What’s New - Home of the History of Martham, Norfolk

Coming further down the line:-
Marriage Bonds.
Personal seal of William De Martham, c1085.

April 2024 – A page was added about Baden & Brian Buck, market gardeners, of Somerton Road, that includes information about the Buck family East End Store.
March 2024 – A page was added that tells you all about the Widows Savings Club (1884-1958).
A range of recent finds were added to the ‘Museum’ as follows:
A 1st century ‘Colchester’ Roman brooch was added to the ‘Jewellery’ gallery.
A 14th century Jetton of the French King, Charles IV was added to the ‘Foreign Coins’ gallery.
A decorative lead chair ; a sword pommel and a bosun’s whistle were added to the ‘Miscellaneous’ gallery.
A horse harness plate was added to the ‘Farming’ gallery.
A Carausius AE Ant, was added to the ‘Roman Coins’ gallery.
A groat of Henry VI was added to the ‘Medieval Coins’ gallery.

February 2024 – A new page was added about Mill Barn, Hemsby Road.
A commemorative medal dated 1757 of Frederick II of Prussia, found in Martham, was added to the Museum collection.

January 2024 – A new page was added about the Old Bakery, 58 Black Street.
Also, the page that features the White House was updated with the memories of Rosemary Kelleher, nee Hall, about being evacuated there during the 2nd World War.
The Page about the Gunton Family was updated.

December 2023 – A page was added about the Co-op on The Green.

November 2023 – A major new page was added about Brickmaking at Martham. Plus in support of this two other pages, one about Brickfield Farm, Staithe Road and the other about Robert Moore Snr., (1790-1874) & Robert Moore Jnr., (1825-1885).
Three finds were made in Martham this month and photos of them have been added to the ‘Museum’. They were a lead weight shaped like a shield; a George I sixpence and a Saxon small long brooch that dates from about 600AD and truly supports Martham being a Saxon village.

October 2023 – A new page was added called “A Tribute to Len & Connie Spencer of Martham”.

September 2023 – Two new pages were added during September. The first is a major new photo album entitled ‘Shops, Businesses & Trade’. You can see it by clicking HERE. It has 185 photos many of which you may have seen before but I have tried to connect properties, people and work with each other so that as far as possible the variety of properties are connected with the premises people lived in and/or worked from.
A second addition is the story behind the Debbage Memorial at St Mary the Virgin which you can see HERE.

August 2023 – A new page was added of those people listed in the 1851 Martham census.
Improved statistics were added to the main Census page for 1841, 1851, 1861, 1881 & 1891.
Three recent Roman coin finds were added to the Museum being a follis of Constantine I; a denarius of Severus Alexander and a siliqua of Flavious Eugenius.
A heraldic pendant was also added to the miscellaneous Gallery of the Museum.

July 2023 – A new page was added providing details of Martham Footpath No25 Damgate to the River Thurne .
A new photograph album was added showing Farming Back in the Day.

June 2023 – A new page was added called The Yards of Martham providing details of basic dwellings that several hundred people lived in from the mid 19th century until around the 1960’s.

May 2023 – Fanny Elizabeth Jeary (1852-1934) came from the well-known family butchers of Martham but grew up and married Rev John Smith and had a famous son called Rev. Edwin Smith. All three were missionaries in Africa. Their story was added this month.
Information, statistics and data for the 1841, 1861, 1881 & 1891 census records has been enhanced and corrections made.

April 2023 – New finds were added to the museum collection included a medieval sword pommel which can be seen in the ‘Miscellaneous Gallery’. A lovely medieval seal matrix that is in the ‘Seals Gallery’. A 13th/14th century key with a lozenge bow end and a 15th/16th century purse frame were added to the Domestic Gallery. A James II shilling can be seen in the Stuart Gallery. A Saxon violin shaped buckle pin was added to the Jewellery Gallery. You can also see them by going to ‘Home’ and selecting ‘Museum’ from the top menu.

March 2023 – During March the history of Church Gate Cottages, 65, 67, 69 & 71 Black Street was added.

February 2023 – Two more items we added to the museum collection. One was a token from the Commonwealth period 1649-1660 which can be seen in the Tokens gallery and the other was an Anglo-Saxon Silver sceat that can be seen in the Saxon, Viking & Norman Coins gallery.
New information has come to light about the Hemsby Road post mill so that page has been updated.
Information about the Mustard Hyrn Pond has been added to the “Ponds” page.

January 2023 – During this month I added a new page about the Families of Mustard Hyrn, Cess.

December 2022 – During this month I added a new page about Westgrove, 9 Rollesby Road.

November 2022 – During this month I added a new page about Hope Cottage, 47 The Green and a complimentary page about Oliver Starling (1861-1950).

October 2022 – During this month I added information about Rectory House, Repps Road and Rectory Cottages, Cess.

September 2022 – During the last month more finds, made in the village, were added to the virtual Martham Museum as follows:
A coin weight of a half gold ryal – see the Medieval Coins Gallery.
A Saxon brooch showing a wolf or serpent facing its tail – see the Jewellery Gallery.
A post medieval dress hook – see the Domestic & Household Gallery.
A Norwich farthing token dated 1667 – see the Tokens & Jettons Gallery.
An Elizabeth I sixpence of 1571 – see the Tudor Gallery.

August 2022 – Many extra images were added to the James Bensley and Francis family pages created in June and July.
New exhibits were added to the following Martham Museum pages: ‘Jewellery’; ‘Medieval coins’; ‘Saxon coins’ and ‘Stuart coins’.
Technical amendments were made to every page to improve the possibility that pages will be found when people carry out general web searches.

July 2022 – A new page was added about James Robert Bensley (Jimmy the coach operator).

June 2022. A new page was added featuring the Francis family, shop keepers and business men, from 1836 to c1967

May 2022: You can see a wonderful 14th century silver seal matrix that depicts a female figure that has been added to the Museum. Click HERE.
Further information has been added about the early years of the Island Site.

April 2022: New pages were added about the history of the Martham Telephone Service and Wherrymen of Martham.

Special release in March 2022: A major upgrade was added to the site to provide a (virtual) village museum.

March 2022: New pages were added about the life and times of the grocer & draper William Creasey (1717-1797) and his daughter Diana (1757-1834). They were rich and well connected in 18th century Martham and Diana gave a generous endowment to provide education for poor girls in the village.

February 2022: New pages were added about the history of the Clowes’ building on The Green and The Firs, Rollesby Road (now called The Oaks).

January 2022: 229 photographs were added to St Mary the Virgin graveyard pages recording all the gravestones in section I of the graveyard up to the year 2000. This completes a unique photographic record on this website of all the gravestones providing just over 1,100 images.

December 2021: The following pages were added: one about Bell Yard, another about ‘Floods’ which includes nine photos and another about The Limes, Black Street. Two pages about people were added: one for Oswald George Larter (1907-1965) and another about John Larter (1868-1951)

November 2021: Memories of Moregrove during the war years by Joe Larter were added. A new page about the fascinating story of The Wilderness at 30 Repps Road was added.

October 2021: A new main menu topic was added called ‘Guided Informal Walks’ based on maps. Three walks have been provided. They are around the Village Greens, along Black Street and along White Street. The maps have markers showing points of interest which, when selected, give more details of the building or place.
A technical upgrade was completed improving the look and functionality of hyperlinks.

September 2021: Pages were added about Elijah Jeary and the miracle cure, and the Reverend William T E Cary, and a personal account of Fruit Picking by schoolgirl Kathleen Fathers.

August 2021: Pages were added about Ivy Cottage, Ivydene & Ivy Holme plus also the Jeary family of butchers.

July 2021: Pages were added about Cobblers Cottage (Mountfields) and the Fish & Chip Shop.

June 2021: Pages were added about Domesday Martham, Yew Tree Cottage, Selwyn House and Chapman’s Butchers plus The Walnuts.

May 2021: A page was added about George Humphrey Dyball (1860-1950) and his wife Mary, nee Springall (1865-1955) and information was added about Greenside, The Green where they lived.
The home page ‘past and present’ photograph panel had 30 new images added to it. A logo was added to the main menu pages.

April 2021: Details were added about the Garnham family of Martham and an associated page about Clarence Villa (Martham Lodge Residential Care Home). Also a new page about William Kirkland (1848-1937) & his son Robert and their drapers store.

March 2021: A page was added about the history of the vicars of St Mary’s plus thumbnail sketches of 24 individual vicars and curates. The 900 year history of the Prior’s Manor was added. Also a new page about the Stowe Survey.

January 2021: New pages were added for Arthur Methuen Ribbands (1899-1981), the Fire Station/Service, 60 to 70 White Street cottages and Post Offices & Postmasters.

December 2020: The page for St Mary the Virgin was completely re-written. New pages were added Rev. Richard Spurgeon (1767-1842), Rev. Herbert Webster, Anthony William Crisp (1860-1931) and Dr. Anthony Crisp (1814-1900). Four more pages were added for Sport, the Playing Field, the Jasmines and the Vicarage. Brief pages were produced on the martyr Thomas Hitton and the Martham Ambulance.

November 2020: New pages were added about the Rising family providing thumbnail sketches of 107 members of the family who were connected with Martham. Plus family trees, charts, photographs and more detailed personal profiles for 19 members of the family. Associated pages for Grove House, Black Street, Rose Farm, Cess and Thunder Hill Farm were also added.

October 2020: New pages were added about Moregrove, Clarkes Farm, Dairy Barn Farm and Blackthorn Cottage.

September 2020: New personal profile pages on Francis Blomefield, Rev. George Pearse, Rev Joseph John Gurney & the Gunton family were added. New pages were added on the Star Inn, Victoria Inn and Bottle Hall Cottages.
The website now has 279 pages of information, 65 photo albums and 3,631 photographs.

August 2020: A new page about the Black Death was added.

July 2020: A list of those included in the 1861 census was added. Information pages on the Isle of Flegg and Cess were added. Building details were added for Cranes Green Cottage; Oddfellows Hall; The King’s Arms and landlords William & Richard Rogers. Personal profiles were added for Elijah Gymer (1855-1891); David & Anna Hinderer; George & Susannah Amis and their daughters Christina & Betsy; Henry Hodds (1842-1884); Ernest Henry William Twite; Humphrey Gymer (1865-1953) & Jane, nee Ward (1865-1934); George William Cooke and additional information about the Bane Family in general.