was known as The Fortune Teller. This picture shows threshing taking place behind The Cherry Tree, circa 1906. 7 This photograph is outside The Black Lion in Lion Road, circa 1880. 8. Bells Lane Taken from the junction with Park Lane. The view extends to the poplar trees, known as the Twelve Disciples, but there have only been eleven for many years. They are at the top of Shepherds Lane. The house on the left is still standing and was once the home of Henry Cook, who in 1885, led the men of Glemsford to Long Melford in order to vote. There were no voting facilities in Glemsford, a great deal of animosity between the Conservatives and Liberals, and a lot of discontent over continuous wage cuts. The situation in Long Melford worsened with voting difficulties and the drinking of much beer. There was fighting and some destruction of property. The army was called and the Riot Act was read. 9 The former Cherry Tree pub. circa WW1,[currently Wong's Chinese Restaurant] complete with a wonderful flowering cherry tree.

An account of a day in May 2000 by local glemsford residents One day in May 2000 You are here: Home: People & Memories: One day in May 2000 Various local residents give an account of their day on any day in May 2000 to mark the arrival of the new millenium. One day in May 2000

An account of a teenage lamplighter in sudbury following world war one. The Young Sudbury Lamplighter You are here: Home: People & Memories: The Lamplighter A fascinating account of a teenage Lamplighter in Sudbury just after the Great War. by George Boreham. Foreward by Steve Scott My uncle, George Boreham, was born at Glemsford on 10 October 1904, son of Charles and Eliza (they were at Brook St 1901). He left c.1925 to live in Halifax, Yorkshire and in 1928 moved to Keswick, Cumberland where in 1931 he married my Grandmother's sister, Elsie Robinson. He was a great story teller and never lost his Suffolk accent, some of his stories he wrote in a note book, and I thought you might be interested in this one, it is as written by him. He continued to work as a gas fitter until his last few year when he was sexton of St John's Church, Keswick where he is now buried. The Lamplighter The First World War was over and I was fifteen. I had served two years of my seven year apprenticeship with the Sudbury Gas Company. The air was pregnant with the expectancy of things what’s (sic) going to happen now that peace had come. The better place for heroes was being launched and the town’s progressive group were demanding that the street lamps should be lit: their slogan was “the Zeppelins are gone, don’t keep us in the dark any longer ". The two fitters and myself at the gas works felt the impact of this demand as we were urged by the boss to overhaul all the street lanterns and public lighting equipment as quickly as possible. This urgency was exciting for me we had laid low during the war and veiled everything from the Zeppelins, and now suddenly we had become important, now we could make light, as much as possible and as quickly as possible. I worked with enthusiasm caught up with the land fit for heroes to live in. It was hard work as the four years of neglect to the lanterns was not to be put right in 3 or 4 weeks and besides the old pre-war naked light were (sic) to be replaced by the new incandescent mantle burners; the heroes were not to have died in vain! Although we were in a hurry, the progressives were in a (sic) even bigger hurry to have the streets lighted, as I was cycling home from work one evening I saw a motor car going slowly up the street, stopping at each lamp post, on top of the car was a coffin with two hooded figures sat astride, as they stopped at a lamp post one of the figure bent down and from the coffin brought out a little lighted Chinese lantern which they hung on the lamp post - these lanterns were all different colours and looking back down the street the effect was picturesque and fairy like . I did think them very daring and cheeky to hang them on our lamp posts, what would Grimwood our boss at the gasworks say? This was the first public protest I had seen, a new way to get things done, “the war had liberated the slaves ". Next morning at the gasworks was all hustle and bustle, my mate told me to get the big handcart and fix the lantern rack onto it, it held a dozen lanterns, we were to get some Lamps ready for lighting that week-end. The hand cart was loaded with a dozen repaired lanterns, dozen new mantles and burners, ladders and tools for the job. What a load it was, typical of those days if it could be loaded on a cart then a man could pull it. By the end of the week the first lamps were ready; these were the ones on the outer edge of town, crossroads and market square. It had been a busy week and I was glad when Saturday came with its half day off work. My enthusiasm had been sorely tested by the hectic week with the lamps so as I entered the workshop on Saturday morning my mind was pleasantly occupied with thoughts of freedom to do what I liked, I was suddenly brought down to earth when as soon as I stepped inside the workshop my mate said “The boss wants to see you”. "What does he want to see me for?" "You’ve got to light them lamps tonight." "What me, light them lamps?" "Yes, you lights them about half past four and puts them out starting at ten o’clock." "What? Ten o’clock at night!" "You’re not afraid of the dark are you?" "No I’m not afraid of the dark." "Well that’s settled then, you tell the boss you’ll light them lamps and you’re not afraid of the dark, any way you’re the only one who knows where they all are and you’ll get paid extra." So at the age of fifteen I was the first Sudbury lamp lighter after the First World War, I did this for the whole of that winter but by the next winter with many more lamps lit they employed a full time lamp lighter. This was one job I was not sorry to lose as I was often afraid when I put out the friendly gleam and left myself in the dark and isolation on the edges of town, and especially on Saturday nights when the pubs were turning out, the drunks would stand arguing and brawling round the lamps you can imagine the reception I got when turned up to put the light out!

The Glemsford War Memorial The War Memorial You are here: Home: People & Memories: The War Memorial This page correlates the names of the men on Glemsford's War Memorial with the real people listed in the Census documents of 1901. Inevitably, there are some people who remain invisible, and a few who have disappeared. As before it is based on Martin Edwards' immense work on the War Memorial names which has made it possible to peer through the mist and catch a glimpse of the men who gave everything. It is intended as a matter of pride, and as a compliment, that Glemsford should be called “an ordinary village inhabited by ordinary people". There will still be some inconsistencies and a few confusions - some names are quite common. George Bradenham Henry Charles Brewster Walter Brewster George Brown Ernest Brown George Clarke Chatters W William George Clarke Eaton Cross William Debenham Cyril Game Dennis Golding Lambert Goody Albert Hartley Eliazer Hartley George Honeywood Walter Jarmin Lambert Jarmyn Edwin Keefe Harry Lorkings Harry Mizon Frederick Oakley Ben Oakley Edwin Piper Wallace Playle Samuel George Smith Ambrose Suttle Albert Twinn Arthur C and Wallace W Twinn The rest of this page comprises men whose details have emerged from the 1911 Census but for whom there are no details in 1901. ALBRIGHT, Frederick Arthur BROWN, Arthur BYFORD, John JOSSLYN, William W J SLATER, William SPARHAM, William The rest are men whose names, for one reason or another, do not appear on the War Memorial, but who were born or resident in Glemsford. ARBON, Alfred I CLARKE, Arthur COPSEY, Christopher Simon CUTMORE, William FILBY, George William GAME, Jasper GARWOOD, Robert HARDY, Charles MIZON, Walter OAKDEN, William PLUMB, William REYNOLDS, Fred SMITH Victor Albert TERRY, Archie Louis THOMPSON, John THOMPSON Tom TWINN, Reginald Charles Download War Memorial

Events - Season 2025-26 Our new programme of talks commenced in style with the return of John Minors, a textile consultant, who gave an audience of 49 a fascinating run through of the weaving of horse hair into cloth. Hugely relevant to Glemsford because of the two horse hair factories which existed here. John worked at Courtaulds in Halstead for many years and told us about the horse hair industry in the 19th century that was based primarily on women and children working on looms in their own homes; often working 16 hours a day. John Boyd of Castle Carey in Somerset opened his first factory in 1837 and employed 40 weavers, starchers and dyers. Boyd was the most prominent company and today it is still weaving horse hair into hair cloth for the many modern uses in upholstery, wall hangings, lamp shades and anything requiring a textile that will outlast any other material. In Glemsford, the former horse hair factory in Bells Lane was owned by a company called Arnold and Gould. Originally, the factory would have used hair from local horses but because local supply was limited, it would import horse hair from other sources including from China. The production of hair cloth on weaving looms is unique as no other animal hair can be used in textile products. Horse hair is indestructible and comes in white black and grey/brown but only the white hair can be dyed. John’s fascinating talk concluded with a look at many samples. Our November talk given by Kate Jewell was entitled ‘Schools and Education in Medieval Suffolk’. Way back in 1234, Pope Gregory decreed that within Christendom every parish priest should have a clerk who was responsible for bringing boys into education, and this was certainly prevalent in the Suffolk of the late 14 th to early 16 th century when records show that elementary school for the formal education of boys existed in many towns and villages. Education was always linked to religion. Boys from wealthy and well-to-do backgrounds often had to pay a fee to the local employer/landowner before being sent to schools, the aim being to groom them for future priesthood. Books and documents still in existence show that the teaching, usually done by the local priests, was in both English and Latin and much was achieved ‘by rote’ chanting. Content included early alphabets and basic prayers, although in the grammar schools, which boys transferred to from the age of 12, more advanced primers were introduced containing collects, prayers, psalms, classical texts and lists of the seven sacraments and deadly sins. For these boarding schools, boys took with them an enormous pile of ‘necessaries’(clothes, shoes etc.); they sat on graded ‘forms’; texts were almost exclusively in Latin; discipline was strict and hours were long. However, the boys did enjoy their food and hated Lent when diets were restricted! Kate concluded her talk by briefly mentioning the life of girls who were essential for the running of households, many, like Alice de Bryene from Acton, becoming more than proficient in management and control of large farming communities. A dismally, wet and miserable January evening did not deter 41 members and visitors from attending Adrian Tindall’s talk entitled ‘The Monastery Alone a City’ - 1000 Years of the Abbey of St. Edmunds. Early research shows that Bury St. Edmunds was a significant town even in Saxon times, known then as Bedricesworth and by 630 AD Christianity and religious sites were prevalent. The martyrdom of King Edmund in 869/70 AD, set on record by Abbo de Fleury 100 years later, led to a great monastery being established by King Canute c.1020AD built around, and containing , the shrine of the murdered king. This was one of the greatest and wealthiest Benedictine monasteries in all of NW Europe, its wealth and power ever increasing until the Dissolution in 1539. Plans and archaeological digs show where the original buildings would have stood, the majority of them now in ruins showing only the flint-like inner structural core as the outer limestone facing stones have long been taken. Huge buildings such as the Norman Tower, St. James church (now the cathedral) and St. Mary’s church survived as they were all on the Abbey fringe, thus to be shared by the townsfolk. The present Abbey gate is a later addition, as the original one was destroyed by the local inhabitants in 1327- 46. (Angry relationships between town and Abbey were never cordial; the abbots were hated for their wealth and tight rein of town control). Today we can find evidence of the huge Abbey church, its nave, chapter house (with graves of six abbots!), chapels and crypt; some recent reconstructive pictures show how magnificent it would have been. The Great Court which housed stables, bake and brew houses and workshops is now the Abbey gardens, and many will recognise the Abbot’s bridge, still standing. Adrian’s most interesting talk certainly reminded us of what a fascinating place the St Edmundsbury Abbey was, and still is today. At February’s meeting speaker Andrew Mowbray took us on a ‘Virtually Colchester’ tour explaining, via maps and pictures, much of the history of this ‘oldest recorded town and newest city’ (2022). Evidence shows that the Celtic tribe Trinovantes had a settlement dating back to AD10, ruled by chieftains, situated in the Gosbecks area and known as Camulodunon. In AD41 Emperor Claudius’ invasion resulted in a large Roman settlement being built on the hill where the city now stands. The Iceni tribe’s rebellion, led by Bouddicca in 60AD, destroyed the town, but it was rebuilt by the victorious Romans with even greater splendour. It boasted a theatre, an amphitheatre, a temple, gates and roadways, ( a chariot circus was also situated a fair way off!) all surrounded by a sturdy wall, much of which is still standing. Come 450AD the Romans had abandoned Colchester to neglection. The 11 th . century saw the arrival of the Normans who adapted and improved much of what remained. Trinity Church tower maintains Roman brickwork, whilst St. Helena Chapel was Norman built. However, the ‘jewel in the crown’ is Colchester Castle built by the Normans, but standing over the original Roman temple which was erected in AD 54 by Nero to honour the murdered Emperor Claudius whose God-like status inspired worshippers. Andrew concluded his talk by visiting the 17 th century describing the Dutch Quarter formally inhabited by Flemish weavers, and the horrors of the 11 week siege during the Civil War. Finally we heard of the chequered history surrounding the building of the ‘Jumbo’ Water Tower on the very top of the hill. Colchester – a place really drenched in history! Our March meeting welcomed a number of close friends and family members of speaker, Julie Whittle, who gave us a very well documented talk on ‘A Bulmer Family during World War II’. Using many photographs of the large Messant family who lived in Bulmer during the 1930s, we heard how, on the death of their parents in 1936, the oldest girl, Violet aged only 18,(and later to become Julie’s grandma!) took on the role of raising her younger siblings, Eileen and Molly. Times were hard and money short; war came in 1939 and the male family members enlisted. The girls, along with others did many volunteering jobs, also working later for Vanners in Sudbury and Cornard Knitting Mills, yet by 1940 only Britain stood against the Nazis. Rationing was introduced; the Blitz raged, bombing in London lasted for 57 consecutive nights; air raids were common, and then, on December 7 th 1941 Pearl Harbour was bombed! Bad mistake! In came the Americans, (‘overpaid, oversexed and over here’) in their droves, particularly in East Anglia with 3000 in Sudbury alone! Air Base dances became very popular with the girls, as did the US soldiers! When Operation Overlord was launched and Europe was invaded, losses on both sides were huge. Likewise, the Messant family had their fair share of tragedy, but, come the war’s ending, life returned to a version of normality. The surviving members married, had children and did their best to found a dynasty! Our May meeting welcomed back Pip Wright who treated the audience to a compelling story about Margaret Catchpole; an underrated Suffolk woman who had a colourful life. Born in 1768 to a poor family in Nacton, Margaret Catchpole started her adolescent life looking after her brother and sister whilst her parents both worked to bring income into the family home. Pip illustrated Margaret’s life through watercolour pictures published in Richard Cobbold’s book of 1845. Not always historically accurate, Margaret is portrayed as a young lady who had the habit of getting involved with men, often with pistols in dawn fights between her “friends”. However, Margaret manages to get a job in the Cobbold household cooking and sewing and she became a welcome addition to the household, at one point rescuing a Cobbold child from a pond. Sadly, Margaret disgraced herself by inviting groups of men, often sailors, into the house for food and drink. Eventually the family showed Margaret the door and she seeks out Will Lord who she understands wants to marry her. Will was in London so Margaret steals a horse and dresses up as a boy to escape being caught. On arrival in London she is arrested and the Cobbold family seek her prosecution not realising that it was Margaret on the horse. Margaret receives a death sentence and resides at Ipswich gaol but in 1797 she is instead told she will be deported to Australia. Margaret escapes from the gaol dressed as a sailor but is soon captured and goes back to gaol where she goes on trial and is found guilty on the offence of trying to escape deportation. The judge however takes pity on her and rather than giving her a long sentence gives Margaret a more lenient sentence of deportation to Sydney, Australia. Historical accuracy then takes backseat but contemporary records suggest Margaret becomes a nurse and midwife and is celebrated in her new country as a heroin. She died in 1819 at the age of 51. Margaret Catchpole indeed had a colourful life. Our last speaker in the current programme was Professor Mark Bailey who gave us a very erudite and engrossing talk on the subject of ‘The Effect of Global Climate Change on the East Anglian Coast 1100 – 1600’. It seems that there is little new about global climate change. Evidence shows that from the period 1000 until 1250 the climate was remarkably warm whilst the decades from 1450 – 1600 were much colder. Our understanding comes from some written evidence, and also from tree rings, the ice core, speleothem formations such as stalactites and stalagmites and even the flood levels of the River Nile. The soft, vulnerable coast of Suffolk is low lying and has always been prey to the violent movement of the waves and the rising sea levels. From royal commissions and manorial surveys we can discover much about the changing face of the coastline. Truncated marine havens, closed off estuaries, emerging sandbanks, the weight of disposition and reclaimed land all show how, not just Dunwich, but also Covehithe, Orford, Southwold and Thorpeness lost their port status and importance. Centuries of changing climate have all taken their toll and today we continue to monitor the situation very closely.

Pearman family of Glemsford Pearman Family You are here: Home: People & Memories: Families: Pearmans Rita Burgess has been researching her family for a very long time. She was one of the speakers in the early days of the Local History Society when she gave a talk about her relative, Rifleman Byford, which may have inspired many of those present to get out and look for their roots, too. Apart from her work on Rifleman Byford, Rita has also focused on the Pearman and Hempstead families. In 2005/6 she kindly provided more material for the site. Her early researches put her in contact with Richard Deeks. Richard deserves, in many ways, the title of "The Father of Glemsford's History". Without his efforts (originally inspired by his own family researches) it is unlikely that much of the Village's history would have been properly recorded. Certainly much of what is now known would have been left to rest in the Local Records Office, just occasionally pored over by an enthusiast or two. That, or the story would have been left in the hands of well-meaning but inherently inaccurate legends, lovingly but deceptively recorded as fact by dewy-eyed romantics. Two of Richard's works stand out for attention: "The Matmaker and The Magistrate" gives a detailed insight into social and labour conditions in our part of Suffolk in the middle and late 19th Century. "Glorious Glemsford" is engagingly simple, bringing together of vibrant pictures of the Village's past. And, of course, Richard was the driving force behind the creation of the Local History Society. In her piecing together of the Pearman family's past, Rita was helped by Richard in her organisation of a family gathering. The notes, reproduced here, are part of Richard's contribution. They reflect his attention to detail and his very humanity, his insistence on seeing people as people, and valuable contibutors to our present, regardless of their background. The History of the Susan Pearman Cup By Richard Deeks 1989 This magnificent silver cup is unique, or perhaps more appropriately, its history is remarkable. It is elegantly shaped, with a large bowl mounted on a stem with a rounded foot and 2 handles made of pure silver, weighing 20 oz and quite valuable. It is competed for annually by villagers entering garden produce in the Glemsford Flower Show and won for the first time in 1936 by Mr Pawsey of Egremont Street, Glemsford. The cup was donated by Mrs Sarah Ellie of Richmond, Surrey, to commemorate her remarkable grandmother Susan Pearman; not only was she a mother and housewife, silk weaver and a member of the Providence Chapel on Hunts Hill, she was also a midwife and had attended over 3000 births in the area. That must be a pretty good record for any individual during the last half of the 19th century and early 20th. Susan Pearman was born Susan Brown, daughter of Hannah and Thomas Brown on 17th August 1817 in Hunts Hill Glemsford, and after working as a silk weaver she went on to weave velvet by handloom. She married William Hempstead Pearman (also born 1817) on 25 November 1837 and had 7 children in all, one being illegitimate. In the 1851 Census, Susan Pearman is living with her parents and one sister, Christiana, and her baseborn daughter Ellen. William Pearman was a remarkable man. He had had 2 minor convictions for theft but in 1841 was convicted of receiving stolen pigs from a Sudbury landowner and sentenced to 14 years transportation to Tasmania. However, he did return to England after 12 years, spending some time after his release from Tasmania at the goldfields at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. On returning to Glemsford a wealthy man, he purchased land and a shop on Hunts Hill. When he learned of Ellen, Susan’s baseborn daughter born whilst he was away in Australia, he said “You broke a cup, I broke a saucer, we’ll call it quits”. William and Susan continued to live and prosper in Glemsford, him as a blacksmith, she running the pork butcher’s shop, alongside her work as a midwife. William died on 18th February 1897 aged 80, Susan died 11th December 1903 aged 86 years. They are both buried in the same grave in the east end of Glemsford churchyard where their memorial headstone was recently discovered under bramble bushes. So here, with the Pearman Cup, is a continuous reminder of man’s inhumanity to man – those who survived transportation had a very tough time, also it is very rare for a transportee to return home to England. And, some of the descendants of both Susan and William still live in this area, both Browns and Pearmans. This short story illuminates just a corner of our village heritage, which I believe needs to be revealed so that we may live in a more considerate world. Stealing Sheep (quoted with permission) from Sue Cain: My Grandma recently told me of an ancestor who was called William Hempstead who was transported to Tasmania after being convicted of stealing a sheep. He was also 23. I thought I'd do a search on the Internet and found your page. My family are from Feltham, which ties in with [the] Great Grandfather who taught matmaking. She said that William's wife divorced him for 3/6 after 7 years but she did say that he was given permission to move around the colony and he did become a wealthy man before returning to England when he was 60 and buying property. Although there are slight differences between the details your site & my Grandma's story, there are a lot of striking similarities (my Grandma is in her 80's & the story has been passed down from a few different people I believe so I imagine there have been some confusions here and there - nothing has been written down). I was wondering if you had any more family history details. My Grandma hasn't said which side of her parents family that William was related to but her surname is Cain , her father was 'Holland' and her mother's maiden name was 'Francis' and they were from Sunbury. There are some intriguing similarities here, but also the sort of differences which make the interpretation of the past so constantly fascinating. Despite what Richard had to say, at the time of the 1861 Census, Ellen Pearman, the "baseborn" child of the transportation, was living with her Hempstead grandparents. Needless to say, Rita and Sue are in contact with each other and, yes, it is the same family!