Robert Rising (1768-1841) of West Somerton
Plus his wife Mary Preston (1776-1862)
Robert Rising was born in 1768 at West Somerton, Great Yarmouth as the first child of Robert Rising & Ann Manship. He was baptised at St Mary the Virgin, West Somerton on 12th June 1768. He had thirteen siblings, namely: William, Stephen, Tilney, Mary, Edward, Thomas Sutfield, Benjamin, John, Anne, George, Charles, Rebecca and Frances.
Robert married Mary Preston, the daughter of Isaac & Mary Preston, on 17th November 1800 at St Nicholas Church, Great Yarmouth. Mary was born in about 1776 at Lowestoft, Suffolk.
Robert & Mary had the following children:
1.1.1 Robert Rising was born on 7th September 1801 at West Somerton, Great Yarmouth. He married Elizabeth Parish on 12th February 1830 at All Saints Church, Poplar. Middx. He died on 8th March 1885 at Horsey Hall, Horsey aged 83.
1.1.2 William Rising(1) was born in 1802 in Horsey. He died in 1805 in Horsey Hall.
1.1.3 William Rising(2) was born on 22nd July 1807 at Horsey Hall and died there only a few months later on 4th October that year.
1.1.4 John Rising was born in 1816 in Horsey but died there the following year.
Robert Snr. purchased the Horsey Estate from Sir Berney Brograve in 1803 when it was of little value, being generally flooded. By repairing the sea-bank, draining the marshes, planting quickthorn hedges and making a road to Somerton he rendered the estate one of the most fertile in the county. His son, Robert (1801-1885) rebuilt Horsey Hall in 1845 soon after his father’s death. The Rising family’s connection with Horsey ended with Robert junior’s death in 1885.
Robert Snr. was also an Army Captain in about 1830. The family were listed in the 1841 census as living at Horsey Hall by which time Robert Snr was 70, retired and living on independent means; Mary was 65 and also living there was their son Robert, his wife Elizabeth and two of their grandchildren. Robert Snr died only 3 weeks later on 26th June and his wife; Mary died in 1862 at the Hall.
Horsey Hall, Horsey
Horsey Hall is a Grade II listed building. List Entry Number: 1049348. Listed on 20th September 1987.
The mansion was built in 1845 by Robert Rising (1801-1885) on the site of an earlier property. It is coursed in flint with red brick dressings, which is rendered to the south façade. The roof is clad with Cumberland slate. The south front has three storeys in three bays, with additional bays right and left set back from the main front line. The main door is set behind a Tuscan Order porch, which is rare. There are two unfluted columns and has a projecting hood with ornate corbels. The roof is gabled with internal gable-end stacks east and west and a third off-set to the west of centre. The side bays are of one bay in two storeys under hipped slate roofs. The rear (north) elevation has no render. The west extension has an extension under a lean-to roof clad with corrugated asbestos. On the parapet line is a brick chimney stack right of centre. To the east is an extension which is glazed and has a lean-to clad with corrugated plastic sheeting. Attached to the east is a very early 20th century two-storey extension. It is of red brick laid in Flemish bond under a gabled roof clad in Welsh slate. This roof is hipped to the east end. The south side has an oversailing first floor supported on square-section timber posts. The plan is an old type (i.e. 17th century), modified to suit a more modest house.
