Jeary family butchers of Martham

In the 19^th century The Green and White Street were where most of the well-off residents of Martham lived and not surprisingly many businesses flourished there. One of these was Jeary’s butchers which became established on the east side of the street. Their former shop and house can still be seen today although this is not thought to be where the business started about 170 years ago. Five generations of the Jeary family ran the business until they gradually moved away and it passed into the hands of John Ward.

John Jeary & Mary Ann Crowder

John Jeary was born in about 1791 at Repps where he was baptised at St Peter’s on 8^th May 1791. His parents were Robert Jeary & Amy, nee Laws who lived in Repps after they married in 1778. At that time their surname was more often spelt Jary. John moved to Martham as a young man and was the first of the Jeary’s to become a butcher in the village. When he was 29, he married Mary Ann Crowder on 13^th August 1820 at St Mary the Virgin. John and Mary lived the rest of their lives at The Green, Martham so it is likely that his butchers business was in part of their cottage home at that time rather than the business that developed later at White Street. Various business directories confirm that he was a butcher and farmer at The Green as did every census from 1841 to 1871. It is not exactly clear where they lived at The Green but careful analysis and a study of the walking order of the census returns indicates they lived in one half of the semi-detached cottages later called Laurel Cottages at the west end of The Green at the heart of the village. In 1871 John farmed 65 acres of land employing two men and a boy as well as being a butcher employing two more men and another boy in that business. He also appeared in the Electoral Registers for Martham between 1853–1876 qualifying as the owner of a property worth in excess of £50.

John & Mary had the following children:

1. James Jeary was born in about 1820 at Ashby, Norfolk.  He married Mary Ann Myhill on 29^th July 1845 at St Mary the Virgin. They went on to have at least eleven children. James was a labourer and grocer. They both died in Martham and were buried at St Mary’s in an unknown grave; James in 1905 and Mary in 1909. In 1901 they lived at Bottle Hall Cottages, Repps Road which you can read more about by clicking on the name. Also see the photo below.
2. John Jeary was born in 1822 at Martham. He married Sarah Elizabeth Braddock and succeeded his father in the family business.
3. William Jeary was born in July 1824 and only lived for a few days.
4. Harriet Jeary was born about 1826 at Martham grew up living with her parents at The Green. Later, she moved to London where she married Samuel Yallop in 1848.
5. Eliza Jeary was born about 1829 at Martham. She became a tailoress and  married Thomas Smith on 15^th October 1854 at St Mary the Virgin.
6. William Jeary was born about 1832 at Martham. He died on 9^th March 1835 in Martham aged 3.
7. Mary Ann Jeary was born in 1834 at Martham. She married William Coman on 5^th March 1855 at St Mary the Virgin and died in 1883 at Acle where they had lived.
8. Caroline Jeary was born on 6^th January 1837 at Martham. She married Alfred Mark Knights on 7^th June 1857 at St Mary the Virgin and died in 1918 at Caister-on-Sea where they had lived.
9. Elizabeth Jeary was born in 1839 at Martham. She died at Martham on 11^th August 1867 aged 28 and is buried at St Mary’s in section F, plot L3 next to her parents grave.
10. William Jeary was born on 23^rd May 1841 at Martham. Little else is known about him.

John and Mary both died in Martham: Mary on the 10^th April 1875 and John on 1^st April 1876. They were buried together in section F, plot L4 of St Mary’s graveyard which is shown below.

John Jeary & Sarah Elizabeth Braddock

John Jeary was the second generation of the family to be butchers in Martham. He was born in 1822 as the second child of John Jeary & Mary Ann, nee Crowder and was baptised on 30^th June 1822 at St Mary the Virgin, Martham. He grew up living with his parents at The Green in Martham and no doubt learnt the butcher trade at his father’s knee because he was already a butcher at the age of 19.

1. Amelia Millicent Jeary was born in 1849  and died in 1924. Shown right when she was about 19. She married Henry James “Harry Jas” Waters. On 27th December 1871 in Thorpe, Norwich, Norfolk. They had five (5) children.
2. Fanny Elizabeth Jeary was born in 1853 and died in 1934. She married Rev John Smith, (born 1840 in Holme, Huntingdonshire), on April 7, 1874, at the Primitive Methodist Church, Catfield, Norfolk. They had eight (8) children; five in South Africa and three in England. Fanny is shown on the right when she was 16 and next to that with her husband John.
   Her life was remarkable so do read more about her by clicking the link on her name.
3. Jannie Jeary was born about 1853.
4. John Edwin Jeary was born in 1855 and died when he was only three.
5. Clara Jeary was born on 20^th July 1857 and married Sydney Smith who was a vet in the village. Clara died in 1928 at  Martham.
6. George John William Jeary was born in 1859 and married Martha Anna Chapman from Loddon. George became a butcher running his business at Acle next door to the Oueen’s Head PH. He died in 1927.
7. Arthur Thomas Jeary was born in 1862. He became a carpenter and married Charlotte Millicent Brooke in 1893 at Islington, London.
8. Emma Eliza Jeary was born in 1864 and married Enoch Smith Youngs in 1900. He was a grocer and draper. Emma died in 1905 in Suffolk where they lived but is buried at St Mary the Virgin, Martham.
9. Herbert Wilson Jeary was born in 1866.  He married Georgianna Elizabeth Rudram on 28^th October 1890 at the Methodist Chapel in Martham. He succeeded his father in running the butchers. You can read more about him below.

In 1851 the census tells us that John & Sarah were living ‘Near the Free School’ in Martham and in 1861 at Back Lane, Martham. Sarah’s mother died in 1860 but her father lived at Ivy Holme in Back Lane so Sarah & John may have lived there with him or very nearby.

John continued working with his father until he died in 1876 when John took over the business in his own name. By the time of the 1881 census John & Sarah were listed as living at ‘Road East of The Green, Martham’. Although it was not named as such it was almost certainly at Ivy Holme which it seems Sarah had inherited from her father. This was to be the start of a long association of the Jeary family and Ivy Holme.

John died on 6^th April 1892 and is buried in an unknown grave at St Mary the Virgin. Sarah died on 8^th April 1915 and, like her husband was buried in an unknown grave at St Mary’s.

Herbert Wilson Jeary and Georgianna Elizabeth Rudram

Herbert Wilson Jeary (also known as Bert) became the 3^rd generation of Jeary family butchers in Martham. He was born in 1866 in Martham as the youngest child of John Jeary & Sarah Elizabeth, nee Braddock. He grew up living with his parents and siblings at what was almost certainly Ivy Holme off what we now know of as Back Lane.

When he was 24, he married Georgianna Elizabeth Rudram, (known as Georgina) the daughter of George Ebenezer Rudram & Susannah, nee Walker, on 28^th October 1890 at the Methodist Chapel at Martham.

Herbert  & Georgina had the following children who were all born in Martham:

1. George Herbert Jeary was born on 22^nd November 1891 at Ivy Holme, Back Lane. He married Lilian Emily Bond on 15^th November 1915 at St Andrew’s Church, North Burlingham, Norfolk when he was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army. Later he became a fruit grower. They both died at Ormesby St Margaret where they had lived; Lilian in 1976 and George in 1985.
2. Clara Lilian Jeary was born on 3^rd June 1893 and married James Robert Bensley on 21st October 1914 at Martham Methodist Chapel on Repps Road. He was a corn merchant, small holder and bus company owner. Robert died in 1972 and Clara in 1982.
3. Gladys Sarah Jeary was born on 4^th May 1894. She married Herbert Smithdale and they lived at Acle. Gladys died at Acle in 1956.
4. Ernest Arthur Jeary was born on 11^th October 1896 and went on to take over the family butcher’s business from his father. He was married twice, firstly to  Olga Elsie Dean in 1920 and after she died, he married Queenie Gertrude Hurren in 1950. You can read more about him below.
5. Marion Jeary was born about 1898 and married Jaroslav Knap at Birkenhead, Cheshire in 1929. She died in 1988 in Northamptonshire.
6. Harold Wilson Jeary was born on 18^th August 1904. As a young man of 21 he played football for Martham 2nd XI football team but sadly died young when only 29 years of age.
7. Sydney Frank Jeary was born on 2^nd October 1905. He married Gladys Gilbert and they lived at Acle where Sydney was a master butcher. He probably succeeded his uncle George in the Acle business. Sydney died at Acle in 1967.

The 1891, 1901 and 1911 census returns tell us that Herbert and his family lived at White Street, Martham probably in the house next door to their business as shown at the top of this page.

Herbert was the first Councillor to represent Martham on the new East & West Flegg Rural District Council in 1894 and he was a Norfolk Council Councillor representing West Flegg between 1904–1913.  In 1921 he was the Chairman of the Parish Council and in 1929 was a Justice of the Peace.

Shortly before he died in 1931 Herbert & Georgina appear to have moved as they were recorded as living at The Cottage, The Green, Martham in Kelly’s Directory of 1929 and Georgina was still there according to the 1939 Register. She died in 1942 and they are both buried at St Mary’s in section H, plot K3. Their grave is shown below.

Ernest Arthur Jeary,  Olga Elsie Dean and Queenie Gertrude Hurren

Ernest Arthur Jeary represented the 4^th generation of Jeary family butchers in Martham. He was born on 11^th October 1896 and was baptised at Martham Methodist Chapel at Repps Road on 27^th December 1896 as the son of Herbert Wilson Jeary & Georgianna Elizabeth, nee Rudram. He was also known as Ernie or ‘Ropey’.

When he was 24, he married Olga Elsie Dean, the daughter of Thomas Dean and Elizabeth Caroline, nee Shreeve on 20^th October 1920. At the time he was living with his parents at Ivy Holme, Back Lane which is where the following photograph was taken.  

Ernest & Olga had the following children:

1. Thomas Ernest Jeary was born 1922 in Martham but died when he was only two on 8^th April 1924. He has a grave at St Mary’s section H, plot E8.
2. Herbert Wilson Jeary was born in 1924 at Martham. He was killed during the 2^nd World War, aged 23, in Malaysia and was laid to rest in the Taiping War Cemetery.
3. Stanley Arthur Jeary was born on 31st May 1926 and succeeded his father in the Jeary butcher’s business in Martham. You can read more about him below.
4. Dorothy Olga Jeary was born on 12^th January 1935 and became a teacher and later in life moved to Montreal, Canada but was said to have returned to Martham each Christmas until she died in Canada in 1998.

In the 1930’s the business was thriving as can be seen from the advert below which appeared in the July 1936 Martham Carnival programme.

By 1939 Ernest & Olga had moved to the house next to the business at White Street where Olga died on 3rd April 1947. She was buried at St Mary the Virgin section H, plot N4, her grave is shown below.

Following the death of Olga, Ernest went on to marry Queenie Gertrude Hurren in 1950. Queenie was the widow of Mark Chapman who was the son of George & Edith Chapman of the long- established farmers and butchers who traded from The Green opposite the King’s Arms. Thus, two of the most significant butcher families in the village became related.

On his retirement from the butchers shop Ernest and Queenie moved to Damgate Farm which he had owned for some time to compliment the butchers shop in the same way the Chapmans had both a shop and farm. Ernest’s son, Stanley, took over at the shop. Damgate Farm had cattle, and chickens and turkeys that roamed free in the orchard and provided supplies for the butcher’s shop.

Ernest died at Damgate Farm on 20^th October 1979 and was survived by Queenie who did not die until 2001 by which time she had retired to Great Ormesby.

Stanley Arthur Jeary and Noreen Annette Horner

Stanley & Noreen had the following children:

1. Nicholas Arthur Jeary who was born in 1954 at Sidcup, Kent.
2. Jonathan Andrew Jeary who was born in 1961 at Sidcup.
3. Adam Jeary who was born in 1963 at Sidcup.
4. Matthew James Jeary who born in1969 at Great Yarmouth.

Stan was fond of sailing and was a founder member of the Martham Boating Association in 1987 and was the secretary and active member for several years.

Stan ran the butchers shop at White Street from at least 1969 until he retired and John Ward took it over.

Stan died on 19^th September 1998 at Great Yarmouth bringing the Jeary butchers  association with Martham to an end after more than 170 years.

Elijah Jeary and the miracle cure!

Below is an interesting article from the Evening News of 1898 which features Elijah Jeary (1857-1931) from Damgate who had been paralysed in one arm after being bitten in the head by a horse and was miraculously cured by Dr. Williams Pink Pills. The story appeared frequently in both local and national newspapers for several months but was it true or did it work just because Elijah had faith in the pills? What we do know is that in 1891, years before the article, the census listed him as being paralysed but by 1901 he had recovered and become a groom.

If you subscribe to Ancestry, you can see more about the Jeary family members by looking at my ‘one village’ family tree called “Martham,Norfolk2021”.

My thanks to the following who helped with information about this page: ancestors Adam and Jon Jeary. Also, Jennifer Banham, Mary Blake, Karen Brooks, Adam Jeary, Shelia Knowles, Elizabeth Toll, Brenda Tubby and David Watson.

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