Part One.
Background
In the earlier years of our marriage, my wife Shirley referred occasionally to one of her presumed ancestors - one James Spurgeon - who was thought to be connected in some way with a large country estate. The story had come down her family from the misty past and was probably distorted in various ways. As she understood it, this man - sometimes referred to as 'Sir' James Spurgeon - or his heirs - had lost the estate because two sisters refused to cooperate with each other about an important document of which each held a part. On their deaths, the estate was consequently left 'in Chancery' (it was believed). Just when or where all this had occurred was, to her knowledge, unknown. We presumed it was many generations in the past.
How the Spurgeon family in general were related to Shirley's family (surname Kippin) was also unknown to us. She believed the connection my have been through her paternal grandmother - Christianna - whose maiden name had been Nash. The Nashes were understood to derive from south-east Essex, near Brentwood, and therefore this district seemed a likely focus of any enquiries we might make about the lost estate. This was some miles to the east of Barkingside where the Kippins had lived after moving from their original centres at Wapping and Stepney Green. That is:
The idea of making enquiries ourselves arose only after I had gone a little into my own family history - in both Devon and Scotland. Having mentioned this one day to Shirley's cousin Terry (Bowden), he recalled that their mutual aunt, Doris, had instigated some genealogical searches into the Spurgeon mystery some years earlier. He told us what little he knew and this motivated us further.
It seemed that the estate had already been traced - not to Essex, but to Norfolk. As we once lived there ourselves, we found this most interesting. Also, Shirley's mother Marjorie, who lived in nearby Lowestoft, had some years earlier given us an old but comprehensive county Directory for Norfolk - for the year 1845. This listed, amongst other things, the more important families and estates at that time. So we proceeded with some enthusiasm to search the Directory for any references to Nashes or Spurgeons who my have held a major country seat, estate, Hall, etc. in that year. Alas, there appeared to be none - certainly in regard to the Nashes. Further scannings did however reveal one Rev. Spurgeon - at Neatishead (nr Wroxham) and a farmer, William Spurgeon, at Matlaske (nr Aylsham). On a later occasion, I found another Rev. Spurgeon - at Twyford (nr East Dereham) and finally, at nearby Gressinghall, one Astley Cooper Spurgeon, Esq. who occupied a small Manor house there. This seemed the most promising avenue to explore.
However, during a subsequent visit with Terry, more details emerged concerning the name and location of the suspected estate. It seemed that aunt Doris remembered seeing, as a young girl at her maternal grandparents' home (the Nashes), a number of artefacts of relevance to the family story. These were: i) a copy of something called 'the Antingham Pedigree' which detailed the early pedigree of a former land-owning family in Norfolk called 'Jermy'; ii) a copy of a Coat of Arms - later confirmed to be that of this same Jermy family; and iii) a picture of a large Norfolk mansion called Stanfield Hall.
We now assumed that this latter Hall was the location of the 'lost estate'. The possible implications of these 3 articles had apparently also been of interest to Doris's father Ernest (Kippin), who had married Christianna Nash around 1900. We believe he made some preliminary enquiries in the 1920's concerning these items but what he learned, if anything, we were unaware; apparently it was little or nothing. He was possibly intrigued at the potential right of his wife to have a Coat of Arms and may have wondered also whether there might be any money involved - e.g. 'in Chancery', as per the old family story.
Having learned its name, we were now at least able to look up Stanfield Hall in the 1845 Directory. It was listed there, at that date, as a fine Elizabethan Manor nearly encompassed by a moat and formerly the seat of several important Norfolk families - including the Appleyards and Flowerdews - but was then the residence of one 'Isaac Jermy, Esq'. We seemed finally to be on the right track - this surname (Jermy) being the one noted on the old Pedigree and Coat of Arms seen by Doris at her grandmother Nash's - along with a picture of this very Hall. The Directory informed us that it was not at all situated near Gressinghall but about 2 miles east of Wymondham - an old market town some 10 miles south-west of Norwich. Stanfield Hall (marked x above) was one of several Manors in this very large parish and was originally established in the 10th century. Isaac Jermy was described as the Recorder of Norwich - that is, the chief judge who heard cases at the Quarter Sessions there. His estate included lands around the Hall as well as in neighbouring parishes, including Tasburgh 6 miles to the south-east for which, as with Stanfield, he held the Lordship of the Manor.
The possession by the Nash family of the three Jermy articles, and the information in the Directory that a Jermy did in fact live in the Hall concerned, in this early Victorian period, naturally intrigued us further. What relevance, we wondered, might the Jermys and Stanfield Hall have to the Nash family and why did they have the three articles pertaining to same ? And who was James Spurgeon ? How did he relate to all this ?
We decided that when next in Norfolk, we would have to drive by this Hall, out of curiousity, to see if it still existed - some 140 years on. An opportunity arose a few weeks later when we visited Shirley's mother in Lowestoft. We returned to Essex via Wymondham where we asked at the police station about the Hall. They told us it was still there and how to get to it. Then the constable added "Of course, you know that's where the terrible murder took place"(!). He knew little about it or when it had occurred but be1ieved that a former owner had returned one day to find his wife in compromising circumstances with some local man and in a fit of jealous rage stabbed him with a knife. The murderer, he believed, was subsequently tried and executed.
Even more intrigued, we immediately drove east out of Wymondham onto a lane that skirted the Stanfield Hall estate and soon saw the Hall at a distance - about 1/2 a mile up its own driveway. From our position, it did not appear particularly large or impressive but closer to it would likely be quite grand. The parkland and fields surrounding it seemed somewhat neglected. At a small gate lodge, I spoke to a couple who worked for the present owner - a Dr. Hudson. They were only vaguely aware of the murder story and knew nothing of the Jermy family, nor the earlier history of the Hall. The present owner had purchased it sometime after the last war, they told us, and was now in retirement. They did recall a lady making similar enquiries a few years earlier and we wondered if this may have been Doris. We drove off and for the time being at least that was the end of our immediate interest in the Hall, the Jermys and their presumed but unknown connection with the Nashes or Spurgeons. Might the alleged murder, we wondered, relate at all to conflicts regarding the Hall's inheritance, to a divided document and a property somehow ending up 'in Chancery' ?
Whatever the truth and full story, we at least were now able for the first time to think about and discuss the mysterious lost estate with an actual property in our minds. Whatever it was, it was at least real; it did exist. For some decades (in Shirley's life at least) it was essentially a 'family story' based on faith and uncertain validity. Earlier generations may have known a bit more but much was lost through disuse or died with James Spurgeon - whoever he was. When, we wondered, and how did the family have any connection at all with this particular estate ? It seemed most odd.
Early Research
Through Terry's contacts with Doris, we later obtained a few more details about the family's Norfolk derivation. As stated, our vague understanding had been that the link proceeded through the Nash family. Christianna Nash's parents wre Alfred and Bethia Nash - the grandparents who had the three Jermy articles seen as a child by Doris, in Brentwood - around 1920. We understood that Bethia had an elder sister, also named Christianna (after whom Bethia had seemingly named her eldest daughter). I recall advancing the idea that these two sisters may have been the uncooperative sisters and that possibly their maiden names had been Spurgeon. If so, this meant that the earlier Nash family, whether of Brentwood or elsewhere, was of no further direct relevance to our enquiries about the suspected estate. Rather, it would be Bethia's family through whom we should proceed. What was their name ?
Bethia had been a nurse who, we were later told, had met her husband Alfred Nash when he was a patient (c1875) at the London Hospital. He had once worked on the Thames barges and an earlier idea of ours was that he may also have worked on coastal ships - possibly calling in to Gt. Yarmouth and Norwich - there meeting a Bethia 'Spurgeon'. This would provide a basis for linking the Nashes (and later the Kippins and Bowdens) with the Spurgeons and with Norfolk. James Spurgeon, on this basis, may have been Bethia' s grandfather, for example. However, Alfred and Bethia actually met at London Hospital, which ruled out this idea. Moreover, it was only in his later years, after their marriage that he had worked on the Thames apparently.
Nevertheless, additional details obtained later confirmed that Bethia had indeed been born in Norfolk and as a Spurgeon. As stated, she came to London apparently to train as a Nurse at the London Hospital - there meeting Alfred Nash. These and other facts concerning her parentage and origins had been discovered or recalled by Doris who, being a generation nearer the facts, possibly knew much of this already; we didn't. Also, another relation, Renee, a daughter of the younger Christianna's brother Alfred Nash Jnr, was also aware that her grandmother Bethia was born a Spurgeon in Norfolk. Indeed, she could even recall meeting - as a young girl - Bethia's father around 1918. This man, her great grandfather, was, she said, a relatively well-dressed, well-spoken man with a slight disfigurement of the jaw (following an operation) who lived into his 90's and had been married three times. His name - James Spurgeon! She was not aware of the alleged estate, Coat of Arms or the Jermy family but did recall that Bethia frequently spoke of money that she claimed was due to her family. Clearly, we should have spoken to Renee earlier.
Someone else in the same generation as Renee and Doris was Shirley's mother Marjorie -who had heard various aspects of tbe story after marrying Doris's brother Stanley (Kippin) in the late '20s. She recalled that Bethia's elder sister "Chris'anna" ran a guest house on the south coast. We again wondered if she and Bethia had been the (Spurgeon) sisters who wouldn't cooperate in respect of the alleged split document. Equally, wa realized that such sisters may have existed earlier in the story and also that their father James Spurgeon may not have been the James Spurgeon thought to be more directly connected with the lost (Jermy) estate - but rather a descendant of this man. The fact that, as suggested by the Jermy pedigree, there ware several knighted Jermys in the past may have accounted for the title 'Sir' which this earlier James Spurgeon had sometimes been accorded - probably in error therefore. Also, Shirley wondered if the divided document might in fact have been the complete Jermy pedigree - with Bethia possessing that part (as seen) pertaining to the earlier Jermy family and 'Chris'anna' holding a later part which depicted a link with the Spurgeons - a part no one now living had ever seen.
There was also the alternative idea that it may have been two brothers or half-brothers who held these separated portions. One wondered if Bethia's father or grandfather may have been one of these brothers. Could the existence of a half-brother to an earlier James Spurgeon provide a means of uncovering the link with the lost estate ? Such questions in turn aroused our interest in the identity of James's wife (Bethia's mother) and in their respective parents. Might there have been a Jermy girl in the background or could an earlier wife or mother have born a Jermy-fathered child before marriage - for example, while employed at the Hall ? Was the murder there of any significance ? Several such questions and hypotheses began to suggest themselves. But how in investigate these ?
The Local Record Office - Norwich
While Doris had gathered together much useful information, the actual connection, if any, between the Spurgeons of Norwich and the Jermys of Stanfield Hall remained a complete mystery. Nevertheless, it provided important facts to guide our initial searches in Norfolk. We decided we should trace the Spurgeon line of Bethia and her father James Spurgeon back some generations to see if a link with the Jermys and the lost estate might ultimately materialise. At the same time, one was curious about the Jermy family itself and wondered if searches into their line also might reveal this suspected connection more readily; that is, commencing froms the other direction in time (see Part 2). We began with the Spurgeons as they were our initial interest and we already had some information to start us off. (Note: This first section is probably more 'parochial' than the general student of the Jermy saga would appreciate but is included in order to provide a fairly complete account of this initial aspect of our research.)
The Spurgeon Family.
Doris's mother Christianna is the person who provides the initial link with the Spurgeons of Norfolk. She was Shirley and Terry's paternal and maternal grandmother, respectively. She was born in Brentwood, Essex in December, 1880 and christened Christianna Clara Nash. Her parents were Alfred and Bethia Nash who had other children there later, including Renee's father - Alfred Jnr. Christianna grew up in Brentwood but around the turn of the century seems to have moved to or started working in London. There, she met and married her future husband, Ernest Kippin. The marriage, in 1903, was registered at Mile End in east London - the district in which they subsequently lived and had their family - in nearby Stepney Green. The houses there were mostly owned by the Church of England then and it was still a lower middle class area.
About the time that Christianna met Ernest, her grandfather - James Spurgeon - lived on Pennington Street in Wapping, near the London docks where ho was a Dock Constable. Just around the corner, on Old Gravel Lane (Wapping Lane today), Ernest Kippin was born - and probably grew up. It is thus quite probable that he and Christianna met in that area -possibly while she was visiting or boarding with her grandfather.
However, the Kippin family seems to have moved from Wapping to Stepney Green before 1904 - as the father Edward was of that residence when he died in September that year - and his son Ernest had already married Christianna in a nearby Stepney church the year before. His mother Elizabeth (nee James) continued to reside with them (or they with her?) after her husband Edward's death. This lady seemed determined to see her only son into a 'proper white collar job' - in contrast to the rope factory and cart driver status of his father and grandfather. This did transpire, with Ernest eventually becoming an office supervisor for a large pharmaceutical firm.
He and Christianna had 4 surviving children born at Stepney Green: Winifred (1904) - Terry's mother (who had 2 other sons), Stanley (1906) - Shirley's father, Doris (1907) and Reginald (1910). The latter two remained unmarried - at least while their parents lived. They thus shared the later family home with them (in Barkingside, Essex) and as a consequence the three Jermy articles were either passed down to Doris on her parents' deaths in the 1940s or she had occasion to inspect them at her grandparents' home in Brentwood - as a young girl in the early '20s. (Both appear to have been the case, in part: she 'acquired' the original copy of the old Pedigree - with the family home - but later obtained copies of the Coat of arms and the picture of Stanfield Hall after describing her memory of them to someone (Stewart Valdar) well acquainted with the history of the Jermys who kindly provided such copies for her. She made some attempts, as had her father, to resolve the family mystery.
Christianna's parents Alfred Nash and Bethia (nee Spurgeon) were married in 1879 at St. George's-in-the-East, the docklands parish just above Wapping where Bethia's father James Spurgeon had lived for some time (on Pennington St.) and thus where they quite possibly both lived from about 1875. Bethia's name was spelled 'Bithirah' at her marriage but, more properly, 'Bethia' at her birth (later discovered). Alfred Nash was born in Haggerston, near Shoreditch, in 1853. Shortly after their marriage, they settled in Brentwood where Alfred worked on the railways. They remained there until about the turn of the century and then moved back to the east end.
Bethia Spurgeon, who died in 1938 (a few months after seeing her great granddaughter Shirley, who was born that year), was herself born in November, 1856 in New Catton, Norwich - to James Spurgeon and his 1st wife Maria (nee Dack). She was baptised on Jan. 1st, 1857 in one of the local parish churches (St. Clement's Without or Christ Church) in that new district of north Norwich. Some of this information was obtained for Doris by a genealogist some years before. We had no reason to doubt its accuracy but have not verified it all. Nevertheless, by re-tracing some of this later Spurgeon family history, we felt our own subsequent searches of the earlier history would be channelled into more profitable directions.
Bethia's elder sister Christianna Maria was born two years earlier and baptised on Dec. 3rd 1854 at Sprowston - a few miles east of New Catton - also on the outer north edge of Norwich. The two girls presumably grew up in or near New Catton until the family moved, for unknown reasons, to London - probably around 1865 or so. James Spurgeon was married 3 times so possibly Maria had died soon after Bethia's birth, as there seems to have been no later children. As Bethia named her eldest daughter 'Christianna' (and no others 'Maria'), one wonders if she may have been, in a sense, 'raised' by her slightly older sister from an early age. (It was later discovered that their mother Maria did indeed soon die, in 1860.)
Rather earlier, in Dec 1853, a James Spurgeon was born and registered in Norwich - an awkward 5 or 6 months after James and Maria had wed. But we have no confirmation regarding his parentage or later history. Three other James Spurgeons, born respectively in 1862, '63 and '64 had their deaths registered in West Ham, Poplar and Gt. Yarmouth - all in adulthood. Any one of these James Spurgeons could, in theory, be a son of James and one of his later wives. Two others - Fanny and Arthur Spurgeon, were registered in Norwich, in 1860, and either of these also may have been born to James. Confirmation would require examination of their birth or baptismal registrations. However, there's never been any reference by the later family to any son of James. He was the end of his line it seems.
James Spurgeon had married his first wife - Maria Dack (registerd as Deck) on June 27th 1853, in Sprowston, Norfolk. Both were stated to then be of that parish (a common description even when one - often the groom - was actually of another parish; it apparently saved paying a small fee). James was described as a Brickmaker, aged 21 (and thus born about 1832) and Maria as a Launderess, aged 27. A witness at the marriage was one David Castle. The 1851 Census showed Maria living with her aunt and uncle at 119 Wroxham Road, Sprowston - where a wedge of that rural parish ran into the north Norwich suburbs. New Catton was fairly close by. However, no Spurgeons were shown in that Census as living in Sprowston nor in nearby areas of Norwich or New Catton. An entry was noted however for a David Castle, then aged 31 and born in Norwich, who lived closeby at No. 157 Wroxham Road. He would become the witness at James and Maria's wedding (2 years hence). As Maria was staying with her relations just down tbe road, possibly James was similarly 'boarding' with this man, seemingly a close friend, in 1852 or '53, possibly meeting her thereby.
James' wife Maria was baptised on June 18th 1826 in Trowse Newton - a parish on the south-east edge of Norwich where we assume she lived until her teens. One had at first wondered if she might have been a Jermy. But her parents were Robert Dack, a weaver, and his wife Charlotte (nee Felstead) who married on June 24th 1819 - again in Sprowston church. Although later settling in Trowse, they likely had Sprowston connections, therefore, and this could account for Maria later living there - for example, with her aunt (her father's sister) and husband, who already lived on Wroxham Road.
We had understood that James Spurgeon was himself born in the parish of Sprowston. Being 21 at his marriage in 1853, we checked the church register there for baptismal evidence for the years 1830 to '33 - but without success. Re-checking the details we had jotted down at Terry's (as obtained by the genealogist for Doris), we discovered that his year of birth was stated to be 1825. This would make him 27 at his wedding and not the 21 we had noted. Had we mis-read the 7 as a 1 therefore? We re-checked the Sprowston register for the earlier period around 1825 and sure enough soon found a baptism for James Spurgeon - dated September 25th 1825. Who, we were excited to know, were his parents - especially his mother; was she a Jermy before marrying ?
The baptismal record showed his father to have been another James Spurgeon but his mother was listed simply as 'his wife Mary'. Her full identity would thus have to await more information on their marriage. This earlier birth date for James Jnr at least made him more comparable in age to his wife Maria and was thus readily accepted. It did make the James Spurgeon whom Renee remembers meeting around 1918 a rather remarkable 93 or so, and even older when he died some years later.
The next step in our search was now to confirm and, if possible, add to the facts known about James Spurgeon Snr and his wife Mary. The wife of the younger James - Maria - turned out not to be a Maria Jermy before marrying; might her mother prove to be a Mary Jermy, therefore? And, if he, James Jnr, a Brickmaker - certainly wasn't a 'Sir', could his father - also James - have been ? It seemed most unlikely; brickmaking being a much too humble an occupation for the son of such a person. Unsurprisingly, the answer was indeed 'no'; the elder James Spurgeon had married in Sprowston, on March 3rd 1823, as a single man and 'labourer'. His bride was one Mary Castle, also single, who signed, as did James, with her mark (then still common). Their ages weren't given, but assuming they married at the usual ages (early to mid-20s), both would likely be born around 1800. Unfortunately, neither their places of birth nor parentage was indicated on the church's marriage register, the national registers (which do show these) not commencing until 1837. Witnesses were a Sarah Spurgeon and Samuel Green. Sarah was possibly James Snr's sister and Samuel either her intended or a friend of James.
Mary's surname 'Castle' - not that common in Norfolk - recalled the witness of this name noted at the marriage of the younger James (yet to take place - some 30 years later, also in Sprowston church), i.e. David Castle. He would presumably be a considerably younger relation of Mary, possibly a nephew. In any case, she was (again) not a Jermy. No obvious connection with the Jermys had thus yet materialised. Conceivably, either Maria or, earlier, Mary may have been in service at Stanfield Hall, say, and borne a half-brother to Bethia or to James Jnr., respectively. But the Hall was not near Sprowston or Catton and, in any case, such a relationship wouldn't much benefit Bethia or James directly, even if it were acknowledged, unless one of them were of such paternity.
James Jnr. was not the first child of James and Mary. The Sprowston register also showed they had a daughter - Sarah Ann - born to them on Dec. 1st 1823, and baptised there Dec. 7th. This might imply that the mother of either James or Mary was a Sarah also. After they had James they had two others: Mary - baptised July 8th 1827 and John - on April 18 1830, both born at Sprowston. Mary would be a namesake of her mother and John may have been the name of Mary or James' father. Throughout this period, James Snr was described as a 'labourer' still.
We looked next at the earlier birth registers for Sprowston - for the years around 1800 - hoping to take the trail back a further generation and learn something about the parents of James Snr and of Mary Castle. However, no Spurgeon, or Castle, baptisms were registered there (or elsewhere nearby) between 1780 and 1805. Our trail seems to have gone cold and come to a full halt - with the marriage in Sprowston of James Spurgeon and Mary Castle, in 1823. Where each had come from and who their respective parents were was, it seemed, to remain a mystery - as was any connection either may have had with the Jermys or their estates. Where might we look for clues about earlier members of the family ?
Census Records
To complement what we did have thus far, we first looked at the Norfolk Census records for 1851, which were held in Norwich, and at a later date, those for 1841, which were (then) only available at the Public Record Office (PRO) in London. We had looked at the 1851 records for Sprowston but, as mentioned above, could find nothing there pertaining to a household of a James Spurgeon. Thus, although James Snr was married in Sprowston (1823) and his son James Jnr was both born (1825) and married (1853) there, neither was actually resident there in 1851. The later check of the 1841 records showed that neither lived there 10 years earlier either. This was rather perplexing and discouraging. What to do?
Quite possibly, James Snr and Mary did live in Sprowston, rather earlier - during the 1820s and '.30s, say - but unfortunately there are no Census records before 1841. And, in any case, only those for 1851 and later gave places of birth for those of each household - the primary information we were seeking. Because Bethia was born in north Norwich (in 1856 at New Catton) - not far from that part of Sprowston which extends into the north-east of Norwich - it seemed quite likely the Spurgeons had left Sprowston, possibly as early as 1830 or so, for somewhere nearer Catton. But neither the 1841 nor 1851 Census revealed their presence in that area either. Wherever they had gone, James Jnr at least, would seem to have returned to lived with or near to his future bride Maria Dack in Sprowston around 1852/3, when he married there. And they must have remained there for a short time after marrying as their first daughter Christianna was known to be born and baptised there in 1854. By 1856, they had moved to New Catton where, it now appeared, his parents had in fact not already moved to. So where had they all gone during the 1840s and '50s ?
Because it seemed they may have moved at least in the general direction of New Catton, that is, a little to the north-west, we began a systematic search of the 1851 Census for the parishes in that area that seemed the more promising. We were particularly interested in establishing the birthplaces of James Snr and his wife Mary (nee) Castle. We persevered through the Census records of a number of such parishes but to no avail. We were both becoming a little bleary-eyed and pessimistic when we came (on the microfilm) to the records for the parish of Drayton, which is situated in the country some 4 miles north-west of Norwich. This seemed rather far out and because there were in that area and beyond, no end of further such parishes one could examine, I suggested to Shirley that we'd better call it a day; a line had to be drawn somewhere. But, for some reason, she said "No let's just look through this last one". We did and eventually came upon an entry for the household of one 'James Spurgeon and wife Mary Ann' ! It seemed pre-ordained. And James Jnr was there as well.
Drayton was on the main road to Fakenham in north-west Norfolk. The Spurgeon family concerned lived then at 88 Mill Lane in the village itself. James Snr was shown as aged 52 - and so born about 1798/9 - cplose to the 1800 we had estimated. His place of birth was given as 'Chedgrave, Norfolk' - a small village next to the market town of Loddon - some 12 miles south-east of Norwich. It was thus no where near to Sprowston, nor to Wymondham and Stanfield Hall. His wife 'Mary Ann' was then aged 51 and, rather surprisingly, her place of birth was given as 'Dublin' in Ireland. Neither set of facts seemed to give us much scope for establishing a Jermy connection. When, we wondered, did Mary come to Norfolk and why ? How did she come to meet and marry James Spurgeon in suburban Sprowston and why was he there, in the early 1820s, so far (relatively) from his rural Chedgrave ? Were either of them at all connected to the Jermys and, if so...how ??
The Census record showed the presence of 3 children in the home on Mill Lane: James, Mary Ann and William. One was expecting Sarah Ann and John as well but, being born in 1823 and 1830, respectively, these last two - then about 28 and 21 - may well have left home. William would be a 5th child presumably, born sometime after John - the last born noted at Sprowston. But then James Jnr. and his sister Mary, born in 1825 and 1827, would themselves now be aged 26 and 24 and yet hadn't themselves left home. In James' case, this was quite explainable in that we knew he was due to marry two years later. However, on checking the listed ages for these latter two, we discovered that James wasn't in fact shown as 26 - which he should have been if born, as we had noted, in 1825 - but only 19. And Mary wasn't 24, but considerably younger at only 14. William, younger still at just 10, was thus born about 1840. Moreover, all three were shown to be born not in Sprowston but in Thorpe - a neighbouring parish to the south just across the river Yare from the Norwich parish of St. Helen (see map).
What to think? Did we have the wrong Spurgeon family ? No Sarah or John, a new William, and a James and Mary with ages and places of birth not at all agreeing with those in the Sprowston register we had seen with our own eyes. Being a Census return, James Snr's wife's maiden name (Castle) was not given. Without it, and with all the other disparate facts, we could not at all be certain we had the right family. In addition, the wife was listed here as Mary Ann Spurgeon whereas we had seen only 'Mary' before. This applied also to the daughter of this name. Our confidence improved slightly when we noted that the young James Jnr of the household was at least listed as a 'Brickmaker' - the same occupation we had noted earlier at the marriage of 'our' James Jnr which was to transpire two years hence - in 1853. But, his father - always shown previously as a 'labourer' - was now also recorded as a 'Brickmaker'. Of course, this was a fairly common trade in Norfolk at that time.
The ages shown for James Snr and his wife Mary Ann were at least consistent with those expected for the couple who had married at Sprowston in 1823. But their children's ages were more consistent with a rather later marriage - nearer 1830, say - but the younger James was born in 1825. It was however recalled that the Sprowston couple's first child - Sarah Ann - had also been given two christian names in 1823 (still not that common then) - another small sign of consistency. But how to account for our findings? A possible explanation might be that some or all of the 3 Sprowston-born children - Sarah Ann (1823), James (1825) and Mary (1827) had died young (in their infancies) - for example, during cholera or dysentry epidemics then quite frequent. The same fate may have taken John as well (but see also below). James Snr and wife Mary could have then moved to Thorpe - about 1831, say, and in a sense start all over again. A 2nd James Spurgeon Jur could then have been born in Thorpe - about 183 1/2 - thus agreeing after all with the age of 21 noted originally at his marriage in 1853, and with the age of 19 given on the 1851 Census for Drayton. As such, it would be this, a 2nd James Spurgeon Jnr who, with daughters Christianna and Bethia, went to London in the 1860s and later spoke to Renee around 1918 - when he'd be a more reasonable if still impressive 86 or so - and thus not the earlier-born (1825) James - as identified by Doris's genealogist. (We later learned that James Spurgeon died in 1923, aged 91+ - thus confirming that he was more likely such a later born James.)
Equally, a 2nd Mary - as Mary Ann - may then have been born in Thorpe as well, about 1836 and, finally, William there also, in 1840. Such a move would of course help explain their absence from the 1841 Census for Sprowston (just as their Drayton abode would account for their absence in the Sprowston/Catton area in 1851). How to confirm our new interpretation of the otherwise awkward facts brought out in the Drayton Census ? Firstly, one should check to see if any of the earlier Spurgeon children did indeed die early in Sprowston, as suggested. This was carried out some months later, when I re-visited the Record office in Norwich.
The Sprowston burial register showed that on July 8th 1826 a James Spurgeon, aged 9 months, was indeed buried there - the son of James and Mary Spurgeon. Similarly, a Mary Spurgeon, aged 1 1/2 years was then buried there - on Sept. 27th 1828. No burial entries were found for either Sarah or John, however. I then sought evidence for the suspected births of the 2nd James and Mary - around 1831 and 1836, respectively. Thorpe is a complex parish in 3 parts. That nearest to Norwich is called Thorpe Hamlet and, before 1845, had no church of its own. Baptisms for those born there were often registered in the parish church of St. Helen just across the river in Norwich. Otherwise, it was necessary to use the church of the larger part of Thorpe called Thorpe St. Andrew, some miles to the east. It was in the register of this latter church that I eventually discovered the baptismal record for one 'James Spurgin' - born to James and Mary Spurgin - dated August 5th 1832. This particular spelling was quite common. This couple would strongly appear to be the James and Mary who were formerly of Sprowston and by 1851 would be living in Drayton with this their 2nd-born James, then aged 19.
Proof of this conclusion would benefit from evidence of this Mary's maiden name - i.e. to agree with that of the Mary Castle who married in Sprowston in 1823. It would also be helpful if we could find entries concerning the baptisms of the other children living in the Drayton home - Mary (Ann) and William. At the time, nothing was found in respect of Mary, thought to be born about 1836, but an entry was shortly found for their youngest son William. His baptism was registered at St Helen's church, Norwich on Oct. 28th 1840. But more importantly, as it was after 1837, the birth had now to be registered also with the district civil registrar where, unlike many church registrations, the mother's maiden name was always recorded. This record was soon obtained and showed that William was born in Thorpe Hamlet (on Oct. 24th 1840) and, happily, did confirm that his mother Mary was born Mary Castle. This was the evidence we felt we needed to establish that the Drayton couple were, with virtually no doubt, the James and Mary who had married in Sprowston. At a later date, I discovered that Mary Ann was also born to them in Thorpe Hamlet - on July 17th 1837.
Our trail was thus advanced a further generation. We were now quite certain Bethia's father James Spurgeon was born in 1832 to a James Spurgeon (Snr), who was himself born in Chedgrave about 1798, and a Mary nee Castle, born in Dublin about 1799. But, as stated above, this didn't provide much to be optimistic about in regard to resolving our mystery. Where to proceed from here, therefore ? Interestingly, there was evidence of some 'Jermys' in the Chedgrave area, so we felt we had to pursue the Spurgeon line in particular back further - in this new area of south Norfolk. Might it hold the key? Who were the parents of James Snr, we wondered ?
When next in Norwich, we requested the Chedgrave registers for the years 1795 to 1805, expecting these to hold details concerning James Snr's birth and parentage. But nothing in this regard was noted, either in Chedgrave or in neighbouring parish registers, although it was apparent that there were a few Spurgeons in this general area. We again felt stumped. However, a lucky break eventually get us back on the right track, or at least it appeared to be the right track. We had discovered at about this time in a book called Rye's 'Norfolk Families' (1903) that the one noteworthy line of Spurgeons in the county emanated frcei a family in Gt. Yarmouth. This had produced several distinguished citizens - as Rectors, Mayors, Aldermen, etc. The last of this line was a Rev. Richard Spurgeon, Rector of Wroxham and Mulbarton. I was not then aware of the location of Mulbarton, but knew Wroxham was quite near Sprowston and this seemed promising.
The section in Rye's book on the Spurgeons ended with the statement that Rev. Spurgeon's daughter (unnamed) had married a certain 'Mr. Green' of Wroxham. The dates given for the Rector's dual incumbancy suggested that his daughter would likely have married in the early 1820s. Remembering that the witnesses at the marriage of James Snr. and Mary Castle in 1823 (in nearby Sprowston) were a Sarah Spurgeon and a Samuel Green, one naturally wondered if it might be this couple's subsequent marriage that was referred to by Rye. If James was Sarah's brother, it implied that their father was a country parson. While this did seem unlikely (considering James' apparent station in life), at least this middle rank in society (i.e. the clergy) did make the possibility of some kind of link with landed gentry seem a little more plausible.
The first thing to ascertain therefore was the christian name of Rev. Spurgeon's daughter; i.e. was it Sarah? I looked at the Wroxham registers but found no evidence of a Spurgeo-Green marriage. Nor was the incumbent there then a Rev. Spurgeon. So I tried Mulbarton which, interestingly, turned out to be somewhere between Chedgrave and Stanfield Hall. The Mulbarton registers in the 1820s were signed by Rev. Richard Spurgeon. Whilst seeking evidence of the marriage of present interest, it soon became obvious that there were a considerable number of Spurgeon entries in this register. Mulbarton and area seemed to be a centre for this family which, coincidentally (one assumed), also had a Spurgeon as Rector. This intrigued us further, considering the relative proximity to Stanfield Hall (and its Jermys) and to Chedgrave (and other Spurgeons). Might this area provide a clue to our sought after Spurgeon -Jermy link, ie via a Rev. Spurgeon ?
I searched the marriage register and finally did find the marriage of Rev. Spurgeon's daughter to Mr. Green - the service performed by Rev. John Spurgeon, Rev. Richard's father. The bride's name was....Sarah! The christian name of the groom, Mr. Green, was however not Samuel, but James. And, although these two names can look alike if poorly written, the final 'coup de grace' was the date of the marriage - so nearly appropriate: not just after 1823, as required, but just before - in 1822! It was all so near - but wrong.
Nevertheless, this apparent blind alley did lead, if incidentally, to the good fortune implied earlier. For, having stumbled upon so many Spurgeons in and near Mulbarton, I thought it prudent to check registers of the neighbouring parishes in case the baptism of James Snr might be found in this area. He may have been born in Chedgrave, but baptised a little later elsewhere. In particular, those perishes lying between Norwich (where we knew Spurgeons had lived) and Stanfield Hall (with its suspected relevance) seemed the most appropriate - especially if not too far from Mulbarton. Might the Hall ever have need of Brickmakers (working on-site) for example or did a wife or daughter ever work in service there ? We began a systematic search through the registers of 10 parishes that seemed most relevant. These were: Swardeston. Cringleford, Hethersett, Hethel, Ketteringham, Intwood, Gt. & Lt. Melton, Keswick and Wymondham itself.
As we searched through these registers, it soon became apparent that there were far fewer if any Spurgeons in this general area compared to Mulbarton only a few miles to the south-east. Nevertheless, we persisted. Then, while examining the register for Hethersett, we noticed a different type of entry, on a folded, loose page. It was a register of marriage Banns. We scanned it casually until we noticed a bann dated in February concerning the intended marriage of one 'James Spurgeon', then a bachelor of Hethersett, and 'Eunice Grice', a spinster of Mundham - a village intriguingly near Chedgrave.
Assuming this couple would marry in the bride's parish (after noting they hadn't married in Hethersett itself), we next checked the marriage register for Mundham, in south-east Norfolk. And there we found the expected entry: James Spurgeon, single man, married Eunice Grice, single woman - on March 28th 1796. Such a marriage was, of course, quite consistent with the subsequent birth of a first-born namesake son - James - in about 1798 in this area near Chedgrave - i.e. 'our' James Spurgeon Snr. We seemed to have stumbled upon his parents - the very people we were seeking - by a most improbable and indirect route. We therefore checked the Mundham baptismal register for James' baptism but again this was not found. Nor was it located back at Hethersett. Possibly it would be somewhere else near Chedgrave therefore ?
When we re-checked the Chedgrave register itself, however, we did at least discover something which considerably supported our view that James and Eunice were the parents we were seeking - i.e. a Spurgeon couple having issue in Chedgrave in the late 1790s-early 1800s, which is when and where our James Snr said (in 1851) that he was in fact born. For on Dec 18th 1796, James and Eunice Spurgeon had a daughter Harriet there (baptised Jan. 9th 1797) and a second daughter Sarah similarly on July 8th 1801. The latter girl could well be the Sarah who witnessed the marriage of James and Mary Castle in Sprowston in 1823. Also, it is probably significant that there were no other children born and baptised to this couple during the period (c 1798/9) when we believe James was born to them somewhere in this area. Later checks revealed that they had 5 more children, including 3 boys, all baptised in the neighbouring parish of Hardley - between 1803 and 1815. Again, none was a James, even though this was the father's name. So both the name and the time gap remain in a sense 'available' to eventually complete the family and so confirm this particular origin of our James Snr. While nothing transpires which proves incompatible with our conclusion that James was born around Chedgrave about 1798 - to James and Eunice - we can proceed on this assumption. As such, we have nevertheless to ask ourselves just what significance, if any, might this eldest James Spurgeon or his wife Eunice have in regard to the suspected Spurgeon - Jermy link ?
[Note: It was later discovered that a (?second) marriage entry was also shown in the Mormon Indexes for a marriage between James Spurgeon and Eunice Grice - but in Hethersett - in the year 1807. As we had already found a marriage entry for them - but in Mundham for 1796 - it would seem likely that this latter transcription was erroneous and should have applied to a baptism - namely the missing one for James and Eunice's son James Spurgeon ! The younger James had tried to find his father's baptism entry at Hethersett (where he must have been told it took place) but gave a range of years that was just a little too early ! {See detais below.] Whether James wasn't born until that later year (1807) or it was simply a delayed baptism, we can't now say. If the former, he still had time to marry before the year of birth for his son James; also, his age at death (which had seemed a bit old), may be a touch more fitting now.]
As a beginning, we re-checked the Hethersett register as it was here that the elder James Spurgeon apparently lived in early 1796 - when posting his banns. Was it here (quite close to Stanfield Hall) that the Spurgeons of our interest originated and thus where this elder James may himself have been born, some 20 to 25 years earlier ? But a check around this period proved negative as did a re-check for any evidence about the birth or baptism of his apparent son - James Snr - at least up to the year 1800. However, while engaged on this search, fate once again graced our efforts. It seems that we weren't the first persons seeking evidence concerning the possible birth of our James Spurgeon in Hethersett - so oddly missing, it seemed, in the Chedgrave register over the expected period. A small piece of folded note paper fell out from this old register book. We opened it and saw it to be a very old letter. We were amazed to read the following:
8 Pennington Street Buildings
St. Georges, London E
Sir,
In reference to the Birth register (ie registration) of James Spurgeon of which I called on you about in
September last, when you were not at home - the register(ation) I refer to is that of James Spurgeon
of Atherset on or about 1797 to 1799.
You would oblige by letting me know at your convenience.
I am Sir
Yours truly,
James Spurgeon
to Rev. Collett.
Written at the top left-hand corner of the letter - in a different hand was:
"not to be found 1791-1804."
This latter comment we assumed was written by Rev. Collett whose unsuccessful search we had repeated about 100 years later! The author of the letter was clearly Bethia's father James Spurgeon Jnr. The date it was written was unfortunately not shown and Rev. Collett's incumbency stretched over such a long period (c1850 to 1900) that his presence there did not indicate a narrower period during which it may have been written. It was possibly sent around 1885 to '90 or so. It must have been left in the register after the Rector had made his search and then remained there until sent in with many other parish records to the county record archives in Norwich around 1970.
After acknowledging our incredibly good luck, we gave some thought to the significance of this letter. Firstly, it confirmed, if confirmation were needed, that the James Spurgeon who posted his banns in Hethersett, married Eunice Grice in Mundham and had, with her, a family in or near Chedgrave, was the father of the James Spurgeon Snr whose baptism details (c1798?) were clearly proving difficult to locate and that he, in turn, was the father of our James Spurgeon Jnr. We were naturally curious to know why, like us, this latter James was trying, apparently unsuccessfully, to obtain details of his own father's birth particulars in this, his grandfather's apparent perish - so close to Stanfield Hall. It certainly gave added credence to the family's story and suspicions that there was some-thing to enquire into. But what...and where...and involving whom?
The direction of James Jnr's enquiries naturally served to maintain the focus of our own searches along this same Spurgeon channel - seeking facts on even earlier members of the family. It would thus appear that James Snr's father must have come to Hethersett around 1790-'95, probably to find work (there did appear to be an uncle in the area), after having first met Eunice in his home area. This was probably in Loddon, the local market town and hiring centre. Once in gainful employment, he likely soon returned to marry her and then found a new position near Chedgrave, where they settled. We could only surmise that during his sojourn in Hethersett, something pertaining to the Spurgeon - Jermy connection might conceivably have transpired - possibly relating to the missing birth record of James Snr (now referred to as James 2), to Eunice Grice or to Stanfield Hall.
[In any case, we now know (see above) that it seems quite likely that a baptism entry was made in the Hethersett register - for a James Spurgeon in the year 1807 (no exact date given), but which for whatever reason had been wrongly treated as a marriage entry - between James 1 and Euncie (whose name was shown in that IGI index for that parish - for that slightly later year than expected. Was it also wrongly entered with reaspect to the year ?
At their actual (1895) marriage - in Mundham - James and Eunice had both signed with their marks. No occupations were stated. Again, therefore, we could have little confidence that these illiterate rural folk would really have any close relations with landed gentry. However, literacy certainly wasn't the rule in the 1700s and while rising in society was a slow process, falling could occur rather quicker - especially if one was, say, the 3th son of a 3th son of a heavily mortgaged estate.
Because we now have 3 James Spurgeons to consider, it may be helpful to refer to them as James 1 (the earliest one - born c1770), James 2 (born c1798) and James 3 (born 1832 - who went to London) - the latter two being described previously as James Snr and Jur, respectively. Our next task was to try to reveal the parents of James 1 in as much as, again, neither he nor his wife Eunice (or her parents) appeared on the face of it to show any connection with the Jermy family or estate. Eunice was born in Mundham in 1776 - to John and Alice Grice who had married there on March 30th 1771. John Grice was born in Bungay, Suffolk and Alice - as Alice Brown - in Mundham. This area, including Loddon, Chedgrave and Hardley, seemed too remote from Stanfield Hall to favour any connection and thus James l's possible origins in or near Mulbarton or Hethersett seemed our next reasonable focus.
But first, while searching (in vain) for evidence regarding James 2's baptism in the Mundham registers, and for the details of Eunice's parentage there, we did come across an interesting baptismal entry. This was in respect of a Samuel Tubby born in Mundham in 1786. This was of course the name of the man (an uncle-in-law) with whom Maria Dack was staying in Sprowston just before her marriage to James 3 there in 1853. The 1851 Census for Sprowston, when re-checked, showed that Maria's uncle Samuel was indeed born in Mundham (a rather small village) and his listed age in that Census was consistent with his birth there in 1786. His wife Maria was a sister of Robert Dack, the younger Maria's father. These elder Dacks were born in Hockering, west of Norwich, where an uncle was town clerk.
It would thus appear that James 3 met and married the younger Maria Dack through the mutual contact between her uncle Samuel and James 3's father (and/or his grandmother Eunice) back in Mundham and district before James 2 or Samuel had moved to Norwich. Being about 10 years older than James 2, Samuel Tubby very likely settled in Sprowston the earlier - around 1810 or so, and could thus well account for James arriving there a few years later. And, if Samuel (in the Wroxham Road area) had got to know the Castles first, he may well have accounted for James 2 and Mary Castle meeting as well. Samuel's origins and later presence in Sprowston thus largely confirms our conviction that James 3's line did indeed originate with James and Eunice in the Chedgrave-Mundham area and then proceed via James 2 and Mary Castle in Sprowston, Thorpe and Drayton. But then this still begs the question (as posed already above) - from whom, in turn, did James 1 derive - and from where ?
Our next focus of attention, in addressing this latter problem, was to be directed to the area of Mulbarton and Hethersett. Certain other findings noted when examining the parish registers in the Chedgrave-Loddon area gave some support to this idea but also led to some ambiguity. This concerned the baptisms of 4 children born between 1765 and 1779 to a William and Sarah Spurgeon. These were: William Jnr - Nov. 4th 1765 and Elizabeth - Feb. 15th 1775 (baptised in Loddon) and Samuel - June 1st 1777 and Sarah - June 13th 1779 (in Chedgrave). During this same period, an earlier James Spurgeon (possibly a brother of this William Snr) and wife Elizabeth had two sons (apparently) - James and Thomas - baptised on the Aug. 29th 1770 and April 12th 1773, respectively - both in Chedgrave. This latter James (b. 1770) could well be our James 1 and hence his father an even earlier James (ie. '0') in our lengthening line of James Spurgeons. The qualification 'apparently' is needed here, however, since while the later-born son Thomas was indeed shown as having been born to this eldest James Spurgeon and wife Elizabeth, his apparent brother James was in fact shown (seemingly in error) as born also to Elizabeth but with husband 'William' Spurgeon (?). As the only William then having issue in this area was consistently shown with wife 'Sarah', it would seem likely that in the case of James' baptism, it was the father's name 'William' that was wrongly entered - rather than the mother's - 'Elizabeth'. Further support for this interpretation is provided by the fact that the son Thomas later married, lived and had issue in Mundham - where James 1 (born about 1770) and Eunice also married about the same time.
It thus appeared that William and James Spurgeon were two brothers who settled in the Loddon - Chedgrave area around 1765 or so. Neither was born or married there. William's wife appears to have been the Sarah Alexander who married William Spurgeon in 1765 in Mendham, near Bungay, Suffolk - a few miles south of Mundham and Loddon, etc. The eldest James Spurgeon's wife appears to have been Elizabeth Nixon - a couple with these names having married in Mulbarton in January 1766. As they had no children subsequently baptised there, a move shortly after to the Loddon-Chedgrave area - possibly to join his brother - would seen the most reasonable conclusion. The Spurgeon pedigree leading to Christianna Nash and beyond can now be set out as follows:
