Sutfield – The Lost Family of Martham

There is no doubt that the Sutfields were an ancient family from Martham, but none live in the village today. Where have they gone? What happened to them?

The name is fairly unusual and probably derives from the Old English Suth + Field, meaning southern field or open country. The Norfolk Sutfields are not to be confused with the surname Suffield, which is more common and for which no connection can be found. My research also covers name variations that are not unusual when looking at records of this age and include Satfield, Sotfeld, Sutfeld, Sutfeild, Sutfild and Sutfylde. For ease of indexing, I have called them all Sutfield (whilst keeping separate notes about variations).

I have been fascinated by the family for years because the name crops up 50 times in baptisms, 14 times in marriages, and 30 times in burials in the registers of St Mary the Virgin, Martham and yet not a single gravestone or exact grave position for any of them can be identified in the graveyard today.

Baptisms

The earliest Sutfield baptism that I can find that took place at St Mary’s^(S3) was for William Sutfield (C2) on 29^th June 1575. Later on, he married a lady called Ursula (date unknown), and they were part of what I have called Family Group C, which you can read more about below.

The most recent Sutfield baptism that I can find that took place at St Mary’s^(S3) was for Mary Sutfield (E23) on 2^nd January 1727. She was the daughter of Robert Sutfield & Martha, nee Gunton (E6), and you can read more about them all in Family Group E below.

Marriages

The earliest marriage that I can find that took place at St Mary’s^(S3)  was between William Sutfield (B1) & Olyfe, nee Taplin, on 11^th November 1578. In fact, Olyfe married there twice, and you can read more about them in Family Group B below.
The most recent marriage that I can find that took place at the church was between Martha Sutfield (E24) & Thomas Scarlet on 18^th November 1761, and you can read more about them in Family Group E below.

Burials

The earliest burial that I can find for the family at St Mary’s^(S3)  took place on 31^st July 1587 when three-year-old Thomas Sutfield (B3), the son of the above William & Olyfe(B1) was interred. Again, you can read more about him in Family Group B below.

The most recent burial that I can find in St Mary’s^(S3) graveyard took place on 8^th June 1796 when William Sutfield(E16), the husband of Clementia, nee Savage (1724-1760) was buried. Again, you can read more about them in Family Group E below.

The burial for William in 1796 (he had three children, but they all died before him), was when the Sutfields died out. I cannot find any records for them thereafter, and some of them were farmers, so if they had survived into the 1800’s I would have expected them to be listed in the 1812 Martham Inclosure Award, but the surname does not appear in that record.

Wills

These records show that the Sutfields lived in the village from the mid-16th century and possibly earlier because Parish Registers^(S3) of baptisms, burials and marriages only began in 1538 shortly after the split from Rome under Thomas Cromwell. For the next 300 years, what was recorded was left entirely to the whim of individual Parish Priests, so details vary. The earliest parish register entries that are available for St Mary the Virgin date to 1558. Those Sutfields that made Wills are:-

• William Sutfield (B1) Will dated 1593
• John Sutfield (C1) Will dated 12^th March 1597.
• William Sutfield (C2) Will dated 19^th July 1625.
• Robert Sutfield (C12) Will dated 22^nd March 1638.
• Robert Sutfield (E1) Will dated 2^nd October 1683.
• Robert Sutfield (E6) Will dated 9^th May 1752.
• Martha Sutfield (E24) Will dated 16^th July 1764.
• Charles Sutfield (E20) Will dated 18^th August 1773.
• Benjamin Sutfield (E27) Will dated 26^th April 1781.
• William Sutfield (E16) Will dated 3^rd June 1796.

Sutfield House, White Street, Martham

Sutfield House stands on the west side of White Street, Martham and is the only purpose-built Georgian home in Martham that remains occupied to this day. The earliest hint we get that a member of the Sutfield family probably lived there is from an advert that appeared in the Norfolk Chronicle on 24^th December 1790 that is shown here:

The William Sutfield in question lived from 1712 to 1796 and was the last member of several generations of Sutfields that were very successful farmers and landowners who lived in Martham. You can read more about him at E16 below. The advert shows he was selling his interests in a house and land at Martham and another house in King Street, Great Yarmouth. It indicates that he was living near The Green, which was probably Sutfield House, as this would have been commensurate with his status as a landowning yeoman farmer. It is quite likely that he gave his name to the house. The interesting thing is that he does not seem to have owned it because the advert refers to a lease he held that was to expire at Michaelmas 1792. The auction sale took place in June 1791. We do not know the outcome but William was 80 by then and obviously wanted to retire and sold most of his estate and lived out his days on the proceeds.
So, if William Sutfield rented the house, who was the owner? The most likely owners were the Rising family. You can read more about this by clicking on the Sutfield House link.

Family Groups (FG)

There were about 77 people who were born as Sutfield and lived in Martham from about 1575 to 1796 – over 200 years. I have listed them alphabetically below. I had hoped to find relationship links between most of them, but this has not been totally successful because records are so thin on the ground going back that far. Where I have successfully grouped people together, I have given them a Family Group (FG) letter and they are shown in the first column of the list. After the list, I have provided more information about each Family Group.

The SUTFIELDS of Martham (1)
FG	Sutfields	AKA	Birth	Baptism	Death	Notes
B6	SUTFIELD, Agnes	–	1608	16.12.1608	1608	d of John & Dorothy, nee Harman
E27	SUTFIELD, Benjamin	–	–	–	1781	s of William & Clementia, nee Savage
E22	SUTFIELD, Benjamin	–	1726	1.3.1726	Aft. 1752	s of Robert & Martha, nee Gunton
E29	SUTFIELD, Benjamin	–	1767	10.6.1767	–	bbs of Rebecca Sutfield
A3	SUTFIELD, Bridget	Sutfild	1612	26.6.1612	1613	d of Peter & Phoebe Warde
E20	SUTFIELD, Charles	–	1714	20.12.1714	1773	s of Robert & Martha, nee Gunton
E21	SUTFIELD, Daniel	–	1724	18.6.1724	1725	s of Robert & Martha, nee Gunton
E12	SUTFIELD, Edmond	–	1693	9.7.1693	–	s of Robert & Maria, nee Stannow
C7	SUTFIELD, Elizabeth	–	1605	20.10.1605	–	bbd of Elizabeth Sutfield, born Hemsby
E9	SUTFIELD, Elizabeth	–	1689	25.2.1689	–	d of Robert & Maria, nee Stannow
H1	SUTFIELD, Elizabeth	–	–	–	1777	Parents unknown. Married William Elder
A4	SUTFIELD, Emme	Sutfild	1615	14.3.1615	–	d of Peter & Phoebe Warde
A6	SUTFIELD, Faith	Sutfild	1621	19.8.1621	1624	d of Peter & Phoebe Warde
E10	SUTFIELD, Hugh	–	1709	2.3.1709	1709	bbs of Elizabeth Sutfield (E9)
E25	SUTFIELD, James	Satfield	–	–	1758	s of William & Clementia, nee Savage
J1	SUTFIELD, Jane	–	–	–	1640	d of John (mother unknown)
C3	SUTFIELD, Joane	Sutfylde	1577	15.12.1577	–	d of John & Elizabeth, nee Savery
A5	SUTFIELD, Johan	Sutfild	1619	14.2.1619	1636	d of Peter & Phoebe, nee Warde
C1	SUTFIELD, John	Sutfylde	–	–	1597	Husband of Elizabeth Savery
C11	SUTFIELD, John	–	Bef 1611	–	–	s of William & Ursula
B2	SUTFIELD, John	–	1582	15.4.1582	–	s of William & Olyfe, nee Taplin
G2	SUTFIELD, John	Sutfild	1631	30.1.1631	–	s of Oliver (mother unknown)
J1	SUTFIELD, John	–	–	–	–	Father of Jane Sutfield
E8	SUTFIELD, Joseph	–	1724	6.8.1724	1724	bbs of Sarah Sutfield
B8	SUTFIELD, Margaret	–	1612	16.2.1612	1612	d of John & Dorothy, nee Harman
C6	SUTFIELD, Margarett	–	Aft 1577	–	–	d of John & Elizabeth, nee Savery
C9	SUTFIELD, Margarett	–	1616	10.2.1616	–	d of William & Ursula
C5	SUTFIELD, Margery	Sutfylde	1583	21.4.1583	–	d of John & Elizabeth, nee Savery
E24	SUTFIELD, Martha	–	Aft. 1740	–	1764	d of Robert & Rebecca, nee Rising
B5	SUTFIELD, Mary	–	1607	5.4.1607	1608	d of John & Dorothy, nee Harman
E2	SUTFIELD, Mary	–	1658	17.4.1658	–	d of Robert & Mary (maiden name unknown)
E5	SUTFIELD, Mary	–	1684	18.9.1684	1776	d of Robert & Maria, nee Stannow
E23	SUTFIELD, Mary	–	1727	2.1.1727	–	d of Robert & Martha, nee Gunton
G1	SUTFIELD, Oliver	Sutfild	–	–	–	Father of John b1631
A2	SUTFIELD, Peter	–	1579	28.6.1579	1652	s of William (mother unknown)
A8	SUTFIELD, Phebe	Sutfild	1628	30.3.1628	–	d of Peter & Phoebe, nee Warde
E28	SUTFIELD, Rebecca	–	1748	19.2.1748	–	bbd of Ursula Sutfield
E18	SUTFIELD, Richard	–	1716	20.2.1716	–	s of Robert & Martha, nee Gunton
X3	SUTFIELD, Robert	–	–	–	1646	Parents unknown
E1	SUTFIELD, Robert	–	–	–	1684	Husband of Mary (maiden name unknown)
X5	SUTFIELD, Robert	–	–	–	–	Father of William b1717
F1	SUTFIELD, Robert	–	–	–	–	Husband of Margaret Stone. Parents unknown
C4	SUTFIELD, Robert	Sutfylde	1580	21.4.1580	–	s of John & Elizabeth, nee Savery
C12	SUTFIELD, Robert	Sutfeld	Abt. 1600	–	1640	s of Robert. Husband of Mary, nee Dey
C8	SUTFIELD, Robert	Sutfild	1611	8.12.1611	–	s of William & Ursula
B9	SUTFIELD, Robert	–	1613	14.2.1613	1617	s of John & Dorothy, nee Harman
A7	SUTFIELD, Robert	Sutfild	1625	2.1.1625	–	s of Peter & Phoebe, nee Warde
C15	SUTFIELD, Robert	Sutfeld	1631	25.9.1631	1636?	s of Robert & Mary, nee DEY
E4	SUTFIELD, Robert	Sotfeld	1663	8.6.1663	–	s of Robert & Mary (maiden name unknown)
E11	SUTFIELD, Robert	–	1686	8.3.1686	1686	s of Robert & Maria, nee Stannow
E6	SUTFIELD, Robert	–	1687	–	Abt. 1752	s of Robert & Maria, nee Stannow
E15	SUTFIELD, Robert	–	1711	6.3.1711	Bef. 1752	s of Robert & Martha, nee Gunton
C13	SUTFIELD, Rose	Sutfeld	1622	18.8.1622	–	d of Robert & Mary, nee Dey
E26	SUTFIELD, Sarah	Satfield	–	–	May 1760	d of William & Clementia, nee Savage
E7	SUTFIELD, Sarah	–	1698	5.10.1698	–	d of Robert & Maria, nee Stannow
E19	SUTFIELD, Stannow	–	1713	16.2.1713	–	s of Robert & Martha, nee Gunton
D1	SUTFIELD, Thomas	–	–	–	Bef. 1677	Husband of Bridgit Bullocke
B3	SUTFIELD, Thomas	Sutfylde	1584	67.3.1584	1587	s of William & Olyfe, nee Taplin
B7	SUTFIELD, Thomas	–	1609	6.11.1609	–	s of John & Dorothy, nee Harman
C14	SUTFIELD, Thomas	Sutfeld	1625	4.9.1625	–	s of Robert & Mary, nee Dey
D2	SUTFIELD, Thomas	–	1631	27.12.1631	–	s of Thomas & Bridgit, nee Bullocke
C10	SUTFIELD, Ursula	Sutfild	1620	26.3.1620	–	d of William & Ursula
E3	SUTFIELD, Ursula	–	1660	11.9.1660	–	d of Robert & Mary (maiden name unknown)
E13	SUTFIELD, Ursula	–	1695	24.2.1695	–	d of Robert & Maria, nee Stannow
E17	SUTFIELD, Ursula	–	1721	31.12.1721	–	d of Robert & Martha, nee Gunton
B4	SUTFIELD, William	Sutfylde	–	–	–	s of William & Olyfe, nee Taplin
A15	SUTFIELD, William	Sutfylde	–	–	–	Father of Peter Sutfield b1579
B1	SUTFIELD, William	Sutfeilde	–	–	1593	Husband of Olyfe Taplin
A9	SUTFIELD, William	–	–	–	1614	s of Peter & Phoebe, nee Warde
C2	SUTFIELD, William	Sutfylde	1575	29.6.1575	1625	s of John & Elizabeth, nee Savery
D3	SUTFIELD, William	–	1633	12.5.1663	1633	s of Thomas & Bridgit, nee Bullocke
E14	SUTFIELD, William	–	1703	20.9.1703	1710	s of Robert & Maria, nee Stannow
E16	SUTFIELD, William	–	1712	–	1796	s of Robert & Martha, nee Gunton
X5	SUTFIELD, William	–	1717	13.9.1717	–	s of Robert. Mother unknown
X4	SUTFIELD, William	–	–	–	–	Father of William d1680
X1	SUTFIELD, unknown forename	–	–	–	Bef 1791	Husband of Elizabeth, unknown maiden name
X2	SUTFIELD, unknown forename	–	–	–	Bef 1776	Husband of Mary, unknown maiden name
Related Sutfields born at Great Yarmouth
K1	SUTFIELD, Grace	–	–	–	–	d of Robert Sutfield of Great Yarmouth
K1	SUTFIELD, Marie	–	–	–	–	d of Robert Sutfield of Great Yarmouth
K1	SUTFIELD, Robert	–	–	–	–	Father of Grace & Marie Sutfield
One Sutfield family from Thrigby
L2	SUTFIELD, Elizabeth	–	1668	11.1.1668	1670	d of Robert & Mary, of Thrigby
L4	SUTFIELD, Elizabeth	–	Aft 1670	–	1678	d of Robert & Mary, of Thrigby
L3	SUTFIELD, Mary	–	–	–	1670	d of Robert & Mary, of Thrigby
L1	SUTFIELD, Robert	–	–	–	–	Father of the 3 daugters above
(1) The list excludes people whose name is known, but I have no other information about them, e.g., the name of a father at his child’s baptism but nothing else or the name of a partner at marriage but nothing else.
(d) = daughter. (s) = son. bbd = base born daughter or illegitimate. bbs = base born son or illegitimate.
(FG) = Family Group code.

Family Group A

Starting with what is probably the earliest identifiable group that actually only consists of one family featuring mainly Peter & Phoebe Sutfield(A2) who had seven children, six of whom died as infants, whilst the other died as a teenager. The family may have originated from 15th-century Sutfield ancestors, but the deaths of all the children resulted in this family branch dying out.

A1      William Sutfield or Sutfylde. His name comes from the baptism record of his son Peter(A2) in 1579. Nothing more is known about him. But he is listed here as the oldest family member of this group.

A2      Peter Sutfield was also known under the surname Sutfylde and was born in  1579 at Martham and baptised on 28^th June 1579 at St Mary’s^(S3) with his father being named as William Sutfylde. He was married twice; firstly, when he was 28, he married Phoebe Warde on 30^th July 1607 at Honingham, near Norwich. Then, after Phoebe’s death, he married a lady called Elizabeth at St Mary’s^(S3) on 25^th November 1641. Elizabeth’s surname is unknown.

Peter & Phoebe had the following children:

• Bridget who was born about 1612 – see A3 below.
• Emme who was born about 1615 – see A4 below.
• Johan who was born in 1619 – see A5 below.
• Faith who was born in about 1621 – see A6 below.
• Robert who was born in about 1625 – see A7 below.
• Phebe who was born in about 1628 – see A8 below.
• William who died in 1614 – see A9 below.

Peter’s first wife, Phoebe, presumably came from Honingham where they were married. She was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 13^th January 1641 in an unknown plot.  She was also known as Feby or Phebe.

Peter’s second wife is recorded as Elizabeth Rising by some Ancestry tree owners but the Martham church marriage records for 1641 have been lost and Rising may not have been her maiden name. Luckily, the copy record produced by Bradfer-Lawrence(S4) does exist, but her surname is blank in their marriage record. There has to be some doubt that Elizabeth was born as a Rising. She may have been married to a Rising previously and, like Peter, became a widow before she married him. In this case, we need to find a marriage record for a male Rising to an Elizabeth in around 1600, but I have not been able to find one.
Peter died at Martham in 1652 and was buried on 2^nd October 1652 at St Mary’s^(S3) in an unknown plot.

A3      Bridget Sutfield was also known as Sutfeld and was baptised on 26^th July  1612 at St Mary’s^(S3), her parents being named as Peter & Phoebe Sutfeld(A2). She died early in the next year and was buried on 27^th January 1613 at St Mary’s^(S3) graveyard in an unknown plot.

A4      Emme Sutfield, also known as Sutfeld, was baptised on 14th March 1615 at St Mary’s^(S3). Her father was recorded as Peter Sutfeld(A2). We don’t know much else about her, and there are no records for her on the IGI website. There is, however, a record of a marriage for an Em Sutfield and Robert Watts at West Somerton on 19th July 1636 that may relate to her, but she was not from that village.

A5      Johan SUTFIELD was also known as Sutfeld and was baptised on 14^th February 1619 at St Mary’s^(S3) when her father was named as Peter Sutfeld(A2). She lived a little longer than some of her siblings but died, aged 16, in either late December 1635 or very early in January 1636 and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 2^nd January 1636.

A6      Faith Sutfield sadly followed the same life pattern as most of her siblings. Born as Sutfeld and baptised on 19^th August 1621 she died in 1624, aged three, and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 22^nd October 1624 in an unknown grave.

A7      Robert Sutfield is yet another child of Peter Sutfeld(A2) who probably died as a baby as there are no other records of him other than his baptism at St Mary’s^(S3) on 2^nd January 1625. We don’t even know his burial date, probably because he died within days of being baptised.

A8      Phebe Sutfield seems to have suffered the same fate as her brother Robert and died as a baby, as there are no other records of her either. She was baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 30^th March 1628 and, again, we don’t know her burial date.

A9      William Sutfield. We know even less for him than some of his other siblings. All we know for certain is that he was buried on 9^th October 1614 as the son of Peter Sutfeld(A2). I cannot find a baptism record for him so it is possible that he died so soon after his birth that there was no time to have him baptised.

Family Group B

B1      William Sutfield’s death record calls him Sutfeild and the surname on his Will looks like Sutfeilde. His date of birth is unknown. We know about him mainly through his marriage record and the subsequent baptism records of his children. William married Olyfe Taplin on 1^st November 1578 at St Mary the Virgin, Martham and the church register entry of their marriage is shown above under “marriages”.
We know of three children that William & Olyfe had but there may have been more. The ones we know are:-

• John who was born in 1582 at Martham – see B2 below.
• Thomas who was born in 1584 at Martham – see B3 below.
• William – see B4 below.

William was a husbandman (farmer)  and made a Will in 1593 a copy of which is held in the Norfolk Record Office ref: PRDC 1/2/3, folio 40. MF 474. Unfortunately, it is in old English and is almost impossible to read. It seems that William made his Will when he must have been seriously ill because he died in July 1593 and was buried on 26^th of that month at St Mary’s^(S3) in an unknown grave position.
Soon after William died, Olyfe married again on 10^th February 1594 at St Mary’s^(S3). This time to a single gentleman called Leonard Watts.

B2      John Sutfield was also sometimes recorded under the surname Sutfylde and was born in 1582 at Martham to William Sutfield & Olyfe, nee Taplin(B1). He was baptised on 15^th April 1582 at St Mary’s^(S3).

John’s baptism church register record in 1582 is the last entry of this extract.

When he was 24, he married Dorothy Harman on 16^th June 1606 at St Mary’s^(S3) and they had five children who were all born at Martham as follows:-

• Mary who was born in 1607 – see B5 below.
• Agnes who was born in 1608 – see B6 below.
• Thomas who was born in about 1609 – see B7 below.
• Margaret who was born in 1612 – see B8 below.
• Robert who was born about 1613 – see B9 below.

There are no further records for John or Dorothy.

B3      Thomas Sutfield was sometimes recorded with his surname spelt Sutfylde. He was born in 1584 at Martham and was baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 7^th March 1584. His parents were named as William & Olyfe Sutfylde(B1).
He died, aged 3, in July 1587 at Martham and was buried on 31^st July 1587 at St Mary’s^(S3). His grave position is unknown.

B4      William Sutfield is recorded by FindmyPast as the son of William Sutfield & Olyfe(B1) but with no other details at all. Like many other children of this generation, it is possible that he died within days of his birth.

B5      Mary Sutfield lived a short life. She was baptised on 5^th April 1607 at St Mary’s^(S3) as the child of John & Dorothy Harman(B2). She died under a year old and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 7^th March 1608 in an unknown grave.

B6      Agnes Sutfield’s life was even shorter than her sister Mary. She was baptised on 16^th December 1608, died and was buried on Christmas Day 1608 again in an unknown grave.

B7         Thomas Sutfield was baptised on 6^th November 1609 probably very soon after his birth. His parents were named as John & Dorothy Harman(B2). I can’t find any more information about him.
It is possible that this Thomas is the same person as the Thomas who is listed below as D1. The dates are convenient, but I cannot find any absolute proof. If they are one and the same, it would link Family Groups B & D.

B8      Margaret Sutfield was yet another child of John & Dorothy(B2) who lived for about two weeks. She was baptised on 16^th February 1612 at St Mary’s^(S3) and died soon after that and was buried on 29^th February 1612 in an unmarked grave.

B9      Robert Sutfield was baptised on 14^th February 1613 with his parents named as John & Dorothy Harman(B2). He lived a little longer than his siblings, but died in his fourth year and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 15^th October 1617. His grave position is also unknown.

Summary of Family Group B. On the face of it there are distinct similarities between the dates of people in groups B and C. For instance, the heads of both groups have similarities; William(B1) and John(C1) married and died within four years of each other and both had sons they called William. We don’t know when they were born or who their parents were but if they were brothers groups B & C would merge. Sadly, I cannot find proof that the two men were actually related.
In addition, Peter(A2) was a witness to the Will of William(C2) and although their relationship is unknown if the groups were merged they would have been cousins.
This family group suffered more than its fair share of tragic child deaths.

Family Group C

C1      John Sutfield. At various times John was also recorded as Sutfeild and Sutfylde. John married Elizabeth Savery on 16^th August 1574 at St Mary the Virgin, Hemsby. They had five children who were: William born in 1575 – see C2 below. Joane was born in 1577 – see C3 below. Robert was born in 1580 – see C4 below. Margery was born in 1583 – see C5 below and Margarett – see C6 below.
We don’t know much about John and what we do know mostly comes from his Will that he signed on 12^th March 1597. A copy is held in the  Norfolk Records Office ref: PRDC 1/2/3 folio 58. It is written in old English and is difficult to read but I have a transcript if anyone wants to see it. The following is a summary of the main points: John lived with his family at Martham and was a husbandman (farmer) and said he was weak of body but had a perfect memory. He asked to be buried in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin at Martham. He bequeath all his houses and lands being within the Town Fields & farms of Martham and elsewhere in Norfolk plus all his other goods, chattels, leases and movables to his wife,  Elizabeth, to hold during her lifetime. After her death he wanted the land etc that he had left to her to be split between his two sons: Robert his youngest son was to get three acres & one rood of the land in one enclosure on the east side of the way which leads from Bowlsgate Way towards the Common of Cess which abuts Bowlsgate Way towards the south and Readgaps Way towards the north. All the rest was to go to William his eldest son which included houses and lands upon condition that he, William, paid his sisters Joane(C3) & Margery(C5) £6 each over a four year period, that is £3 to Joane within a year of her mother’s death. £3 to Margery the year after that; £3 again to Joane the year after that and finally £3 again to Margery. So, each sister got £6 each spread over four years but they had to wait a long time for it because their mother did not die until 1609 twelve years after their father died. There was further provision in John’s Will that if Joane or Margery died the said payments would go to any children they may have.
NOTES:  John said he was ‘weak of body’ and must have known he was dying when he signed his Will. He died about a month after signing it.
There is no mention of his daughter Margarett(C6) in his Will, who may have either died or married and been supported by her husband.
It seems to have been the fashion at the time for a testator to require someone who inherits to make payments to others, in future years, rather than just making an immediate bequest out of the deceased’s estate.
After his death, John was indeed buried at St Mary’s^(S3)  on 5^th April 1597 in an unknown grave.
John’s wife, Elizabeth, is presumed to have come from Hemsby as that is where they married. She died in 1609 and was also buried at St Mary’s^(S3).

C2      William Sutfield was also recorded at various times with the surname Sutfeild, Sutfyled and Sutfild. He was born in 1575 at Martham as the first child of John Sutfield & Elizabeth, nee Savery(C1) and was baptised on 29^th June that year at St Mary’s^(S3), Martham.
There is a record of him marrying a lady called Ursula on the Family Search website, but with no other details. There are, however, records of them having at least five children who were: Elizabeth born in 1605 – see C7, Robert born in 1611 – see C8, Margarett  born in 1616 – see C9, Ursula born in 1620 – see C10 and John – see C11.
Luckily for us, just like his father before him, William also made a Will that he signed on 10^th July 1625. The contents can be summarised as follows:-
William was a tailor at Martham. Two witnesses to his Will were Peter Sutfield(A2) (relationship unknown) and his son John Sutfield(C11). The executor was Robert(C4) his brother. He made the following bequests: ten shillings (50 new pence) for the repair of the church. Six shillings & eight pence (about 33 new pence) to the poor of Martham. £40 to John Sutfield his son(C11). £20 apiece to his children Robert(C8), Elizabeth(C7), Margaret(C9) and Ursula(C10). Five shillings (25 new pence) apiece to the 3 children of his sister Margarett(C6). All his real estate to be sold to pay the above legacies. All his personal estate to go to Robert Suffield(C4) his brother.
The houses and lands would have been copyhold of the Manor of Martham and had to be ‘surrendered’ to the Lord of the Manor. Copyhold land could be sold but the Lord of the Manor had to be involved because copyhold carried with it certain duties to the Manor e.g., providing labour for the Lord (in later years more likely converted to a cash payment), which would become the responsibility of the new owner.
William died only days after making his Will and was buried on 16^th July at St Mary’s^(S3) in an unknown grave. His estate was probated on 13^th November 1625 in Norwich and probate was granted to his brother Robert(C4).

C3      Joane Sutfield was born in 1577 at Martham as the second child and eldest daughter of John Sutfield & Elizabeth, nee Savery(C1) and she was baptised on 15^th December 1577 at St Mary’s^(S3). She was also recorded with a surname spelt as Sutfeild and Sutfylde.
Her father left her £6 in his will dated 12th March 1597 payable by instalments after her mother died.
When she was 38, she married Robert Saunder on 30^th October 1615 at St Mary’s^(S3). They did not have any children. I cannot find any other records about her.

C4      Robert Sutfield was born in 1580 at Martham as the third child of John Sutfield & Elizabeth, nee Savery(C1). He was baptised on 21^st April 1580 at St Mary’s^(S3) and his father was listed as John Sutfield(C1). Robert is a bit of an enigma as the name of his wife is unknown and his death date is uncertain, although there is a record of a Robert Sutfield who was buried at Martham in 1646 that may be him, but see C8. He had a son in about 1600 who was named after him – see C12 below.
In 1609, after the death of his mother, a legacy left to him by his father became active and he inherited a share of his father’s estate amounting to three acres & one rood of land situated on the east side of Bowlsgate Way towards the north of Martham.
In 1625, he inherited the personal effects of the estate of his brother William(C2).

C5      Margery Sutfield was born in 1583 at Martham as the fourth child of John Sutfield & Elizabeth, nee Savery(C1). She was baptised as Margerye Sutfylde on 21^st April 1583 at St Mary’s^(S3) . Her father left her £6 in his will dated 12th March 1597 but other than that I cannot find any other information about her.

C6      Margarett Sutfield is another member of this branch of the family for which very little is known. The spelling of her forename is unusual and only comes from the Will of her brother William(C2).
In his Will of 1597 her father called her sister, Joane, (born 1577), his eldest daughter and her sister Margery (born 1583)  his youngest daughter so presumably, Margarett was born between them sometime between 1577 and 1583. She may have died before her father made his Will as she is not mentioned in it, or she may have been married by 1597 and fully supported by her husband in which case her father may not have felt she needed anything in his Will.
She must have been married at some point because her brother, William(C2) left her three children five shillings (25 new pence) each in his Will dated 1625. I have tried to find details of her marriage, husband, children and death without any luck.

C7      Elizabeth Sutfield was born in 1605 at Hemsby, Great Yarmouth to William Sutfield & Ursula(C2) and was baptised on 20^th October 1605 at St Mary the Virgin, Hemsby. Nothing else is known about her other than that she inherited £20 from her father in his will dated 1625, as did her siblings Robert(C8), Margaret(C9) and Ursula(C10).

C8      Robert Sutfield was born in 1611 at Martham to William Sutfield & Ursula(C2) and was baptised on 8^th December 1611 at St Mary’s^(S3). Nothing further is known about him other than that he inherited £20 from his father in his will dated 1625 as did his sisters Ursula(C10), Margarett(A9) and Elizabeth(C7).
A Robert Sutfield was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 24th November 1646 that may have been this Robert, but see C4 above.

C9      Margarett Sutfield was born in 1616 at Martham to William Sutfield & Ursula(C2) and was baptised on 10^th February 1616 at St Mary’s^(S3). Like her siblings nothing more is known about her other than that she inherited £20 from her father in his will dated 1625 the same as her siblings Robert(C8), Elizabeth(C7) and Ursula(C10).

C10    Ursula Sutfield was born in 1620 at Martham to William Sutfield & Ursula(C2) and was baptised on 26^th March 1620 at St Mary’s^(S3). Like her siblings, nothing further is known about her other than that she inherited £20 from her father in his will dated 1625.

C11    John SUTFIELD. Almost nothing is known about him other than he was alive in 1625 when his father left him £40 in his Will. This was twice as much as each of his siblings which implies he was the 1st born son, therefore possibly born before his brother Robert who was born in 1611.

C12    Robert Sutfield was born in about 1600 and was the son of Robert Sutfield(C4), but his mother is unknown. Occasionally, he was also recorded with his surname spelt Sutfeld. When he was 21, he married Mary Dey on 1^st December 1621 at St Mary’s^(S3).

Robert & Mary had at least three children who were all born at Martham as follows:-

• Rose who was born in 1622 –  see C13 below.
• Thomas who was born about 1625 – see C14 below.
• Robert who was born in 1631 – see C15 below.

Unlike some of his ancestors, we know a bit more about Robert because he made a Will that tells us more about his relatives and life. He made his Will on 22^nd March 1638 at Martham. A copy can be seen at the Norfolk Records Office ref: PRDC 1/2/6/ folio 275.
Robert was a yeoman^(S1) farmer and the main information that can be drawn from his Will is as follows:-
He requested his body to be buried in the graveyard at Martham. (Sadly, the church registers for 1639 have been lost so it is not possible to find a record of his burial).
He gave five shillings (25 new pence) towards the repairs fund of St Mary the Virgin.
He gave 25 shillings (£1.25 new pence)  for the benefit of the poor of the parish of Martham.
He gave four shillings (20 new pence) to the Rev. Robert Lynsey, curate, of St Mary’s^(S3) for him to make a sermon at his burial. (Robert Lynsey acted as a curate to the vicar Rev. Robert Ovington who was from Caister. Robert Lynsey died at Martham in 1641 and is buried in an unknown grave at St Mary’s^(S3)).
Robert gave to his ‘kinsman’ Robert Sutfield (probably a cousin) £5 provided he outlived him and if not the £5 was to be split equally between the daughters, from Great Yarmouth, of the said Robert who were named as Grace & Marie Sutfield (K1).
He gave all his houses and land at West Somerton, Martham and Potter Heigham, held under a tenancy agreement, to his wife, Mary, for the natural term of her life, and after she died said the same should go to his son Thomas(C14).
He then said he wished to give all his (owned) houses and lands in Martham and Rollesby to his wife for the natural term of her life and after she died said the same should go to his son Robert(C15). From this we can gather that he owned several properties and land in each village, some of which was held under tenancy agreements which were probably under the Lord of the Manor, whilst other houses and land were owned freehold. 
He gave to his daughter Rosie(C13) £40 annually to be paid by his son Thomas(C14) after the death of his wife.
He gave all his farming equipment, including horses, carts, ploughs etc to his son Robert(C15).
His Will was probated on 6^th March 1639. This date falls in what we know as a double-digit year(S6) and therefore would be 6^th March 1640 as we know it today.
He was buried following his wishes at St Mary’s^(S3) but the exact plot is unknown. 
Robert was only about 40 when he died and his children were aged between about 9 and 18. We don’t know when his wife, Mary, died but if she was a similar age to her husband and went on to live a full life, her children would have waited a long time before actually getting their inheritance.

C13    Rose Sutfield (also known as Rosie) was born in 1622 at Martham to Robert Sutfield & Mary, nee Dey(C12) and was baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 18^th August 1622. When she was 21, she married John Gold on 26^th November 1643 at St Mary’s^(S3).I have not been able to trace any children they may have had.
Other than her marriage record, we also know about her from the Will left by her father who left her £40 annually to be paid by her brother Thomas(C14) after the death of their mother. There is no mention of her mother having to pay the £40 until her own death, so presumably her mother was expected to look after Rosie’s needs and she was about 18 when her father died. I can’t find any other records about her.

C14    Thomas Sutfield was born in about 1625 to Robert Sutfield & Mary, nee Dey(C12) and was baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 4^th September 1625. He was also recorded with the surname spelled Sutfeld.
Like his sister, Rose(C14), his name also appears in his father’s Will. His father stipulated that all his houses and land at West Somerton, Martham and Potter Heigham, held under tenancy agreements, should be inherited by his wife for the natural term of her life, and after she died, said the same should go to their son Thomas. Under the terms of the Will Thomas was also required to pay his sister, Rose(C13), £40 per annum during her lifetime after his mother’s death. We don’t know when Thomas or his mother died but if his mother lived a long life his inheritance would have taken a long time to have become effective.

C15    Robert Sutfield was born in 1631 at Martham to Robert Sutfield & Mary, nee Dey(C12) and was baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 25^th September 1631. Information about him mainly comes from the Will of his father. In that Will his father said he wished to give all his (owned) houses and lands in Martham and Rollesby to his wife for the natural term of her life, and after she died, said the same should go to his son Robert. He also gave all his farming equipment, including horses, carts, ploughs etc to his son Robert.
There is a possibility that this Robert was the same Robert who died in 1684 as shown in E1. I have no proof of this, but if he was, it would join Family Groups C & E spanning the mid-16th century to the late 18^th century.

Summary of Family Group C

Personal records going back to the 1600’s are notoriously rare, so it is hard to fill in some of the details of members of this group. Several of the records have their surname as Sutfeld. Luckily, three members of this family group made Wills; John (C1), William (C2) and Robert(C12). Whilst the earliest known member of the group was a farmer (husbandman) the Will of William tells us he was a tailor at Martham. The Roberts of the family, on the other hand, seem to be entrepreneurial yeoman farmers and Robert(C12) obviously did very well during his 40 years of life, accumulating land at Martham, West Somerton and Potter Heigham. It is a pity that there are no records of what happened to his sons Thomas and Robert, who should have inherited his estate after their mother died.  

Family Group D

D1      Thomas Sutfield. We know very little about Thomas, and what we do know comes from his marriage and the baptism records of his sons. Thomas married Bridgit Bullocke on 10^th October 1631 at St Mary’s^(S3). They had two known children:-

• Thomas who was born in 1631 – see D2 below.
• William who was born in 1633 – see D3 below.

Bridgit died in 1677 at Ormesby St Margaret, where they appear to have lived at the time. She was buried there on 23^rd March 1677. The date that Thomas died is unknown, but he must have died before Bridgit, because she was described as being a ‘widow’ when she died, so Thomas must have died before her.
It is possible that this Thomas is the same person as the Thomas who is listed above as B7. The dates are convenient, but I cannot find any absolute proof. If they are one and the same, it would link Family Groups B & D

D2      Thomas Sutfield. The only thing we know about Thomas is that he was baptised on 27^th December 1631 at St Mary’s^(S3) and his parents were named as Thomas & Bridgit(D1).

D3      William Sutfield did not live long. He was baptised on 12^th May 1633 at St Mary’s^(S3) when his parents were named as Thomas & Bridgit(D1). Sadly, he died only a few days later and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 21^st May.

Family Group E

This is the largest family group I have been able to trace as linked to each other.

E1      Robert SUTFIELD. There is a possibility that this Robert was born in 1631 and was the son of Robert & Mary, nee Dey as shown in C12/C15. I have no proof of this but if it is the case it would join Family Groups C & E spanning the mid-16^th century to the late 18^th century.
Robert made a Will dated 22^nd March 1684 (per PRDC 1/2/6, folio 275 and DCN 73/1/35 held at the Norfolk Records Office). Robert was a Yeoman(S1) and he married a lady called Mary whom we only know of from his Will. It is assumed they married in about 1657 before the birth of their children who were:-

• Mary who was born in about 1658 – see E2 below.
• Ursula who was born in about 1660 – see E3 below.
• Robert who was born in 1663 – see E4 below.

A summary of the main contents of Robert’s Will is that he was sick of body but perfect of mind. He left Mary, his wife, all his houses and land in Martham and Rollesby for life and upon her death to his son Robert. Plus £30 per year to Mary for life to be paid by Robert (E4). Plus, he gave to Alice Iverson(E3), his granddaughter, £100 to be paid after his wife died and provided that Alice had become 21. But if Alice died before becoming 21 the £100 was go to his other granddaughter Ursula Iverson(E3) and if she died before becoming 21 then the £100 would go to his son Robert (E4), and his heirs.
He also left his ‘household stuff’ to be divided one-third to his wife, Mary, and two-thirds to his Executors, subject to Mary getting the first choice.
He left thirty shillings (£1.50 pence today) to the town of Martham (without saying what it was for or how it would be spent).
The Norfolk Records Office copy of his Will also has a list of the goods in his estate that says they were worth £333 14s 6d and included crops like wheat worth £66 10s. Two carts worth £10, eight cows and calves worth £18. The inventory included many other smaller household items and was drawn up by Robert Brewer and John Rising.

According to the Bank of England retail price index you would need £62,130 now to have the same spending power as £333 in 1684.

Robert must indeed have been sick of body because he died only about two weeks after making his Will and was buried on 3^rd April 1684 at St Mary’s^(S3) in an unknown plot. When he was buried, he was referred to as being Robert Sutfield the Elder, which must be a reference to his son being the Robert the Younger(E4).

E2      Mary Sutfield was baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 17^th April 1658 when her father was named as Robert Sutfield(B1). Nothing more is known about her, but her father made his Will on 22^nd March 1684 and Mary was not mentioned in it, so either he did not want to leave her anything, or she had died. If she was alive, she would have been about 26 years old. I cannot find a burial record for her on FindmyPast or Ancestry.

E3      Ursula Sutfield was baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 11^th September 1660 and her father was named as Robert Sutfield(E1). When she was 22, she married Samuel Iverson on 25^th May 1682 at Burgh St Margaret (Fleggburgh), Great Yarmouth. The date of Ursula Sutfield’s death Is unknown; her husband Samuel died in 1726 and was buried on 20^th January 1726 at  Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk. Ursula & Samuel had two known children as follows:-

• Alice & Ursula IVERSON. They were twins who were baptised together on 8^th May 1683 at Ormesby St Margaret. Their grandfather(E1) made his Will in 1684 when they were both mentioned. Rather strangely, he left Alice a legacy of £100, which she would get after his wife died and only when she, Alice, became 21. If she died before becoming 21 the £100 was to go to her sister Ursula and if she died before becoming 21 it was to go to Robert’s son, Robert Jnr (E4), and his heirs. Why he favoured one twin over the other, when he could have left them £50 each, is unknown.

E4      Robert Sutfield was also recorded under the surname Sotfeld and was born in 1663at Martham and baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 8^th October 1663 as the son of Robert Sutfield(E1). His father made a Will on 22^nd March 1684 in which he left Mary, his wife, all his houses and land in Martham and Rollesby for life and upon her death to his son Robert. Plus £30 per year to Mary for life to be paid by Robert. So Robert was alive in 1684 and he was also named as an Executor to his father’s Will. We don’t know when his mother died so it is not entirely clear when he inherited the bulk of his father’s estate.
When he was 20, Robert married Maria Stannow on 2^nd October 1683 at St Mary’s^.(S3) His father’s Will makes it fairly clear that Robert was a farmer, but by 1710 Robert’s status was higher and he was referred to as being a ‘gentleman’ when his son, Robert(B6) married Martha Gunton. The most likely reason he was called ‘gentleman’ is because he lived off income received from letting out land and/or property and did not have to work to make a living. This must have made him amongst the ranks of the highest status of people in Martham.

E5      Mary Sutfield was baptised on 18^th September 1684 at St Mary’s^(S3) as the daughter of Robert Sutfield & Maria, nee Stannow (E4). When she was 26, she married Christopher Burraway on 30^th September 1710 at St Mary’s^(S3). (This is not the Christopher Burraway who is famous for marrying his own mother, but he was related to that family). Mary & Christopher had two children. Mary died in 1776 and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 12^th March that year. Like all the other Sutfields buried at St Mary’s^(S3), her exact grave position is unknown.

E6      Robert Sutfield was born in 1687 at Martham to Robert Sutfield & Maria, nee  Stannow(E4).  When he was 23, he married Martha Gunton by licence on 16^th June 1710 at St Mary’s^(S3). They went on to have nine children who are listed below as B15 to B23. For most of his life Robert was a yeoman farmer^(S1) having inherited some land from his father. Fortunately, Robert made a Will dated 9th May 1752 that provides us with an insight into his life and descendants. (Norfolk Records Office Ref PRDC 1/2/8 folio 300 on microfilm MF/RO 335/11). He is believed to have died shortly after making his Will, but unfortunately, there is no record of his burial at Martham because the registers for St Mary’s(S3) from 1728 to 1758 have been lost.
In his Will he said: I leave to William Sutfield(E16), my second son, all my messuages, tenements with their edifices, buildings, stables, yards, gardens, orchards and land, pightle and hereditaments in Martham amounting to 77 acres, 3 roods and 27 perches.
I leave to my son Benjamin (E22) £100.
I leave to my granddaughter Martha Sutfield(E24), the daughter of my deceased son Robert (E15), the sum of £100 payable when she becomes 21 years old, but if she dies before then the legacy lapses.
His wife, Martha,  died before him and so is not mentioned in his Will. As for his children: Stannow (E19) was born 1713 may have died before 1752; Ursula (E17) was alive in 1752 and did not feature in his Will, but as a lady may not have inherited anyway; Mary (E23) was born in 1727 and again may have died before the Will was written in 1752; Richard (E18) was in born 1716 and presumably died before 1752.

E7      Sarah Sutfield was baptised on 5^th October 1698 as the daughter of Robert Sutfield & Maria, nee  Stannow(E4). She was sometimes called Sara. She had an illegitimate son called Joseph on  6^th August 1724 – see E8. When she was 26, she married Joseph Littlewood on 21^st January 1725 at St Mary’s^(S3).

E8      Joseph Sutfield was the illegitimate son of Sarah Sutfield (E7) and was born and baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 6^th August 1724. I don’t have positive proof that his father was Joseph Littlewood but Sarah, married Joseph Snr. only five months after her son’s birth and they have the same forename, so it seems most likely that Joseph senior was his father. Sadly, Joseph Jnr. died the month after his birth and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 19^th September 1724. Another harrowing example of why children were baptised soon after birth and of the fragility of newborn babies at that time.

E9      Elizabeth Sutfield was baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 25^th February 1689 as the daughter of Robert Sutfield & Maria, nee Stannow(E4). Her name comes from the birth and burial records of her base-born son Hugh Sutfield – see E10.

E10    Hugh Sutfield was the illegitimate son of Elizabeth Sutfield(E9) and was born and baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 2^nd March 1709. He died a couple of months later and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 10^th May 1709.

E11    Robert Sutfield was baptised on 8^th March 1686 at St Mary’s^(S3). His parents were Robert Sutfield & Maria, nee Stannow(E4). A second son named Robert was born in 1687 so presumably this Robert died as a baby.

E12    Edmund Sutfield was baptised on 9^th July 1693 at St Mary’s^(S3). His parents were Robert Sutfield & Maria, nee Stannow(E4).  I cannot find any other records for him.

E13    Ursula Sutfield was born on 10^th February 1695 at Martham and was baptised on 24^th February 1695 St Mary’s^(S3) Her parents were Robert Sutfield & Maria, nee Stannow(E4).  I cannot find any other records for her.

E14    William Sutfield was born on 20^th August 1703 at Martham and was baptised on 20^th September 1703 at St Mary’s^(S3). His parents were Robert Sutfield & Maria, nee Stannow(E4).  William died in November 1710 and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 1^st November that year.

E15    Robert Sutfield was baptised on 6^th March 1711 at St Mary’s^(S3)as the son of Robert Sutfield & Martha, nee Gunton(E6). When he was 28, he married Rebecca Rising (the daughter of John Rising & Eliza), on 9^th April  1739 at Moulton St Mary, Norfolk which was the village that Rebecca came from. Her father was not part of the Martham/West Somerton family dynasty of Risings.
Robert & Rebecca had one daughter – see E24 below.
According to his father’s Will dated 9^th May 1752 Robert had died. He married in 1739 and died before 1752. Unfortunately, the St Mary the Virgin church registers have been lost for the period 1728 to 1758 so any burial record for Robert is unavailable.

E16    William Sutfield

William Sutfield is probably the best known and most successful of the Martham Sutfields. He was born in Martham on 16^th February 1712  to Robert Sutfield & Martha, nee Gunton(E6). In 1752 William inherited the majority of his father’s(E6) Martham estate which included land, properties, tenements, buildings, stables, yards and gardens that amounted to just over 77 acres. He spent the rest of his life as a farmer and must have been one of the largest landowners in Martham at the time. As such he would have had a big influence on the day-to-day life of the village community.
When he was 43, he married Clementia Savage on 18^th November 1755 at St Mary’s^(S3). William was a bachelor and Clementia was a spinster when they married. They went on to have three children, whom you can read about below under E25, E26 & B27.
His name appears in the Martham Electoral Register of 1768, reflecting his status as a property and land owner.
An advert appeared in the Norfolk Chronicle on 24^th December 1790 shown above under Sutfield House. The advert indicates that he was living near The Green, which was probably at Sutfield House. William was 80 at the time and was looking to retire and so was selling up.
William made his Will on 3^rd June 1796 (Norfolk Records Office Ref PRDC 1/2/1, folio 71). In summary, he left William Cole, his nephew and son of his sister Ursula(E17), his dwelling house, garden and arable land amounting to three acres in Martham occupied at the time by James Myhill plus a small marsh called Flint Marsh that consisted of half an acre and occupied by Robert Rising as a tenant. He also left all his household furniture, plate. china, linen, woollen, ready money and securities, goods, chattels and personal estate to Ursula for life and thereafter to her son William Cole. The odd thing is that Ursula had already died, in 1772, so her son William Cole inherited the whole estate straight away, which also included six acres called Townsend Croft and three acres of land called Bosgate Hill occupied at that time by Henry Humphrey. The Will also stipulated that William Cole was to pay £50 to Benjamin Sutfield/Calver(E29) who was a mariner and son of his late niece Rebecca Sutfield (E28) .
William Sutfield died on 8^th June 1796 and his Will was probated on 18^th June 1796 when death duties became payable (per Norfolk Records Office ref: PRDC 1/2/10 folio 71). William was buried on 11^th June 1796 at St Mary the Virgin not far from his memorial in the church.
William’s wife and children all died before him and so the land and properties that had accumulated over the past three or four Sutfield generations passed into the hands of William Cole and that branch of the Sutfield name died out.
William Cole was a long-standing resident of Loddon(S6). He was an Attorney and a gentleman who took his place in local society there, with his name appearing on many legal documents. Perhaps buoyed up by the Sutfield inheritance in 1803 William bought a plot of land in Loddon and by 1810 had built a house on the site. Unfortunately, by late 1829 William had overstretched himself and his financial state was dire. His creditors were calling in his mortgage and other loans which he could not pay and on 26^th January 1830 he was committed, as a debtor, to Norwich Castle Prison. William remained there for the next 16 years and 8 months until his death at the prison aged 89 on 26^th August 1846. His inheritance from William Sutfield had gone along with his reputation. The Sutfield legacy had disappeared.

E17    Ursula Sutfield was baptised on 31^st December 1721 at St Mary’s^(S3) as the daughter of Robert Sutfield & Martha, nee Gunton(E6). She was sometimes recorded as Urcila or Ursley. She had an illegitimate daughter called Rebecca(E28) who was baptised at Winterton-on-Sea on 19^th February 1748.
When she was 33, Ursula married Robert Cole, who was a farmer from Rollesby, on 25^th May 1754 at St Mary’s^(S3). They were married by licence and both signed their names. They went on to have three children: Robert Cole, born in 1754 who died in 1796, William Cole (1756-1846) – the debtor and Benjamin Sutfield Cole who was born and died in 1760 at Winterton-on-Sea.
Ursula died in 1772 and was buried on 2^nd December at Holy Trinity & All Saints Church, Winterton-on-Sea.

E18    Richard Sutfield was born on 12^th February 1716 at Martham and was baptised on 20^th February that year as the son of Robert Sutfield & and Martha, nee Gunton(E6). He probably died as a baby or child, but I cannot find any further records for him. He certainly died before 1752 when his father made a Will that did not mention him.

E19    Stannow Sutfield was born on 16^th February 1713 at Martham and was baptised on the same day at St Mary’s(S3) as the son of Robert Sutfield & and Martha, nee Gunton(E6). I cannot find any other information about him despite his unusual forename. He probably died as a baby or child. He certainly died before 1752 when his father made a Will that did not mention him.

E20    Charles Sutfield was born on 13^th December 1714 at Martham and baptised seven days later on 20^th at St Mary’s^(S3) as the son of Robert Sutfield & Martha, nee Gunton(E6). When he was 26, he married Mary Carrier on 27^th June 1741 at St George, Tombland, Norwich.
Charles made his Will on 18^th August 1773 whilst living in Ludham, Norfolk. (His will can be seen at the Norfolk Records Office. Ref MF443. No163). At the time of making his Will he was a yeoman farmer^(S1) and owned a wide range of farm buildings, stock and crops. The main content of his Will provided for his wife, who inherited everything for the natural term of the rest of her life. Mary died in 1776 and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 12^th March that year. Charles left a legacy to his nephew Benjamin(E27), the son of his brother William. He also left a legacy to Charles Carrier, the son of John Carrier, but his Will does not make it clear how they were related, although it was probably through his wife. His Will was probated on 24^th September 1773.
Charles must have realised his days were numbered when he made his Will and died only a few weeks later. He was buried on 16^th September 1773 at St Mary’s^(S3) in an unknown plot.

E21    Daniel SUTFIELD was born in 1724 at Martham as the son of Robert Sutfield & Martha, nee, Gunton(E6). He was baptised on 18^th June 1724 at St Mary’s^(S3). Unfortunately, he lived for less than a year and died in 1725. He was buried on 17^th April 1725 at St Mary’s^(S3) in an unknown grave.

E22    Benjamin SUTFIELD was born in 1726 at Martham as the son of Robert Sutfield & Martha, nee, Gunton(E6). He was baptised on 1^st March 1726 at St Mary’s^(S3). Not much is known about Benjamin except that he moved away from Martham to become a seafarer. His father left him £100 in his Will dated 1752.
When he was 36, he married Mary Ann Wade on 18^th April 1762 in Saint Leonard’s, at Hackney, London. There is no record of them having any children.
Benjamin was employed as a Master of a ship called the Dove in 1764 that was moored at Radlet Cross on the River Thames and it was there that he made a Will according to a record of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills Index. I have not seen a copy of the Will. He must have been ill at the time because he died the same year and was buried at St Leonard’s, Shoreditch, Hackney.

E23    Mary Sutfield was born in 1727 at Martham as the daughter of Robert Sutfield & Martha, nee Gunton(E6) and was baptised on 2^nd January 1727 at St Mary’s^(S3). She probably died as a baby or child, but I cannot find any further records for her. She certainly died before 1752 when her father made a Will that did not mention her.

E24    Martha Sutfield was the only child of Robert Sutfield & Rebecca, nee Rising(E15). Her life was spent at Martham but her birth or baptism record is difficult to be exact about because it fell during the period when the registers for St Mary’s^(S3) have been lost. So we have to turn to other records for supporting evidence.
Her grandfather, Robert Sutfield (E6), left her £100 in his Will dated 9^th May 1752 subject to her attaining the age of 21. So in 1752 she was under 21 meaning she must have been born after 1731.
She married Thomas Scarlett on 18^th November 1761 at St Mary’s^(S3) with the consent of her mother because she was a minor. As she was under 21 years old in 1761 she must have been born after 1740 (moving the date up further from later than 1731).
Martha & Thomas had one child called Rebecca Scarlett who was born in 1763 at Martham and was baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 19^th May 1763.
During 1763 and 1764 Martha suffered a series of tragedies. Her husband died in August 1763 and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 20^th August that year.
Things were to get worse for Martha when her daughter also died three months later, aged only six months, in November the same year; she was also buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 26^th November 1763.
Martha made a Will 16^th July 1764 (Norfolk Records Office, ref: PRDC 1/2/9 folio 113. Microfiche 477). This was only about seven weeks before her death so she was probably ill and knew she was going to die soon. Her Will was straightforward and she gave all her goods and chattels to her mother who was also named as the sole Executor. 
Martha was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 4^th September 1764. The exact plot for her, Thomas and their daughter is unknown, but it was presumably together. This then became another Sutfield family line that died out.

E25    James Sutfield was one of three children born to William Sutfield & Clementia, nee, Savage(E16). Unfortunately, all three children seem to have been born during the period that the registers for St Mary’s^(S3) have been lost i.e.1729 to 1757. All three were likely to have been baptised towards the end of this period after their parents were married in November 1755. James was probably born between 1755 & 1757 which is why I can’t trace a baptism record for him. He died in 1758 at Martham and was buried that year in an unknown grave at St Mary’s^(S3).

E26    Sarah SUTFIELD was the daughter of William Sutfield & Clementia, nee, Savage(E16) and the same difficulties apply to her baptism record as for her brother James above. She died in May 1760 and was buried on 18^th May at St Mary’s^(S3) in an unknown grave. Her mother died about four months later and was buried on 3rd Sept 1760 at St Mary’s^(S3).

E27    Benjamin Sutfield was the son of William Sutfield & Clementia, nee, Savage(E16) and the same birth/baptism record difficulties apply to him as well as his siblings. He was probably born between 1755 and 1757 and happily, he survived into adulthood.
Benjamin made a Will on 26^th April 1781 that tells us that he had inherited some money from Benjamin Knights (1708-1762)  of East Somerton (relationship unknown) and from Charles Sutfield(E20) his uncle, formerly of Ludham, a farmer who died in 1773. Benjamin left everything to his father(E16). There is no reference in his Will to a wife, children, siblings or his mother, so presumably he was single. It is unusual for someone to leave everything to his father, who you would assume will die before a son, so it is likely that Benjamin knew he was dying and he did so only two months after making his Will. Benjamin died in June 1781 and was buried on 24^th June that year, described as a ‘gentleman of Martham’.

E28    Rebecca Sutfield was born in 1748 at Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk and was the illegitimate daughter of Ursula Sutfield(E17). She was baptised on 19^th February 1748 at Holy Trinity & All Saints Church, Winterton-on-Sea. In 1767 she had an illegitimate son called Benjamin Sutfield(E29) who was baptised at Winterton-on-Sea on 10^th June that year, and she was named as his mother but no father was recorded.
When she was 22, she married Thomas Carver by banns on 15^th October 1770 at Holy Trinity & All Saints Church, Winterton-on-Sea. Both Thomas & Rebecca were single and from Winterton. I cannot find out when she died or any other details about her.

E29    Benjamin Sutfield was born in 1767 at Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk as the illegitimate son of Rebecca Sutfield(E28). He was baptised on 10^th June 1767 at Holy Trinity & All Saints Church, Winterton-on-Sea. After his mother married Thomas Carver in 1770 Benjamin sometimes went under the surname Carver. He was employed as a Mariner and in 1796 inherited £50 indirectly through the Will of his great uncle William Sutfield(E16).  

Summary of Family Group E.
The group spans the years mid-17th century to the late 18^th century and five Wills help provide detailed information. The family were at the height of their wealth and influence in Martham and surrounding villages during this period. They were all farmers of yeoman status. Robert(E1), who died in 1684, was wealthy in comparison to the average man and his estate passed down to his son, then his grandson(E6) and onwards to William Sutfield(E16) who is the only Sutfield to be commemorated with a plaque inside St Mary the Virgin. William’s wife and children all died before him and so the land and properties that had been owned by the Sutfield family passed into the hands of his nephew William Cole, the son of his sister Ursula. William Cole lost all the money left to him and wound up in jail. The last recorded burial for the Sutfield family was for William in 1796 and this was when the Sutfields of Martham died out and the money disappeared.  

We now come to a series of groups where only pairs exist with no known links to others.

Family Group F

F1      Robert Sutfield. The only reason I have him listed is because of his marriage to Margaret Stone, which took place on 11^th June 1608 at St Mary’s^(S3). Nothing further is known about him, although there are some other Robert Sutfields above who he could be a duplicate of.

F2      Margaret Stone married Robert on 11^th June 1608. She died at Martham in 1617 and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3)on 18^th December 1617.  

Family Group G

G1      Oliver Sutfield was recorded as Olly Sutfild when his son John was baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) in 1631, but other than that, I cannot find any other records of him at all.

G2      John Sutfield was baptised on 30^th January 1631 at St Mary’s^(S3) and his father was named as Olly Sutfild, but I can’t find out anything else about him.

Family Group H

H1      Elizabeth Sutfield married William Elder on 2^nd January 1726 at St Mary’s^(S3) by licence^(S2). William was a bachelor; Elizabeth was a spinster and they were both from Martham.
Elizabeth died in 1777 and was buried on 27^th June 1777 at  St John & All Saints Church, Lakenham near Norwich.
I cannot find any other information about them.

Family Group J

J1      Jane Sutfield & her father John.  The only record we have of this father and daughter pair is her burial on 30^th April 1640 at St Mary’s^(S3) which lists her father as being John. I cannot find out any other information about them and even Jane’s grave position is unknown.

Family Group K

K1      Sisters Grace & Marie Sutfield are referred to in the Will of Robert Sutfield (see C12 above) dated 22^nd March 1638, but their exact relationship is unknown. In his Will Robert (A12) referred to the father of Grace & Marie as being his “kinsman”. A kinsman is a male relative, typically blood-related, such as an uncle or cousin. It can also refer to someone related by marriage or through a common ancestor or lineage. I have not been able to find the details of how the two Roberts were actually related.
All we know about Grace & Marie is that they lived in Great Yarmouth in 1638 when the Will was written.

Family Group L

This single family was from Thrigby, Norfolk but they may have connections with Martham as it was so close.

L1      Rober & Mary Sutfield were probably married before 1668 when their first daughter, called Elizabeth, was born. The only record we have of them comes from the burial records of their daughters, who were:

L2      Elizabeth Sutfield was born in 1668 and was baptised on 11^th January 1668 at St Mary’s Church, Thrigby. Her father was named as Robert Sutfield; her mother Mary – surname unknown. Elizabeth died on 1^st October 1670 and was buried at St Mary’s, Thrigby.

L3      Mary Sutfield was another daughter of Robert & Mary. Her d.o.b. is unknown. She died in 1670 and was buried on 12^th September that year at Thrigby. There is no record of her being baptised which may be because she died very soon after being born.

L4      Elizabeth Sutfield was assumed to have been born after 1670 when the first born Elizabeth died. She was listed as Elisabeth when she died in 1678 at Thrigby. She was buried on 1^st October 1678 at St  Mary’s, Thrigby.

Other Sutfields

Very little is known about the following Sutfields except that they were all connected with Martham, but I am unable to link any of them with other families.

X1      Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) died when she was 74 in 1791 at Martham and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 14^th August 1791. Her Sutfield husband died before her but his full name is unknown.

X2      Mary (maiden name unknown) died in 1776 at Martham and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 12^th March 1776. Her Sutfield husband died before her but his full name is unknown.

X3      Robert Sutfield was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 24^th November 1646. Nothing more is known about him. There are several Roberts above that could be him but I have no further information to prove it.

X4      William Sutfield died in 1680 and was buried at St Mary’s^(S3) on 6^th November 1680. His father was recorded as William Sutfield. No other details are available for them.

X5      William Sutfield was baptised at St Mary’s^(S3) on 13^th September 1717 and his father was named at Robert Sutfield. No other details are available for them.

X6      Finally, another mystery! There was a widow called Helen or Helyn Sutfield from Martham. She made a Will dated 11th March 1522 which is in a double-digit year(S6) so we would know it as 1523. Her maiden name is unknown. The surname in her Will has been transcribed as Helen or Helyn SUFFIELD but there are no known SUFFIELDs from Martham so it was probably a variation of SUTFIELD or a transcription error due to the difficult writing. Two people are named in her Will – Walter Sutfield and Helen Walker  – but the Will does not explain their relationship. They may be her son and a married daughter. I have not been able to link her to any of the family branches listed above. This is a summary of her Will provided by Paul White of the Norfolk Family History Society, for whom I am most grateful.  

References, Sources and Information:

(S1)     A yeoman is traditionally defined as a landowner who farms his own land. These men were not aristocrats, but more prosperous than tenant farmers who normally rented the land they worked. A typical yeoman farmer might own between 30 and 100 acres and would employ labourers to enable him to have a large degree of independence. Yeoman often held a significant place in the local community, being a magistrate or having a place on the Church Council.

(S2)     Marriage by licence was more of a status symbol than anything and showed they had a certain social standing. For those who could afford it, it meant they didn’t have to wait three weeks whilst banns were read and the rest of the parish didn’t get to know their business. There may have been other reasons for not wanting to wait; one of the couple could have been under the age of consent and therefore needed the permission of a parent or guardian. The bride may have been pregnant and in a hurry to marry. A soldier may have wanted to marry quickly before being posted abroad. Also, many dissenters married by licence as they objected to the banns being read in an Anglican church. The bridegroom had to bring someone (a friend or relative) along with him when he applied for the licence and they would usually enter into a bond so that if the marriage turned out to be illegal, they forfeited that sum. Poor people wouldn’t have been able to put such sums of money up as security.

(S3)     The baptisms, burials and marriages registers of St Mary the Virgin, Martham, Norfolk.

(S4)     Bradfer Lawrence compiled a list of all the baptisms, burials & marriages from the church registers of St Mary the Virgin, Martham. The record is held at the Norfolk Record Office under ref: BL/PR/10.

(S5)     Information from the Loddon and District Local History Group.

(S6)     Double digit year. Before 1752 the Roman calendar year ran from 26^th March to the following 25^th March. For example 1745 ran from 25^th March 1745 right through to 25^th March the following year but in those days still called 1745. The period between 1^st January and 25^th March was still recorded as 1745 whereas we would know it now as 1746. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1752 the calendar changed to what we are used to from 1^st January to 31^st December.
So, some family historians record 10th February 1745 as it is because that is the date that will be found on original documents. Others convert it to 10^th February 1746 because that is the actual year when using the Gregorian calendar. Some others prefer to write it as 10^th February 1745/46. This is what is commonly called a split-year convention. Consistency is required; otherwise confusion can set in i.e. a person could appear to have died before they married – married on 10th April 1745 but died on 22^nd February 1745.
Personally I convert all double digit year dates to the Gregorian calendar because that is how we recognise dates now and count back for age calculations works better.

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