Henry Hodds (1842-1884) of Martham
Henry was born on 2nd June 1842 in Martham as the fifth child of Charles Hodds and Elizabeth Cockerill. He had seven siblings, namely: William, Sarah, Susanna, Elizabeth, Martha, Harriet, and Charlotte. Henry appeared in the 1851 census, aged 9, living with his parents at Somerton Road and by the time he was 19 he was an agricultural labourer living with the family at Damgate.
He married Mary Ann Skipper on 18th December 1864 at St Mary’s and they went on to have the following children:
- William Hodds was born on 10th March 1865 in Martham.
- Charles Hodds was born in 1867 in Martham. He married Maria Shorten on 17th January 1897 in Yarmouth.
- Henry Hodds was born in 1868 in Martham and he died in 1874.
- Harriet Elizabeth Hodds was born in 1871 in Martham and she died in 1874 in the village aged only 4.
- Maria Hodds was born in 1872 in Martham and went on to marry James Victor Leader on 27th February 1894 at Rollesby.
- Mary Ann Charlotte Hodds was born on 26th August 1874 in Martham. She married Charles Turner on 21st December 1896 in Rollesby.
By 1871 Henry lived with his wife and family at Rising Cottages which were cottages at the Somerton Road end of Pratts Loke. He was 29 and an agricultural labourer.
In August 1874 his wife Mary gave birth to their last daughter and died only a couple of weeks later probably as a result of complications arising from her birth. Henry was left a widower with six children aged 32.
By 1881 Henry, as a widower, lived with two of his sons at Damgate. He was a general labourer and his father lived next door and two of his daughters also lived there. His two other children had also died by this time. Henry died in 1884 aged 43. His death was registered in the Flegg area but he is not listed in the St Mary’s registers as being buried there.