Thomas Sutfield Rising (1825-1899) of West Somerton and Martham
Thomas Sutfield Rising was born in 1825 at West Somerton Hall, West Somerton (shown right) and was baptised on 10th September 1825 at St Mary the Virgin, West Somerton as the fourth child of William Rising & Elizabeth Howes. He had five siblings, namely: Harriet, William, Robert, Benjamin and Eliza. As a boy of 15, in 1841, he was living away from the family being educated at St John’s, Bedwardine, Worcester.
When he was only 21, he inherited marshes and land in Potter Heigham upon his father’s death in 1846. By 1851 he was described as a gentleman farmer living with his elder brother William (b1812) at West Somerton Hall the seat of the family estate.
In April 1861 at the time of the census he was lodging with his paternal cousin Benjamin Purdy at White Street, Martham and on the census form under ‘occupation’ was simply written ‘landed proprietor’.
Ten years later he had moved again and was living at Rose Cottage, Cess which is now called Rose Farm and he was listed as a landowner. (His father, William, had previously owned Rose Farm in 1842). Thomas seems to have remained at Rose Cottage for the rest of his life; in 1881 he was a farmer of 38 acres based there and in 1891 he was still there living on independent means. He never married and died on 29th July 1899, aged 74. He was buried on 2nd August 1899 at St Mary the Virgin, Martham graveyard section F, plot Q1 and his gravestone is shown at the top of this page.
