George Rising (1812-1860) of Martham
Plus his wife Bridget Christmas (1810-1897)
George Rising was born on 23rd July 1812 at Martham and was baptised at St Mary’s three days later on 26th as the son of Thomas Rising & Ann, nee Cadge. His father had been a farmer and at the time George was born Thomas owned just over 97 acres of land as shown on the 1812 Inclosure Award map below on the left. It is not surprising therefore that George followed in his father’s footsteps and became a yeoman farmer. His land holdings stood at a little over 130 acres at the time of the 1842 Martham Tithe Award as shown on the map on the right below.
In 1842 the plots George owned (included the former plots owned by his father) were as follows:
Plot No 85 was Cess Farm and plots 84, 86,88 & 89 surrounded the farm and were meadows, orchards and gardens. There was a pightle on plot 87.
Plot Nos 138, 144, 145 & 146 were between the north side of Repps Road and the south side of Cess Road & Low Road. Plot 146 now has Bracey’s Buildings on it.
Plot No 159 was a very small triangular field at what is now part of the Playingfield alongside Rollesby Road.
Plots 176 & 177 were on the corner of The Green and what is now Hall Road. I believe that plot 177 had Ivy Cottage on it which was the main home of George and his family. The same house, or its replacement, later became Point House and was occupied by Walter Hubbard and his wife, Dolly, during the 1940’s/1950’s.
Plot No267 is a single field to the north of Hemsby Road not far from Gibbet Hill.
Plots 294 & 304 are fields between Pratt’s Loke and Mill Lane (the boundary between Martham and West Somerton).
Plots 580 to 583 were four grazing meadows off Common Road.
Plots 626,627,637,638 & 639 were fields at Thunder Hill Farm but there were no buildings there at the time. Plot No637 was where Thunder Hill Farm buildings would stand later.
Plot No704 was a drain immediately north of plot No580 at Cess.
When George was 32, he married Bridget Christmas on 12th February 1845 at St George’s Church, Rollesby and they were listed in the 1851 census as living at Ivy Cottage, The Green, Martham. By that time the farm had grown still further to 161 acres and George employed 12 labourers. George & Bridget had two children as follows:
- Thomas Rising was born on 1st June 1846 at Martham where he was baptised on 28th of the same month at St Mary’s. In his early years he lived with his parents at Ivy Cottage, The Green, Martham. He attended school as a teenager living-in at Heigham, Norwich. He followed his father into farming and by 1881 was farming 280 acres from his home recorded in the census as being ‘Road by Church’ at Rollesby where he employed 8 men and 3 boys. He remained there until a few years before his death on 13th July 1909 whilst living at 22 Princes Road, Great Yarmouth. He did not marry. His estate was valued at over £11,000 according to his probate record.
- Bridget Anne Rising was born on 13th August 1847 at Martham and was baptised at St Marys’ on 12th September that year. As a child she grew up living with her parents at Ivy Cottage, The Green, Martham. On 9th July 1878 she married Thomas Henry Edwards at St George’s Church, Rollesby. Bridget & Thomas had twins in 1879 called again Thomas and Bridget at Henstead, Norfolk. Bridget senior died on 18th February 1930.
In 1860 George was a Patron of the Martham Oddfellows Loyal Rising Lodge established in May 1859. See the article below from the Norwich Mercury dated 2nd February 1860.
George he died on 2nd July 1860 at Martham and was buried on the 5th at St Mary the Virgin section A, plot L3. He was only 48 and his estate was probated on 28th August that year with Bridget named as one of the Executors. Bridget died on 4th August 1897 at Martham. Despite there being 37 years between their deaths they share the same grave.
After George died his whole estate including land, properties, livestock and household effects was sold in two auctions. His wife Bridget and son, Thomas who was only 14, moved to Common Road, Cess and later to Rollesby. Copies of the auction adverts are shown below.
