Dyball Family of Farmers & Millers

The Dyball family of Martham is very large and has several branches. This page looks at just four main members of the family covering the years 1795 to 1961. Below is a family tree that shows those involved with his branch of the family. The men (shown in blue below) were all farmers and millers. They stand out because they came from humble beginnings but all successfully built businesses and some had large families.

Humphrey DYBALL (1795-1883)
The four men in question start with Humphrey DYBALL who was well known for keeping a farming diary for about 25 years which in itself gives a wonderful insight into farming during this period. His story merits his own page which you can read by clicking on his name.

Thomas DYBALL (1831-1909)
Thomas was born in 1831 at West Somerton, Great Yarmouth as the third child of Humphrey DYBALL & Christina, nee READ. He had five siblings, namely: Humphrey, Sarah, Mary Ann, William Robert, and Hannah.

In his junior years he lived with his parents at Horsey Road, West Somerton but by 1851 the family had moved to Hemsby Road, Martham at what is now called Mill Farm House where Thomas helped his father working on the family farm.  

When he was 25, Thomas married Maria KERRISON, the daughter of George KERRISON & Mary Ann AMIS, on 17^th September 1856 at St Mary the Virgin, Martham. Thomas & Maria went on to have 14 children who were all born in Martham. They were:

1. Anna Maria DYBALL who was born in 1856. She married Robert Charles AMIS on 16^th December 1881 and died at Smallburgh in 1894.
2. Charles William DYBALL who was born in 1858. He married Hannah Maria STARKINGS on 25^th December 1878 at St Mary’s. In 1901 & 1911 he worked on the railway. He died in 1920.
3. George Humphrey DYBALL who was born on 20^th April 1860. He married Mary SPRINGALL on 5^th November 1885 at St Mary’s. They lived for many years at Greenside, 30 The Green, Martham where he was a corn and flour merchant. George died, aged 90, on 1^st July 1950.
4. Thomas Henry DYBALL was born in 1861 and married Ellen Mary STAFF at Stalham on 21^st April 1892. He died on 27^th September 1919.
5. James Albert DYBALL who was born in 1863.  He married Ellen Jane TOOKE on 20^th March 1890 at St Mary’s. For many years they lived at Crane’s Green Farm, Martham. James died in 1936.  
6. John Walter DYBALL who was born on 20^th April 1865 and became a farmer. He married twice. Firstly, to Anna Elizabeth GRAPES on 21^st September 1887 at St Mary’s and after she died in 1901 he married Mary Ann Elizabeth STARKINGS in 1905 at Great Yarmouth. For many years he lived at Mill Farm, Hemsby Road, Martham.
7. Edward Arthur DYBALL who was born in 1867. He became the miller at the Back Lane Steam Mill. You can read more about him below.
8. Alice Sophia DYBALL who was born in 1868 and married Albert HARVERSON at Great Yarmouth in 1898 where she also died in 1939.
9. Humphrey Robert DYBALL who was born in 1870. He married Theresa GUILDER in Madras, India in 1900 where he was a Sergeant in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Battalion. Sadly, Theresa died there the following year. Humphrey retired to Surrey where he died in 1942.
10. Christiana Elizabeth DYBALL who was born in 1871. She married Samuel Soloman GRAPES on 18^th July 1894 at St Mary’s. She died at Martham in September in 1905 aged only 33.
11. Samuel Jacob DYBALL who was born on 23^rd April 1873. He died aged only 20 on 10^th August 1893 at Martham.
12. Edgar Ernest DYBALL who was born in 1874. He married Elizabeth Rose KING on 11^th September 1895 at St Mary’s. Like his parents before him, he also had 14 children with Elizabeth between 1895 and 1921.
13. Obadiah Oliver DYBALL who was born in 1875. He married Rachel RANSOME at Rollesby on 24^th November 1897. He also became a farmer and lived for some years at Gibbet Hill, Martham.  He died on 26^th August 1953 at Gibbet Hill.
14. Naomi Leah DYBALL who was born on 15^th July 1878. She married the well-known Martham wheelwright Walter HARRISS on 20^th April 1897 at St Mary’s and they had at least 10 children. For many years they lived at White Street where Walter had his yard. Naomi died on 1^st January 1940.

Thomas came from lowly beginnings and as his family grew in numbers in 1881 they lived in modest surroundings at Linford’s Yard, White Street. His father died in August 1883 and Thomas must have inherited a good proportion of his estate/property. Thomas was an Executor of his father’s estate. By 1891 he could afford to live in a large house called The Gables near The Green in Martham and he was subsequently listed as being a farmer rather than an agricultural labourer. He lived there with his wife until her death on 11^th January 1909 and he died only three months later 6^th April 1909. They are buried together at St Mary the Virgin, Martham at section H, plot G7 and their gravestone is shown below.

Edward Arthur DYBALL (1867-1933)
Edward was born in 1867 at Martham as the seventh child of Thomas DYBALL & Maria KERRISON. He had thirteen siblings as shown above. Edward grew up in modest surroundings with his parents at Linford’s Yard in White Street. By the time he was 14 he was already working as a builder’s labourer and was no doubt expected to contribute to the cost of bringing up his siblings.

Edward’s grandfather, Humphrey DYBALL, was a successful farmer and had died in 1883. He must have left his son, Thomas, land/property as he had gone up in the world between 1881 and 1883 and moved to a large farmhouse called The Gables, near The Green which is where Edward was living with his parents in 1891 and was already listed as being a miller. Kelly’s Directory also listed Edward as a miller in 1904 and 1908.

Edward married Rachel Louisa DYE on 18^th June 1894 and they had the following children at Martham:

1. Gertrude Louisa DYBALL who was born on 15^th February 1895. She married Robert James DOCKING on 18^th November 1923 at Walsingham, Norfolk and she died at Norwich in 1968.
2. Helen Mary DYBALL who was born on 4^th May 1896 and died as a spinster at Black Street, Martham in 1972.
3. Agnes Rachel DYBALL who was born in 1898 and died as a spinster at Fakenham in 1965.
4. Thomas Arthur DYBALL who was born on 15^th August 1899 and became the next owner of the Steam Mill on Back Lane. You can read more about him below.
5. Hilda Kate DYBALL who was born on 11^th July 1901 and died as a spinster at Black Street, Martham in 1970.

Edward’s father died in 1909 and he had written a Will on 1^st August 1894 and left everything to his wife. Neither Edward nor any of his siblings were named as beneficiaries so it seems that Edward’s involvement with the mill, and possibly ownership, was established long before his father died. Edward was mentioned later several times as being the miller there. He was counted in the census in 1911 as a miller and merchant living at The Green which would have been at The Gables. Kelly’s Directory listed him as being a corn and flour merchant, farmer and steam miller in 1916. The census of 1921 records him living at The Gables as a farmer and steam miller. He signed his will on 6^th April 1927 as a miller and poultry & pig food maker of the steam mills. His Will was made six years before he died. In it he left all his household goods to his wife for life. He named his trustees as his son Thomas and William Ewart RIGG a Chartered Account. He stipulated that his property and premises used to carry out his business as a miller and farmer be used by his trustees to continue the business for the benefit of his widow during her life and for it to be managed by his son, Thomas, if he so wished. The trustees complied with this and for the next 20 years the business was run under the name of the Exors. of E. A. Dyball deceased until Rachel died in 1953. Edward also stipulated that after the death of Rachel, the business should be sold with his son having first refusal to buy it at the market price and that the income from the sale should be split equally between his son and his remaining four daughters

Edward died on 27^th February 1933 and was buried at St Mary the Virgin in an unknown plot. Rachel died on 23^rd November 1953 and is also buried in an unknown plot at St Mary’s.

Thomas Arthur DYBALL (1899-1961)
Thomas was born on 15^th August 1899 in Martham as the fourth child of Edward Arthur DYBALL & Rachel Louisa DYE and they had him baptised on 10^th September 1899 at St Mary the Virgin, Martham. He had four siblings, namely: Gertrude Louisa, Helen Mary, Agnes Rachel, and Hilda Kate.

He grew up with his parents and siblings living at The Gables, in Hemsby Road near The Green. By 1921 he was already a miller and corn merchant working with his father at the Back Lane steam mill.

When he was 27, he married Violet Christine MINNS at Great Yarmouth and in 1935 their daughter Sheila was born. From about 1937 they lived at Yew Tree Cottage in Back Lane which was next door to the steam mill.

His father, Edward, died in 1933  and in his Will he left his farm and mill business to be run by his trustees for the benefit of his wife during the natural term of her life subject to Thomas being the manager (if he wanted to be). This arrangement lasted for 20 years until his mother died in 1953. Under the terms of his father’s will, Thomas was then given the opportunity to buy the business which he did, remaining there for the rest of his life.  Working the steam mill was not a full-time job and Thomas continued farming as well as being a miller and at various times was also recorded as being a poultry & pig merchant as well as trading as a corn merchant.

Thomas died on 13^th March 1961 and left the whole of his estate to his wife who died on 14th February 1974.

Taking into account their early lives, these generations of DYBALLs prospered and as a result lived in, or owned, some of the most historic and desirable houses in Martham. The houses can all, except one, still be found here today. The following chart shows who lived in each one and when. You can also read about each house by searching ‘Buildings’ on the main menu.

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