{"id":16655,"date":"2021-05-07T15:21:38","date_gmt":"2021-05-07T14:21:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marthamnorfolk.co.uk\/?page_id=16655"},"modified":"2026-07-13T14:10:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T13:10:39","slug":"chapmans-butchers-26-the-green","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marthamnorfolk.co.uk\/?page_id=16655","title":{"rendered":"Chapman’s Butchers, 26 The Green, Martham"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chapman’s Butchers, 26 The Green<\/a><\/em>, Martham – including The Walnuts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Chapman’s Butchers, The Green<\/a><\/em> in 2020<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Chapman\u2019s Butchers finally closed its doors to business in 2023 after serving the village for at least 125 years, and perhaps much longer. It was synonymous with being the purveyor of quality meat and poultry, mainly associated with the Chapman family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The property consisted of Chapman\u2019s butchers shop fronting The Green<\/a><\/em> attached to a house to the rear called The Walnuts. The house has a separate entrance from the shop. The location map below may help.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Chapman\u2019s Butchers was known to almost everyone in Martham throughout several generations but the occupation of the land and property preceded the family. Property deeds relating to the site say buildings have been there as early as 1664 at what has always been the heart of the village. Other than this very early mention of property at the site the earliest factual record we have for the land and buildings there comes from the 1807 Martham Inclosure<\/a><\/em> Act(1)<\/sup> under which a John Moxon, of Great Yarmouth, claimed ownership of a pightle (small single-storey cottage) and two acres of land that he let to Richard Warner. See the map below. John Moxon was a businessman who did not appear to have lived at Martham but let the land to Richard, who also owned other property in Martham, which indicated he was a baker. <\/p>\n\n\n

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By the time of the actual 1812 Inclosure Award<\/a><\/em>, another map was produced that also shows the same land owned by John Moxon. Note that this appears to show only two small buildings on the plot at that time where The Walnuts and the butchers would later stand.<\/p>\n\n\n

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John Moxon died at Great Yarmouth in November 1827 and an abstract of title for the property tells us that a William Woods became the owner. William (1764-1830) was a blacksmith who lived at Black Street<\/a><\/em>. It is not clear if he ever lived at The Green<\/a><\/em> or if it was just an investment. The deeds go on to say that the next owner was James Braddock.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Braddock Era<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

James Braddock <\/a><\/em>(1808-1879) is recorded as living at the property in the 1841 census <\/a><\/em>and the 1842 Tithe Award.<\/a><\/em> At that time James and his first wife Sarah, nee Woods (1811-1853) lived there. James was a thatcher, a trade learned from his father. James & Sarah had married at St Mary the Virgin<\/a><\/em>, Martham in 1834 and probably moved to The Green<\/a><\/em> soon after marrying. By 1841<\/a><\/em> they had two children and later went on to have another three before Sarah died in 1853. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

James was listed in the 1842 Martham Tithe Award<\/a><\/em> as the owner of 4 acres and 9 perches of land, houses, pasture and gardens being plots 172, 314, 315 and 484. The first three are shown on the map below. Plot No172 was a meadow to the south of the buildings. Plot 314 was immediately in front of the pond<\/a><\/em> and was the location that later became the butchers. Plot 315 was let to John & Mary Jay and their children and was later known as The Laurels. Plot 484 was a pasture next to Cess Staithe <\/a><\/em>on the River Thurne.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After becoming a widower James married again on 4th<\/sup> January 1857 at St Mary\u2019s<\/a><\/em> to Sarah Jones the daughter of John Jones & Elizabeth, nee Burton. Sarah was his neighbour from next door- but- one at No30 (Greenside)<\/a><\/em>. In 1858 they had a son called Edwin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James continued to work as a thatcher throughout the 1860\u2019s until the 1871 census tells us he had become a farmer of 23 acres employing a labourer. The interesting fact from the 1871 census is that he and Sarah were recorded as living at Pit Farm, The Green<\/a><\/em>, but there is no reason to believe they had moved because older locals sometimes call the main pond <\/a><\/em>in front of the house \u2018the pit\u2019, which may have been named after the farm or, more likely, the other way round. Pit Farm, or what we know as The Walnuts, is thatched, so perhaps it was James who maintained the roof. James died on 1st<\/sup> September 1879 and Sarah moved to Repps Road <\/a><\/em>where she died on 6th<\/sup> November 1882.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After James died an abstract of title in the deeds for the land and property tells us that the occupiers became Robert Jary and then John Fisher (1850-1930). John Fisher\u2019s involvement is backed up by several records that show that he & his wife Louise lived and worked in Martham:<\/p>\n\n\n\n