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Published: March 3rd 2023
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Let me just say … every time we come to England I pack a lot of winter gear, and it’s always “unseasonably“ hot with people and the media exclaiming how it’s so hot when it shouldn’t be .. and I end up with wardrobe deficits. So this trip I put out my selection and then discarded the chunky jumpers. We’ve often toured Britain during December or January - mid winter- and only experienced a light dusting of snow once. Now they’re predicting snow next week! Lots of it, and temperatures lower than my imagination can handle. Of course.
We knew today was a light day so we just took it easy this morning and headed out about 10:30. First stop was Corpusty where four of my direct ancestors were baptised, ranging from my grandmother’s grandmother, to my 6xG grandfather (Sarah Fuller, Matthew Fuller, Mary Reynolds and Joseph Reynolds), 6 were married (William Eke and Sarah Fuller, Matthew Fuller and Margaret Reynolds, and William Reynolds and Margaret Taylor), and 5 were buried (William, 2x Elizabeth, and 2x Joseph Reynolds). Unfortunately the church was locked, even though the sign showed that it should have been open. We spent some time looking around the
churchyard and found the gravestones of 9 distant cousins, but no direct ancestors. None of this trip is setting out to look for relatives other than direct ancestors - there are quite enough of them to be found. Whilst there I accidentally put my hands in a nettle patch, and 12 hours later (and a couple of drams) I am still in pain.
We continued on to Saxthorpe where 1 marriage (Joseph Reynolds and Elizabeth Halfnights) and 1 baptism (Joseph Reynolds) took place In their church, which was open and beautiful.
The English Census for 1861 showed that my 2G grandparents, William Eke and Sarah Ann Fuller, were living in a fulling mill at Saxthorpe. The mill is no longer there but the two workers cottages (where they probably lived) have been amalgamated and extended. We found that and photographed it, although no-one was at home when I knocked to ask.
From Saxthorpe we continued on to Hempstead where Matthew Fuller was baptised, Benjamin Fuller and Mary Nobs were married, and Benjamin Fuller was buried, although we couldn’t find his grave.
We found the Sculthorpe Mill which is now a charming pub with an amazing lunch menu. Tom enjoyed a
beef burger, while I had an amazing piece of kiln smoked salmon with beetroot pickles, and 2 x scotch and coke drinks in an attempt to ease the pains in my hands. The bar girl assured me the nettles couldn’t kill me, just make me uncomfortable for a few hours, and then didn’t charge for one of the drinks!
After a walk around the grounds of the mill, which would be quite lovely during summer, we visited one last church, at Sculthorpe, where Susan Scott was baptised. Then we headed back to our cottage, arriving from the opposite direction to usual. The narrow laneways have caused much worry for Tom today so we were both looking forward to rest and recuperation, followed by an exotic cheese toastie for dinner.
These ancestors were all ancestors of William Eke and Sarah Fuller who moved their family from Norfolk up to Northumberland, and their daughter Christiana Eke who married Adam Robinson and moved her family to Australia.
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