Edited by Paul P. Davies Great Yarmouth Local History and Archaeological Society Monograph Two

Record of the Surviving and Legible Memorial
Slabs on the Floor

in St. Nicholas’ Church, Great Yarmouth
as documented by M. S. R.
of the Contractors, Ratee and Kett
at the Commencement
of the Restoration Work
2nd June 1957
Edited by Paul P. Davies

Great Yarmouth Local History and Archaeological Society
Monograph Two
2
Copyright © Great Yarmouth Local History and Archaeological Society
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2012
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3
The Great Yarmouth Local History

and Archaeological Society
On 24th January 1888 a Great Yarmouth branch of the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society was
formed. On 27th February 1953, the Society became independent and its name was changed to the Great
Yarmouth and District Archaeological Society. At the Annual General Meeting on 15th May 2009, it was
decided to change the Society’s name to the Great Yarmouth Local History and Archaeological Society in
order to reflect members’ changing interests.
The aims of the society are: to encourage the study of history and archaeology, especially in the Great
Yarmouth District and to secure the preservation and conservation of historic buildings and monuments,
within the Great Yarmouth District.
Its activities include lectures in the Northgate Room, Central Library, Tolhouse Street, Great Yarmouth, at
7.30pm, on the third Friday of each month, from January to May and from September to December. The
lectures are on local, national, historical and archaeological topics.
At least two excursions are organised each summer, including a coach outing to a place of interest in East
Anglia, and an evening visit to a village or a site.
The Society’s journal is a compilation of articles, written mostly by local people, on local historical and
archaeological topics, which is published each autumn.
The Society produces a quarterly newsletter, giving news of latest events, which is sent out to members, by
email or by post.
The Society also erects blue plaques around the district to commemorate buildings, people and events of
local interest.
4
Great Yarmouth Local History

and Archaeological Society Committee 2011/12
President
Andrew Fakes
Chairman
Paul P. Davies
Vice Chairman and Secretary
Margaret Gooch
Committee Members
Derek Leak
Carl Boult
Leslie Cole
Ann Dunning
Norman Fryer
Shirley Harris
Alan Hunt
Peter Jones
James Steward
John Smail
Patricia Wills-Jones
5
CONTENTS
Preface ….. 7
The gravestones, which were saved in 1957 and which remain in St. Nicholas’ Church ….. 13
North Chancel Side Aisle ….. 17
North Transept ….. 18
North Aisle ….. 19
Plans of the sites of the legible gravestones existing in 1957….. 22
North Aisle continued ….. 30
Nave ….. 46
Under the tower ….. 47
South Aisle ….. 47
South Chancel Aisle ….. 48
Bibliography ….. 50
Index ….. 51
6
Plan of legible gravestones in 1957

7
Preface
On the night of 25th June 1942, during the Second World War,
St. Nicholas’ Church, Great Yarmouth was hit by many
incendiary bombs, which were dropped from a German
Dornier bomber. An intense inferno followed, which destroyed
the interior of the church. Only the walls and the tower were
left standing. After a period of 15 years the church was
restored to a plan devised by the architect, Stephen Dykes
Bower. Work commenced in 1957 and was completed in 1961.
On 8th May 1961, on the church festival known as: the Eve of
the Translation of the Body of St. Nicholas to Bari in Italy, the
church was re-consecrated.
Before the destruction of the church in the Second World War

the church floor was largely filled with gravestones.
In 1957, a plan of the surviving legible gravestones in the

church floor was made before they were removed. Only a few
were salvageable and these were placed in the north aisle and
in the south transept. The rest were beyond repair and were
discarded. The many vaults that they covered were filled in
with concrete and a new floor of 5,400 paving slabs was laid.
It is not recorded how the bones of the deceased were dealt
with. Presumably they were collected and reburied, with
suitable ceremony, in the churchyard.
Looking towards the sanctuary of St. Nicholas’ Church
In July 1957, the Vicar of St. Nicholas’ Church, the Rev’d. from the north chancel aisle with gravestones in the
Gilbert Thurlow, wrote: the whole of the flooring, including foreground - 1866
practically all the slate and other tombstones, was completely
ruined by the fire and it is proving impracticable to re-use all,
but a very few of the old stones. A careful record is being kept of the names and dates of all the stones which can be
read. In August of the same year, he wrote: the work of
carefully saving as many as possible of the old floor tomb
slabs, and the careful recording of many, which were too
shattered by fire and frost to be saved, continues. Dare we
prophesy how long this floor will remain undisturbed? It
may be that with the spread of cremation, there may be an
increase in the custom of laying memorial slabs in church
floors. Possibly by this means the floor of Great Yarmouth
Church may become in the future, as interesting a history
book, as it was before 1942.
The plan of 134 legible gravestones, which was made in

1957, was discovered lying on top of a cupboard in St.
Nicholas’ Church in 2009. When the post-war photographs
of the interior of St. Nicholas’ Church are studied, it is
surprising that any of the gravestones on the floor were
capable of being interpreted. It was considered worthwhile
to document these in this book in a more meaningful way
for future generations. The plan did not included the
standing or the wall monuments, of which there were many
and they were presumably totally destroyed.
Many gravestones of the great and good of Great Yarmouth

were lost forever. However the town is fortunate that
Dawson Turner FRS documented these in 1848 in the book
Sepulchral Reminiscences of a Market Town as afforded by
the List of Internments within the Walls of the Parish
Church of St. Nicholas, Great Yarmouth collected chiefly
from Monuments and Gravestones still remaining in June
1845. His task was huge, so the full epitaphs were not
recorded. He commented: half a loaf is better than no loaf.
The chancel of St. Nicholas’ Church
showing gravestones in the centre - c1890
8
Turner was not the only collator of gravestones,

for in 1772, Henry Swindon had noted a few
gravestones and monuments in the church in his
book The History and Antiquities of the Ancient
Burgh of Great Yarmouth. These were copied in
1805 by Francis Blomefield in his Essay
towards a Topographical History of Norfolk.
Also, in 1893 the Rev’d. Edmund Farrer wrote
the book the Church Heraldry of Norfolk, which
included the parish church in Great Yarmouth.
This volume contains a few gravestones which,
had heraldic symbols on them.
In the preface to his book, Dawson Turner

wrote: for those who sleep in St. Nicholas’
Church, they were heroes of a family, if not of a
town, if not of a nation; of Yarmouth, if not of
England; of a quinquennium, if not a century.
Gravestones are of a permanent value beyond
their local interest. Man has not dealt with them
well. Many in St. Nicholas’ Church have been The north aisle of St. Nicholas’ Church
turned upside down to save the expense of new showing the many gravestones on the floor - c1880
ones. Many have crumbled with age or their
epitaphs have been worn away by feet and furniture. Gravestones, which had been torn from the interior of the
church were used to make a pathway from the churchyard gate to the south transept. Epitaphs should be respected;
for in them love is shown to the deceased, memory is continued to posterity, friends are comforted and the reader is
put in mind of human frailty.
Dawson Turner was correct when he wrote that the gravestones had not been treated with respect, for John Weever
commented, on his visit to Great Yarmouth, in 1631 that all the funeral monuments in St. Nicholas’ Church were
utterly defaced; neither inscription nor epitaph now remaining.
In 1551, all the brasses on the gravestones, which were numerous, were pulled off and sent to London to be turned
into weights for the town’s use. In 1646, a stone mason was employed to deface all the gravestones, which had a
cross on them. In 1308, a charnel-house was completed in the south-west part of the churchyard. This was used to
house bones unearthed or bones removed from graves to make room for new burials. Belief at the time deemed that
the thigh bone and the skull were necessary for resurrection. The charnel-house was destroyed at the Reformation
and by 1588 all that remained of it was the foundations.
Great Yarmouth in previous centuries was the residence of men of note. During and after the Commonwealth period
the names of the principal families of the town were: Gooch, England, Bendish, Carter, Burton, Brinsley, Fuller,
Hardware, Johnson, Medowe, Owner, Bridge, Brinsley and Ferrier. Many of them were buried in the church or were
commemorated on monuments there.
In 1840 there were over 500

memorial monuments, tablets and
stones within the church. The
earliest was a stone commemorating
John Coulldham, dated 1620.
We know from The Perlustration of

Great Yarmouth by C. J. Palmer
(1875) the names of some of the
people who were buried in the
church, who had led interesting lives.
The chancel was considered the most
exclusive part of the church to be
buried. The large floor area
available in St. Nicholas’ Church
was nearly completely filled with
graves. The north aisle was
considered a place of sepulchre and
The nave of St. Nicholas’ Church
showing gravestones n the central aisle - 1934
contained very many gravestones.
9
The numerous guild side chapels also contained

the graves of their members. The earliest graves
that we know of were of Richard Fastolfe, who
wished to be buried in St. Katherine’s Guild
Chapel in 1356, Stephen de Stalham, who was
buried in the church in 1362, William Fenn, who
was buried in St. Olave’s Guild Chapel, which
was in the north aisle and John Barton, who was
buried in St. Clare’s Guild Chapel. None of
these graves remained in Palmer’s time. The
earliest gravestone that Palmer noted was that of
Hall Thorne Brunhole in the chancel, the son of
the Bishop of Skalholt in Iceland, who died in
1666 aged 24 years.
Palmer also noted the following gravestones,

Battle of Sole Bay
which were undecipherable in 1957:
1. Thomas Manthorpe, an alderman,

twice Bailiff of Great Yarmouth and
Elder of the church, who died in 1650
and was buried in the chancel. The
chancel and side chancel aisles of St.
Nicholas’ Church was used by the
Puritans during the Commonwealth
period.
2. Captain Francis Courtenay RN in the

south chancel aisle, who was fatally
wounded at the Battle of Sole Bay in
1673. The stone showed the family
crest. He was the third son of Francis
Courtenay of Powderham Castle.
Courtenay was in command of HMS
Dunkirk of 48 guns at the battle.
Clearing the floor of St. Nicholas’ Church after the Second World War
3. Captain George Young of the

Marines, who died on board HMS
Veteran of 64 guns in 1799.
4. Captain Thomas Peyton RN, who

died on board HMS Monarch and, as
his gravestone stated, when in the
service and defence of his country.
He was buried with naval honours in
1801, aged 61 years.
5. Captain Thomas Middleton, who

died in Yarmouth Roads on HMS
Comet in 1797, aged 41 years.
6. Captain John Little RN, who died

shortly after being landed from the
Ranger in 1801, aged 34 years.
7. Captain Deane of the packet,

Diana, who died in 1801, aged 61
years.
St. Nicholas’ Church after the Second World War
showing the damaged walls and floor.
10
8. Captain Robert Abbon Marsh,

commander of the General Stuart, an
East Indiaman, who died in 1803, aged
46 years.
9. Major Downes, of the St. James’

Volunteers, who died on board a vessel
in Yarmouth Roads in 1819, aged 39
years.
10. Charles Philpott, who died on

board HMS Florida in Yarmouth
Roads in 1819. He died while bathing
after strenuous exercise.
11. Mr. Brock, buried in the south

chancel aisle, Minister of the Dutch
Chapel, who died in 1649.
12. William Bowgin, who was buried The Jetty by John Butcher © Norfolk Museum Service
where he fell from the ceiling, when he
was playing in the rafters during divine service in 1776, aged 16 years.
13. John Butcher, who died in 1803, aged 67 years. A man of inoffensive manners, states his obituary. He was a self-
taught artist and was called the Great Yarmouth Canaletto. His three principal works of Great Yarmouth were: the
Quay, the Market Place and the Jetty.
14. John Boutell, who died in Great Yarmouth in 1856, aged 78 years. For 35 years he was the Cambridge
University Librarian.
15. John Fryer, who died in 1859, aged 73 years. He had been a Bailiff of the Bedford Level Corporation and had
served as the High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire.
16. William Pixley, who died at his lodgings in Great Yarmouth in 1869, aged 82 years. He was one of the Elder
Brethren of Trinity House. He visited the town every year and in his later years he was blind.
There were many hatchments of local families dispersed around the church. Many were in a dilapidated state and
some of them were restored in 1848 and placed in the chancel. Hatchments are usually diamond shaped. They
originated in the Low Countries and first made an appearance in England in the early 17th century. It was customary
for the hatchment to be hung outside a deceased person’s residence during the period of mourning. Afterwards they
were placed in the parish church. The
hatchment contained the coat of arms of the
deceased person. They were heavily painted
to withstand the weather. Silver and gold on
the arms were depicted in white and yellow on
the hatchment. The left side, from the
observer’s point of view, depicts the male and
the right side, the female. On the hatchment
the background is always black on the side of
the deceased person. There are about 230
hatchments remaining in Norfolk churches.
Some incumbents considered hatchments to be
exhibitions of family pride and tried to remove
them.
The custom of hanging hatchments in

churches succeeded the ancient custom of
hanging up the armour of great men as
offerings made to God by whose assistance
they had obtained their honours. A few
helmets survive, as can be seen in
Framlingham Church, but many were removed
and sold as old iron.
Clearing the floor of St. Nicholas’ Church after the Second World War
11
The three surviving hatchments in St. Nicholas’ Church today are those of: Admiral Sir George Parker (1764-1847),
his second wife, Arabella (died 1850), which were removed from the south transept of St. Peter’s Church, Great
Yarmouth and Samuel Lovick Cooper (died 1817), which was removed from St. George’s Church, Great Yarmouth.
The George Parker hatchment
The Cooper hatchment

12
List of hatchments in St. Nicholas’ Church in 1893

13
The gravestones,
which were saved
in 1957 and which
remain in
St. Nicholas’ Church
Right:
The surviving
gravestone of
Partridge and Nichols
Grave 33
Now in the north aisle
Left:
The surviving
gravestone
of Partridge
Grave 30
Right:
The surviving
gravestone of Burton
Grave 31
Left:
The surviving gravestone
of Love
Grave 48
now in the north aisle
Right:
Coat of arms on
James Symonds grave
Grave 99
14
The surviving gravestone of Errington and Partridge

Grave 40
The surviving gravestone of Fowle
Grave 57
Fowle coat of arms

Grave 57
The surviving gravestone of Preston/Hay Now in the north aisle
Grave 97
15
The surviving gravestone of Brightin/Barnard

Grave 125
Now in the south transept
The surviving gravestone of Porter/Bernard

Grave 112
The surviving gravestone of Artis

The surviving gravestone of Grave 135
J. Walter Now in the north aisle
Grave 28
16
The surviving gravestone of Symonds The surviving gravestone of Symonds

Grave 98 Grave 99
Now in the north aisle Now in the north aisle
The surviving gravestone of Pritchard The surviving gravestone of Whitton

Grave 103 Grave 104
Now in the south transept Now in the north aisle
underneath the toilets
17
North Chancel Side Aisle (Plan page 22)
1. Moore, John, died 4th December 1722.

Moore, Ann, died 8th November 1813, aged 65 years.
2. Tolver, Samuel, died 15th January 1746, aged 73 years.

Tolver, Samuel, died 17th October 1772, aged 65 years.
Tolver, Mary, died 22nd May 1752 aged, 37 years.
Samuel Tolver was a descendent of Samuel Tolver, the Town Clerk of Great Yarmouth. There were several
gravestones to this family. Mary Tolver (nee Thirkettle) was Samuel Tolver’s (died 1746) first wife. His second
wife, Martha Dalling, died in 1745 aged 62 years. See grave 44.
3. Moore, Rebecca, died 1830, aged 80 years.
4. Payne, wife of Captain Thomas, died 1701, aged 77 years.
Not documented in Sepulchral Reminiscences by Dawson Turner.
5. Fuller, Samuel.
Probably Samuel Fuller, who died in 1721 aged 74 years. He was a Bailiff of Great Yarmouth in 1679 and 1698.
He was elected to Parliament in 1688, 1690, 1695 and 1700. The Fuller family had a handsome large memorial
on the north wall of the chancel. It was said to be deficient in mentioning their ages and their dates of death.
6. Costerton, Harriet, died 25th March 1836, aged 40 years, wife of Charles.
Charles Costerton was the Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1825. His first wife, Harriet Wenn, died in 1836 aged 40
years. He then married Susannah, the widow of Captain Harmer RN. Captain Harmer had died of fever at the
age of 48 years in 1843 at Chusan in China, whilst in command of HMS Driver, a first class sloop.
7. Ferrier, Edward, died 1759.

Ferrier, Maud, died 12th April 1770, aged 72 years.
8. Ward, James, died 10th October 1715.
9. Thompson, George, died 8th November 1819, aged 78 years.
George Thompson was Comptroller of Customs at Great Yarmouth. He retired from this post in 1815. He was
the Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1791, when he lived in a house on Church Plain. On receiving important news
from India, George Thompson held a feast at the Town Hall and gave the militia two barrels of beer for firing a
feu de joie. His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1803 aged 54 years. George, their son, married Mary the daughter of
Samuel Tolver. He died in 1795 aged 23 years. Another son, Charles, who died in 1807 aged 37 years,
commanded a post office packet from Harwich to Hamburg.
10. Fauld, Mary Jane, died 12th February 1729, aged 65 years.
11. Le Grys, Charles, died 29th June 1764, a merchant.
According to the Norfolk Chronicle, Charles le Grys was a considerable corn merchant. The le Grys family came
from Langley, Norfolk. An ancestor, Sir Robert le Grys, was equerry to Richard I.
12. Cooper, John, died 16th November 1710, aged 60 years.

Cooper, Thomas, died 1725, his brother.
John Cooper’s father died in 1684 aged 63 years. He was a Bailiff of Great Yarmouth in 1657, the year that the
Greyfriars’ Monastery was sold and the New Broad Row was built on a portion of its site. He lived in a large
house on the Quay, which had been demolished in Dawson Turner’s era.
18
13. Dickson, Rear Admiral Sir Archibald, died 1803, aged 64 years.
Dickson, Lady Elizabeth, his wife died 9th November 1799, aged 53 years.
Admiral Dickson died in 1803 aged 64 years and was the Commander in Chief of the North Sea Fleet after the
resignation of Lord Duncan. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in 1759 and was promoted to the rank of
Captain in 1774 and commanded in turn: HMS Antelope, HMS Greyhound, HMS Goliath, HMS Captain and HMS
Egmont. He was given the Freedom of the Borough of Great Yarmouth, as he had sailed from Yarmouth Roads in
command of the Baltic Fleet, to give protection to British trade.
Admiral Dickson married Elizabeth Porter. They had one child, Elizabeth, who married, firstly, her cousin, Captain
William Dickson of the 22nd Foot, who died in St. Domingo in 1792, and secondly, Admiral John Child Purvis of
Hampshire. Soon after the death of Lady Elizabeth, Admiral Dickson married Frances Anne, the daughter of the
Rev’d. Williams of Norwich. There was no issue from his second marriage and when he died he was buried
alongside his first wife.
Admiral Dickson became Port Admiral of Great Yarmouth and, as he died without male issue, his estate at
Hardingham in Norfolk passed to his nephew.
14. Payne, Thomas, died 1739, aged 61 years.
15. Ward, Mary, died, 1666.
Mary Ward was the wife of George Ward. George Ward was a Bailiff of Great Yarmouth in 1671 (when Charles II
visited the town), 1683 and 1688. He was a wealthy man and lived on the Quay. The house was later lived in by
Mortlock Lacon.
North Transept (Plan page 23)
16. Ducker, Mary, died 1799, aged 64 years. Wife of John Ducker RN.
Sherring, John, died 1798, aged 35 years.
17. Robinson, Maria, died, aged 37 years.
18. Costerton, H.
Costerton, Ann.
19. Bartram, Mary, died 29th July 1800, aged 71 years.

Robinson, Anne, died 15th August 1720, aged 79 years.
20. Armar, Mary, died 18th September 1712, aged 59 years.
21. Steadman, Dorothea.
Dawson Turner in Sepulchral Reminiscences states that the stone read: Captain Thomas Steadman, who died in
1721, aged 39 years. With him lie Dorothea, Robert, Christopher and Sarah, children by his wife, Eliza, who all died
as infants. Captain Steadman was an Alderman and with him the family line appears to have died out. On one
occasion Captain Steadman was about to travel from Great Yarmouth to London, when he was requested by Great
Yarmouth Corporation to buy a hogshead of the best French claret and to give it to the Earl of Yarmouth, as a
present. His predecessors were shipbuilders in the town.
Also named on the stone was Captain Robert Scroutton, who died in 1715, aged 56 years.
22. Illegible.
19
23. Spillman, George, junior died 11th April 1717, aged 64 years.
Spillman, Esther, died 25th August 1697, aged 38 years.
Spillman, Rachel, died 24th August 1697, aged 14 years.
Spillman, Esther, died 25th August 1697, aged 3 years.
Spillman, George, died 1745, aged 58 years.
George Spillman junior was an Alderman and was once a Bailiff of Great Yarmouth. Named on the gravestone are
Esther, his wife, and two of their children. They all died within a day of each other, presumably from an infectious
disease. He was the son of George Spillman Senior, who died in 1668, aged 67 years.
24. Spillman, George, died 25th July 1692, aged 43 years.

Thompson, Susan, died 7th September 1714, aged 39 years.
Spillman, Judith, died 30th May 1704.
Spillman, William, died 5th January 1722, aged 86 years.
Spillman, Judith, died 1715, aged 75 years.
George Spillman Senior signed a petition, when he was a Bailiff, in 1651, to the Committee of the Navy requesting
that taxes from coal to be given for the relief of the poor in Great Yarmouth. In 1658 he wrote an address promising
to support the government of Richard Cromwell and lamenting the death of the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. He
is mentioned in the Charter granted to Great Yarmouth by Charles II. George Spillman Senior was an Alderman and
married Elling, the daughter of Nicholas Cutting, by whom he had eleven sons and three daughters. Elling died the
same year as her husband. Judith Spillman (died 1715) was the wife of William Spillman.
25. Spillman, Susanna, died 7th September 1714, aged 65 years.

Spillman, Benjamin, died 20th February 1719, aged 75 years.
Pepys, Elizabeth, died 3rd February 1715, aged 90 years.
Spillman, Samuel, died 3rd August 1739, aged 47 years.
Susanna Spillman was the second wife of Benjamin.
North Aisle (Plan page 24)

]
26. Harrison, John, husband died 6th June 1785, aged 72 years.
Harrison, Susanna, wife died 10th November 1794, aged 78 years.
Harrison, Elizabeth, daughter died 11th January 1824, aged 73 years.
It was thought that the Harrison family were descended from a foreign family, called Hess.
Names found in the vault on a coffin plaque.
Borrett, Eliza, died 25th October 1844, aged 69 years.

Barrett, Giles, died 18th August 1842, aged 70 years.
Giles Borrett was the son of a clergyman and was born at Worlingworth Rectory in 1772. His father had inherited an
estate at Wilby, Suffolk on the death of his uncle, who at one time had filled the office of a Master in Chancery.
When he was ten years old Giles Borrett’s father died. He was then brought up under the guardianship of Dixon
Gamble of Bungay in Suffolk, who had introduced smallpox inoculation into that town. Gamble’s son became
chaplain to the Duke of York, whom he attended in many campaigns and he also assisted in the introduction of the
telegraph into England.
Determined to enter the medical profession, Giles Borrett was apprenticed at the age of 15 years to Francis Turner,
a surgeon of St. George’s Plain, Great Yarmouth, at a premium of £63. He remained with him for five years, until he
moved to London to complete his professional education. When Turner became ill in 1792, Giles Borrett was asked
to return to Great Yarmouth to take over Turner’s practice. Instead of using Turner’s house and surgery he moved
into a house nearby at 141 King Street, from where he practised. The Doctor’s House or 141 King Street was, as the
name implies, a doctor’s residence for over 150 years.
His posts after qualification were at the Norwich Dispensary, as a physician, and at the Lying in Charity Hospital, as
an accoucheur. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, Edinburgh. He gained his doctorate of medicine
from Edinburgh in 1830. He soon acquired an extensive and lucrative practice in Great Yarmouth.
He published “Observations on Herniae” and wrote on other subjects, such as rabies. When Astley Cooper wrote to
Borrett in 1833 for his results and experience in treating head injury he replied, that “weary limbs and an exhausted
mind have left me little time to make notes of the many interesting cases occurring in my very extensive practice”.
20
He published “Observations on Herniae” and wrote on other subjects, such as rabies. When Astley Cooper wrote to
Borrett in 1833 for his results and experience in treating head injury he replied, that “weary limbs and an exhausted
mind have left me little time to make notes of the many interesting cases occurring in my very extensive practice”.
Borrett was one of four surgeons appointed to the newly established Great Yarmouth Hospital in 1838, when it was
known as the Dispensary. In 1839, he complained that the new hospital, being built near St. George’s Church,
would obstruct the view from his drawing-room windows.
Borrett also wrote several papers, which were mainly published in either the Medical Gazette or the Medical Times:
“Rare Cases of Gallstone with Post-mortem Examinations and Observations - 1833/4

The Necessity of Educating Midwives
Papers on Vectis, Flooding and Difficult and Complicated Midwifery Cases -1840
On Uterine Haemorrhage after Birth of Child and Cases of Midwifery - 1841
Present State and Prospects of the Profession
New Incorporation of Provincial Surgery
Duty of Coroners and the Necessity of Establishing a Court of Honour
Scotch Diplomas
Cholera and its Treatment by Salines and Acids
Puerperal Convulsions and its Treatment by Chloroform”.
In 1842, Borrett was thrown out of a chaise, after visiting a patient, and died aged 70 years. The shock had been
severe, his right hip and breast upon which he fell, were seriously injured. He returned to his practice too quickly
and two weeks after the accident his left leg and foot were “seized” with inflammation terminating in gangrene. After
a painful and unavailing struggle of eight weeks, his valuable life came to an end. Earlier in 1842, the Governors of
the Hospital had thanked Giles Borrett for the very handsome manner in which he had lent his medical services to
the institution. However, the Governors could not refrain from expressing their sympathy and their deep and
unfeigned regret at his present painful and severe indisposition. His services to the hospital had been valuable and
had been handsomely and promptly rendered.
Borrett’s wife died in 1844 at the age of 69 years.
Borrett’s obituary in the Gentleman’s Magazine stated that: “long continued and extensive practice had gained him
much experience. Experience backed by a strong sense, great observation, a remarkable memory for medical facts
and an intimate acquaintance with the leading publications, which had necessarily engendered knowledge. This
knowledge gave him confidence in himself, which he inspired in others. His practice was characterised by a
clearness of views, promptitude of decision and a firmness of action. His profession was a great source of happiness
to him. The death of such a man is a truly public loss. He was an accoucheur equalled by few. He had obtained a
well-merited celebrity and by the suavity of his manners and the goodness of his heart he won himself general
esteem”.
Borrett educated the following apprentices: Francis Turner junior, Charles Seaman for four years at a premium of
£50, Clark Abel for five years at a premium of £126 and Robert Gooch for six years at a premium of £90. Seaman
and Abel practised in Great Yarmouth after their apprenticeships.
In 1797, Giles Borrett married Eliza Dade, the daughter of Sarah Turner. Sarah Turner was the sister of Borrett’s
master, Francis Turner. They had six sons and one daughter. A monument, written in Latin, was erected after
Borrett’s death on the south wall of the south aisle of St. Nicholas’ Church.
27. Wilson, Sarah, died 23rd November 1743, aged 51 years.

Waggett, Mary, died November 1702.
Sarah Wilson was the daughter of the Rev’d. John Wilson, Rector of Aston, Northamptonshire. Mary Waggett was
her daughter.
21
By the west wall lies buried Giles Borrett

who practised the art of medicine in this town for nearly 50 years
He was never failing in his duty either to himself

or to the afflicted to whom he gave his care
He was an upright and straightforward gentleman
indulgent to his family as a father and husband
and as a citizen, tenacious of what was right and just
He performed all the duties of life so strenuously

prudently and honestly that all could have
regard both to his authority and to his good faith
He behaved both to his equals and to those below him

so as to deserve well of them
so that no one could not be pleased with that
outstanding conjunction of his knowledge
confirmed by daily experience with his benevolence
and his learned studies
He combined his conversation and his manners

with such freedom that he could
appear constant to himself and endued
with a certain loftiness of spirit
to the united praise of good people
and he did not seek the favour of anyone
by flattery or adulation
In short, he left to his children the honourable name

which he had inherited from
his ancestors who sprang from Stradbroke in the land of Suffolk
commended by its integrity
and then the great desire of its worth and valour
He departed from each one who had known him

either as a physician or as a friend
on the 18th day of August 1842
at the age of 70 years
His wife, Eliza, departed this life

having lived a holy and sincere life in piety and innocence
and died on the 25th day of October 1844 aged 69 years
In loving memory of such parents

their children grieving with all their souls
have set up this tablet
hoping that when the time comes for their death
they will have the same faith as theirs in Christ.
Giles Borrett’s memorial

Grave 26
22
Plan of the Sites of the Gravestones, which were Documented in 1957
North Chancel Side Aisle

23
North Transept
24
Grave slabs
in the
North Aisle
25
North aisle
The Nave and the tower area

26
The Nave and the

Tower
Area
27
The South Aisle
South
28
South aisle
Gravestones at the west end of the north aisle

29
South Chancel Aisle

30
Names found in the vault on a coffin plaque in grave 27.
Steward, William, died 19th May 1841, aged 81 years.

Steward, Ann, died 26th November 1843, aged 80 years.
Steward, Henry, died 31st August 1846, aged 47 years.
William Steward was a solicitor and a ship-owner and later became a

brewer.
He was instrumental in establishing the first voluntary hospital in

Queen Street in Great Yarmouth in 1838. This was initially known as
the Royal Hospital, but later became known as the General. He was
active in supporting the welfare of the poor. After his retirement he
played an active part in the running of public institutions.
A note was made of the inscription on his gravestone by his friend,

Dawson Turner: William Steward
Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service ©
In memory of
WILLIAM STEWARD Esq
For many years a magistrate of this county
Who by his uprightness and integrity
Secured the regard and esteem of all classes
Benevolent, liberal and humane
He devoted a long, valuable and active life
In promoting the welfare
Of his humbler neighbours
And he greatly contributed

By his exertions and munificence
To the building of the Royal Hospital in this town
For the reception of the sick and wounded
In the more intimate ties of life

He proved himself an affectionate husband
A kind and endearing parent
An ardent and sincere friend
To commemorate so good and excellent a man

His family has raised this tablet
In the fervent hope of obtaining a joyous resurrection

to eternal life
Through the merits of his Saviour, Jesus Christ.
28. Walter, J, died 1811
Died, aged 50 years.
Picture of the gravestone: page 14.
Name found in the vault on a coffin plaque.
Rev’d. Richard Turner BD
See Grave 91.

31
29. Ridge, — died August 1811, aged 16 years, son.

Ridge,— died 26th September 1822, aged 62 years, father.
The date of death confirms that the gravestone belongs to Thomas Ridge, a surgeon. His son’s Christian name was
Thomas. In 1791, Thomas Ridge was one of nine surgeons in Great Yarmouth. There was one physician, Dr Aikin.
George Bateman, a surgeon of Great Yarmouth, married Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of Thomas Ridge by whom he
had a daughter, who died in Naples in 1850. Thomas Ridge had a house on Hall Quay adjoining Row 68, which was
demolished by Great Yarmouth Corporation to build Regent Street in 1813. Ridge left a wife and daughters. Ridge’s
only son, Thomas, was drowned whilst sea bathing at the age of 16 years.
30. Partridge, Martha, died 24th September 1681.

Partridge, Robert, died 10th July 1694, aged 48 years.
Partridge, Alice, died 24th November 1740, aged 81 years.
Martha was Robert’s first wife and Alice his second. His father, who died in 1679 aged 60 years, was a merchant.
Picture of the grave: page 12.
31. Burton, William, died 29th July1659, aged 22 years.
William Burton was the son of William Burton and husband of Sarah, the eldest daughter of Sir George and Lady
England. Sir George led Great Yarmouth through the Civil War and welcomed Charles II to the town in 1671.
32. Bryne, Elizabeth, daughter died 13th August 1690, aged 9 years.
Garwood, Mary, died 23rd November 1831, aged 64 years.
Mary Garwood was the wife of Thomas Fryer Garwood. He was an ensign to the Loyal Apollonian Volunteers,
which were raised under the authority of George III for the defence of the town. They trained and exercised once a
week for not less than three hours. They supplied their own uniform of a blue infantry jacket, faced with black velvet,
black velvet collar and cuffs and gilt buttons with the arms of Great Yarmouth in a round shield. The uniform was
trimmed with gold lace. The waistcoat of white cloth was single-breasted. The breeches were of the same material.
Added to this were white stockings and half-gaiters of black cloth. A bear-skin with a red and white feather
completed the outfit together with gilt chains and ornaments. It was recommended that the uniform should not be
worn ostentatiously. Thomas Garwood lived at Telegraph House on the sea front. He greatly enlarged it, but it
remained a wooden structure entirely on one floor. Later in the Victorian age the house was demolished and
replaced with a building using white brick.
Telegraph House in 1799 - Grave 32

32
33. Partridge, Elizabeth, died 6th October 1704, aged 51 years.

Nichols, James, died 24th October 1726, aged 4 years.
Nichols, Thomas, died aged 6 months.
Nichols, Captain William, died 4th August 1756, aged 64 years.
Elizabeth Partridge was the first wife of Joseph Partridge, who died in 1725, aged 74 years. James Nichols was the
grandson of Mary and Joseph Partridge and youngest son of William and Susanna Nichols.
34. Nichols, Sarah, died 28th October 1730, aged 6 years, daughter.
35. Nichols, John, died 28th February 1686, aged 35 years.

Nichols, John, his son.
Nichols, Mary, died 7th August 1705, aged 42 years.
Morse, Thomas, died 28th February 1727, aged 63 years.
Thomas Morse’s wife was Mary, who died in 1705 aged 42 years. She was previously married to John Nichols.
36. Jolly, William, died 21st March 1680, aged 63 years, husband.
Jolly, Judith, died 13th March 1744, aged 44 years, wife.
Jolly, Benjamin, died 29th May 1762, aged 61 years.
Benjamin Jolly was a baker at the south-west corner of Row 93. He had helped the poor in times of difficulty by
giving them bread. There was a board hanging in St. George’s Chapel in Great Yarmouth listing his charitable
bequests. In his will he left:
£20 to the Charity School

£5 to every poor man and woman in the workhouse of 60 years of age
£100 to the Fishermen’s Hospital
A further £100 to Charity Schools
£400 to the Ministers of St. George’s Chapel and the annual income from the sum to be divided between 40 poor
widows of 60 years of age
£100 the yearly income of which to be distributed in coal every December
£100 to be applied by the ministers, as they think appropriate
£200 for binding poor boys to an apprenticeship in handicrafts
Dawson Turner in Sepulchral Reminiscences states that William Cosh was named on the same stone. He died in
1681 aged 63 years. He was a Bailiff of the town in 1679 and a brewer. He also owned several houses in Great
Yarmouth, which he left to his nephews, John Nichols and William Cosh.
37. Browne, Henry, died 24th April 1707, aged 46 years.

Browne, Elizabeth, died 18th May 1720, aged 59 years, his wife.
Browne, Henry, died, 14th April 1755, aged 65 years, their son.
Money, Mary, died 24th June 1755, aged 41 years.
Browne, William, died 22nd July 1769, aged 81 years.
Browne, Elizabeth, died 27th December 1764, aged 71 years, his wife.
Henry Browne was a surgeon.
William Browne was a man of much property and influence in Great Yarmouth. He was the Mayor of the town in
1744 and 1756. He was a rich merchant and a brewer. He was a native of Framlingham, and came to Great
Yarmouth to seek his fortune. He had two daughters: Abigail, who married John Ramey, the Receiver General of
Norfolk. Abigail, John Ramey’s daughter, became the Countess of Home. Brown’s other daughter, Mary, married
William Fisher. He left a son, who died a bachelor. William Browne took an active interest in the politics of the
borough, putting himself in direct opposition to those in power and who were supporters of Walpole and Townshend.
William Browne entered Great Yarmouth Corporation and, in 1744 was elected the Mayor, after the severest
struggle on record. The Corporation were confined for ten days before they could arrive at a verdict, by which time
his opponents, who had formed the majority, were starved into submission. Elated with this success, William
Browne, at the general election of 1754 supported Mr. Fuller, and personally opposed the re-election of the Right
Honourable Charles Townshend and Sir Edward Walpole, the son of the late Prime Minister. In this he was not
successful. William Browne was appointed the Receiver of Taxes for Norfolk. In 1734 William Browne erected a
brewery near Haven Bridge. This later became the Paget Brewery and still later was owned by the brewers, Steward
and Patterson.
33
Mary Money was the wife of Timothy Money. Their son, Cammant, who died in 1772 was the proprietor of Wicken
Well, a lake, which was later incorporated into the Somerleyton Estate.
38. Clarke, John.
Probably, John Clarke of North Shields, who died in 1751, aged 41 years.
39. Partridge, Samuel, died 29th June 1674, aged 16 years.
Son of Robert Partridge, merchant, who died 1679.
40. Partridge, Robert, died 14th March 1679, aged 60 years.

Errington, Benjamin, died 12th December 1730, aged 13 years.
Errington, Benjamin, died 20th August 1748, aged 62 years.
Errington, Elizabeth, died 17th December 1766, aged 79 years.
Benjamin Errington, who died in 1730, was the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Errington.
The Errington family were fish merchants, who lived on the south-east corner of Row 113. Errington and Company
were leading herring boat owners at Great Yarmouth in the late 18th and the early 19th centuries. George Errington
was extensively engaged in the herring fishery and compiled voluminous statistics.
41. Partridge, Susanna, died 5th March 1675, aged 54 years.

Partridge, Joseph, died 16th August 1701, aged 9 years
Partridge, Christopher, died 8th February 1742, aged 54 years.
Susanna was the wife of Robert (Grave 40). Joseph was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Partridge.
42. Crickfield, Thomas, died 12th May 1669, aged 39 years.

Crickfield, Rebecca, died 21st May 1759, aged 60 years.
Probably a misreading, in 1957, of the gravestone. According to Sepulchral Reminiscences by Dawson Turner the
name was Cruchfield. Thomas, who was the husband of Mary.
43. Moore, John, died 3rd October 1765, aged 92 years.

Moore, Hannah, died 10th September 1786, aged 88 years.
Brown, John, died 24th May 1800, aged 68 years.
John Brown was the husband of Elizabeth Brown and the son of Hannah Moore.
According to Sepulchral Reminiscences by Dawson Turner on the stone was also engraved the name of Hannah
Sayer, the wife of John, who died in 1702 aged 32 years.
44. Tolver, Martha, died 4 September 1745, aged 62 years.

Tolver, Samuel, died 15th January 1746, aged 73 years.
Martha Tolver daughter of —— Dalling. Samuel Tolver was born in Diss.
45. Butcher, Sarah, died April 1757, aged 18 years.
Sarah was the daughter of William, who died in 1779, aged 82 years, and Mary Butcher, who died in 1769, aged 67
years. William Butcher was the Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1753. Sepulchral Reminiscences by Dawson Turner
states the year of death of Sarah as 1745.
46. le Grice, Ann.
Probably the gravestone of Charles le Grice (Grys), a merchant and Ann, his wife. Charles died in 1764 at the age
of 64 years and Ann died in 1754 at the age of 49 years.
47. Langley, Martha, died 28th October 1711.
The wife of John Langley.

34
48. Love, Rev’d. Samuel, died 24th August 1793, aged 44 years.
Love was a Fellow of all Souls College, Oxford. From 1778-82 he was the incumbent of Pennard.
49. Brackler, Mary, died 3rd October 1793, aged 57 years.

Brackler Mary, died October 1790, aged 33 years.
50. Brackler, Mary, died 18th March 1709, aged 3 months.

Brackler, Mary Ann, died 1779.
Brackler, Robert.
51. Horsley, Thomas, died 27th March 1749, aged 78 years.

Horsley, Martha.
Horsley, Samuel, died 23rd March 1749, aged 53 years, son.
Thomas Horsley was a wealthy ship-owner and ship-builder and was the
Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1738. It was said that he built a new ship for
himself every year. His yards and docks were on North Quay.
He died in 1749 aged 78 years and his estate was valued at £40,000. His
wife was Martha. His only son, Samuel, died four days before his father
and the family line died out. His hatchment was hung in St. Nicholas’
Church.
52. Felstead, Hester, died 5th October 1744, aged 78 years.
According to Sepulchral Reminiscences by Dawson Turner, also on the

gravestone were Katherine Felstead, who died in 1664 aged 36 years. She
was the wife of Thomas Felstead and the daughter of Robert Davey.
Thomas, their son, died in 1663. Horsley coat of arms
Grave 51
53. Costerton, Frances, died 1836, aged 3 years.
Costerton, John Fisher, died 2nd May 1835, aged 3 months.
Costerton, Maria, died 2nd May 1835, aged 3 months.
Children of John Fisher and Maria Costerton.
Spilling, Elling Maria, died 1840 aged 11 years.
54. Stoker, Ann, died 2nd April 1798, aged 23 years.
Daughter of John and Ann Stoker.
55. Stoker, John Barber, died 3rd August aged 28 years.
Ann Stoker’s brother.
56. Goodwin, John, died 20 February 1763 aged 70 years.

Goodwin, Dinah, died 16th November 1764 aged 74 years.
57. Fowle, Elizabeth, died 17th October 1742.
A misread by the 1957 compiler. The gravestone is documented in Sepulchral Reminiscences by Dawson Turner as
Elizabeth Fuller, wife of Samuel Fuller daughter of John and Sarah Fowle.

35
58. Thaxter, Edmund, died 16th May 1690, aged 62 years.

Thaxter, Sarah, died 13th May 1696, aged 57 years.
Sarah, was the wife of Edmund and the daughter of Dame Sarah
England and was previously married to John Fowle, a barrister of
Norwich. She was previously married to William Burton.
Edmund Thaxter was a Great Yarmouth Bailiff in 1675. Edmund

Thaxter owned some houses in Great Yarmouth.
Their granddaughter, Mary, was buried in the north side of the

churchyard. She had an interesting gravestone, which is no longer
visible. Mary’s father, Thomas Osborne, disapproved of the marriage
of his daughter and arranged a press gang to seize the bridegroom,
George Ward, on his wedding day. Ward was sent off to sea as the
wedding party left the marriage service at St. Nicholas’ Church. It was
said that Mary never saw her husband again. He was killed in action
on a man-of-war soon afterwards. Mary’s gravestone was engraved
with the words “In memory of Mary the daughter of that cruel father
Thomas Osborne …”. The date of the marriage was approximately
1700. Instead of dying in despair, as she ought to have done by all the
rules of romance, she consoled herself by marrying successively two
husbands. The stone was situated due north of the north transept door
of St. Nicholas’ Church and 22 feet south of the old town wall.
59. Upsher, John, died 30th October 1769.

Master, Peter.
Master, Jacob.
Master, Jacob, died 19th October 1779, aged 27 years.
Master, Elizabeth, died 18th June 1792, aged 54 years.
John Upsher was the son of Thomas and E. Upsher of London and who died aged 3 years. Elizabeth Master was the
wife of Jacob Master. Jacob their son died in 1799. Peter and Jacob died as infants.
60. Hodgkinson, Sarah Master, died 5th May 1827, aged 33 years.
Hodgkinson, Randall, died 31st December 1830, aged 82 years.
Hodgkinson, Hannah, died 15th January 1843, aged 84 years.
Randall Hodgkinson, for many years, was a member of the Great Yarmouth Corporation.
61. Master Sarah, died 20th October 1772, aged 67 years.

Master, John, died 25th July 1786, aged 70 years.
Master, Anna, died 6th October 1797, aged 82 years.
Sarah Master was the eldest daughter of John and Sarah Master. Anna was the wife of John Master.
62. Cutting, Joseph, died 14th September 1704, aged 56 years.

Cutting, Sarah, died 14th May 1713, aged 71 years.
Holdrich, Sarah, died 6th February 1767, aged 90 years.
Master, Sarah, died 19th May 1805, aged 53 years.
Sarah Master was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Cutting.

63. Hurst, Mary, died 23rd November 1801, aged 52 years.
Mary was the wife of Thomas Hurst.
64. HSE
An inscription in Latin.
65. Fisher, Mary, died 24th December 1770, aged 12 years.

Fisher, John, died 29th November 1775, aged 56 years.
Fisher, Emily, died 25th June 1797, aged 11 years.
Fisher, Sophia, died 6th September 1807, aged 57 years.
Fisher, Ann, died 6th April 1808, aged 86 years.
36
Fisher, Elizabeth, died 3rd April 1798, aged 23 years.
Ann Fisher was the wife of John and the daughter of William and Ann Browne. Sophia and Mary were Ann and John
Fisher’s daughters and Emily was their granddaughter. Dawson Turner in Sepulchral Reminiscences has the last
entry on the stone as Elizabeth Fisher died 1815 aged 71 years, a spinster.
66. Fisher, Martha.

Fisher, John, died 17th March 1835, aged 83 years.
Fisher, Charles Richard, died 5th November 1825, aged 19 days.
Martha Fisher, who died in 1816 at the age of 70 years, was the wife of
John and the daughter of John Goate of Sheringham. Charles Richard
Fisher was the grandson of John and Martha Fisher and the son of John
Goate Fisher and Charlotte his wife, who was the daughter of the Rev’d.
Richard Turner. When aged 70 years, John Fisher fell into the River Yare
opposite his house on the Quay and was rescued unharmed. He was the
Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1767.
John Fisher left three sons:

John Goate Fisher, who was the Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1829
Rev’d. Charles Fisher, who died in 1839
Rear Admiral Fisher, who commanded HMS Asia of 84 guns in the Syrian
Expedition of 1840 and who died in 1852.
The Fisher family provided seven Mayors of Great Yarmouth. In the 18th Stern of HMS Asia
century the Fisher family became wealthy and influential in the town. John
Fisher (died 1775) obtained the Mayoralty in 1767 after a long struggle.
The appointing committee met for three days and nights before they came to an agreement. After the Second World
War reconstruction of the church a memorial was placed on the wall of the Lady Chapel to their memory .
The Fisher Memorial in St. Nicholas’ Church

37
67. Felstead, Beatrice, died 16th May 1659, aged 31 years.

Felstead, Elizabeth, died 28th May 1682.
Felstead, Thomas, died 27th January 1705, aged 81 years.
Beatrice Felstead was the wife of Thomas Felstead and the daughter of John Knapp. Elizabeth Felstead was
Thomas’ second wife.
68. England, Prisca, died 17th October 1703.

England, Thomas, died 11th September 1693, aged 48 years.
England, Ann, died 1682, aged 32 years.
AND eight of their children (five sons and three daughters).
Prisca England (nee Ferrier) was the wife of Benjamin England, the third son of Thomas and Ann England.
Benjamin England represented Great Yarmouth in Parliament in 1702 and 1705. He died in 1711. He was also a
Bailiff of Great Yarmouth in 1676, 1688 and 1697. He was the Mayor in 1703. His name was probably on the same
gravestone, but had been lost following the war-time damage in 1942. His epitaph read: “his generous temper was
known to most and would be exceeded by few”.
Ann England was the daughter of Thomas Bulwer of Buxton, a gentleman.
Guthrie, Barbara, died 21st August 1834.
69. M. C. H. died 30th December 1810, aged 8½ years.
70/71. E. N. died 1781.
From Sepulchral Reminiscences by Dawson Turner, E. N. is

Elizabeth Norfor, the wife of William Norfor. She died at the age of
25 years. Her husband was a ropemaker. They were the parents of
Martha, an accomplished artist and musician, who married Thomas
Gent, the author of a volume of poems, who lived in Great Yarmouth
for many years until he moved to London, where he wrote for various
newspapers and periodicals. In London he had an office in Regent
Street and it was said of him that he dined with any man, on any day
and on any joint of meat. Also buried in the grave were John Norfor,
Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1765, who died in 1779, aged 63 years
and Dinah Norfor, his wife, who died in 1781, aged 67 years. They
left three sons; including John, who was a Captain in the 1st
Regiment of Europeans serving in India, who in 1783 died from
injuries, when the railing around his veranda in Calcutta gave way,
and he fell to the ground. For many years the Norfor family lived at
122 King Street.
72. England, Ann, died 26th April 1682, aged 32 years.

England, Thomas, died 11th September 1693, aged 48 years.
AND eight children.
Thomas England was the second son of Sir George England. Ann
England was the daughter of Thomas Bulwer of Buxton. Their eight Thomas Gent
children were five sons and three daughters.
The England family in Great Yarmouth probably dates back to

William England, a pulley-maker, who married Martha Lucas in 1611. He died in 1635, leaving four sons. William,
the eldest, died at sea in 1689. George, the second son, who on the outbreak of the Civil War sided with Parliament,
gave £24 in plate to the defence of Great Yarmouth and kept a store of gunpowder in his home. In 1657, George
England was selected a Bailiff of the town. Oliver Cromwell died before England’s year of office expired and
England backed Oliver’s son, Richard, to be his successor. After Richard Cromwell’s failure to unite the country,
George England promoted the Restoration of the Monarchy and, he is named in the Charter of Charles II, which was
granted to Great Yarmouth.
38
In 1667, he was again chosen as a Bailiff and in 1671 he was

elected the chairman of the committee to make arrangements
for the second visit of Charles II to Great Yarmouth. As the
King was pleased with the visit, George England was knighted
along with Robert Baldock, the Recorder of the town and
James Johnson. Sir George England lived on South Quay in a
house called the Three Cranes, where the Nelson Museum is
now housed. On his gravestone in the church there was a
long and laudatory inscription in Latin, engraved on metal.
Sir George England had two daughters: Sarah married firstly,

William Burton, secondly, John Fowle and thirdly, Edmund
Thaxter (see graves 31 and 58). Elizabeth, the daughter of
Sarah and John Fowle married Samuel Fuller. She died in
1742.
Anne, the second daughter, married William Burleigh of

Norwich, who died in 1681 and was buried in Norwich
Cathedral.
Sir George England’s eldest son, George, was a member of

Great Yarmouth Corporation and was elected to be the
Member of Parliament for the borough. He sat in seven
parliaments, viz: 1679, 1681, 1690, 1695, 1698 and 1700 and
the Conventual Parliament of 1688, and was appointed One of the George England’s
Recorder of the town in 1691. He represented the town for 20 Member of Parliament
years. Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service ©
He died in 1702, aged 59 years. In his will he ordered that the

space between the altar and the communion rails in St. Nicholas’ Church be paved with marble. The inscription on
his gravestone stated that he was a true friend to his native place and to the liberty of his country.
Thomas, the second son of Sir George England, died in 1693 aged 48 years. He was a Great Yarmouth Bailiff in
1674 and 1689. He married Anne, the daughter of Thomas Bulwer. One of Thomas’ sons, George, inherited a great
deal of wealth and was the Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1715. He was returned to Parliament in 1710 and 1713. He
was a staunch member of the Church Party, who wished to save the Church of England from being overthrown by
fanatics. He was the Chairman of the Building Committee for the erection of St. George’s Chapel. He had two sons,
George and Thomas, and one daughter, Anne. He left his estates to George and £3,000 each to Thomas and Anne.
However, there was insufficient money to pay off his debts, as he was profligate and, after a suit instituted in
Chancery, all the estates were sold. The last of the England line was Tom England, a poor imbecile, who died in the
workhouse and it was written “an empty line is all that is left behind”.
73. Spelman, Anne, died 11th June 1719.

Spelman, Mary, died 25th June1732, aged 54 years.
Spelman, Robert, died 11th April 1756, aged 80 years.
Also eight children.
Anne Spelman was Robert’s first wife and Mary his second wife. The eight children: four boys and four daughters
were the children of Mary and Robert Spelman.
74. Clements, John, died 15th March 1816, aged 56 years.
From Ratcliff Highway. This area was alongside the London Docks, east of the Tower of London.
75. Wade, Margaret, died 17th October 1766, aged 68 years.
Margaret Wade was the wife of Samuel Wade a surgeon.
76. Ditcham, Samuel, died 17th February 1800, aged 84 years.
77. Cuttinge, Nicholas, died 3rd October 1669, aged 62 years.

Cuttinge, Robert, died 4th May 1711, aged 70 years.
Cuttinge, Joseph, died 25th April 1748, aged 60 years.
39
Nicholas Cuttinge was a Bailiff of Great Yarmouth in 1619 and 1620. His son, Nicholas, was one of the assessors of
the hated ship money in 1634. Ship money was a tax that Charles I tried to levy without the consent of Parliament.
This tax, which was only applied to coastal towns during a time of war, was intended to offset the cost of defending
that part of the coast, and could be paid in actual ships or the equivalent value. The collection of the tax inland
during peacetime started in 1634 and provoked increasing resistance by 1636. This conflict was one of the causes of
the English Civil War.
Nicholas junior sided with Parliament during the Civil War. However, he favoured the Restoration of the Monarchy,
and was appointed a Great Yarmouth Bailiff in 1660 and again in 1667.
78. England, Sir George, died 1677, aged 61 years.

England, Dame Sarah, died 1677, aged 66 years.
England, Joseph.
England, Joseph.
England, George.
England, Samuel, died 18th November 1658, aged 21 years.
England, William, died 1st May 1659, aged 16 months.
England, James, died 31st May 1664, aged one year.
England, George Ferrier, died 28th May, aged one year.
Joseph, George, Samuel, William and James were the sons of George and Sarah. William was the tenth and James
was the 11th son. Joseph and George Ferrier were Sir George’s grandsons. (See grave 72).
Hoste, Thesopha Elizabeth, died 13th November 1826, aged 38 years.
Dawson Turner in Sepulchral Reminiscences notes that the name was engraved on the same stone as Rev’d. Richard
Turner, her father. She was married to Rev’d. James Hoste, whose brothers were Sir William Hoste RN (a friend and
companion of Nelson) and Lt. Colonel Sir Charles George Hoste. The latter lived at 139 King Street, Great
Yarmouth and was present at the Battle of Waterloo. Sir William Hoste was in command of the Royal Yacht, when it
sailed from Antwerp with the Duke and Duchess of Clarence (later William IV and Queen Adelaide), when they had
to put into Yarmouth Roads during a gale, and the passengers were landed in Great Yarmouth.
Thespoha Hoste’s son, Lt. Colonel William Dashwood Hoste died in India in 1872.
79. Ferrier, Elizabeth, died 15th December 1744, aged 32 years.

Burton, Mary, died 17th February 1785, aged 70 years.
Burton, John, died 28th August 1789.
Elizabeth Ferrier was the wife of Robert. John Burton was the Water Bailiff at Great Yarmouth from 1765 to 1789,
when he died at the age of 80 years. He married Mary Ferrier. She was the sister of Robert Ferrier. The office of
Water Bailiff was instituted in 1313 and the post involved collecting the dues on merchandise brought into Great
Yarmouth. The office was abolished at the passing of the Municipal Corporation Act of 1835.
John Burton lived in a large house on White Horse Plain, which was later divided into two.
80. Symonds, John, died 26th December 1796, aged 33 years.

Symonds, Hannah, died 17th March 1807, aged 42 years.
John Symonds was the son of John Symonds, a bricklayer. He married Hannah.
81. Symonds, Sarah, died 19th March 1788, aged 17 years.

Symonds, Sarah, died 28th February 1789, aged 56 years.
Symonds, John, died 14th December 1826, aged 91 years.
John Symonds was a bricklayer. Sarah, who died in 1789, was his wife and Sarah, who died in 1788, was their
daughter.
Garwood, Thomas Bly, died 28th March 1841, aged 39 years.
(See grave 32)

40
82. Bendish, Thomas, died 27th April 1707, aged 61 years.

Bendish, Bridget, died 14th July 1726, aged 76 years.
Bendish, Bridget, their daughter, died 17th July 1736, aged 64 years.
From “Suffolk Worthies and Persons of Note” dated 1859:
Bridget Bendish was the daughter of General Ireton and Bridget Cromwell. Bridget Cromwell was the eldest
daughter of Oliver Cromwell. General Ireton was active with Cromwell in Ireland in 1649 and was made President
of Munster. He later became Cromwell’s deputy lieutenant. Ireton became worn out with his duties and died of a
fever of ten days duration in 1651 in Ireland. A sum of money was settled on his widow and family. Because of his
duties in Ireland the family had not seen him for several years. Charles Fleetwood was sent out in the place of
Ireton. In due course the widower, Fleetwood, married Ireton’s widow and she accompanied him to Ireland. Her
children were left in England and were looked after by Cromwell’s family. The daughter, Bridget, became a favourite
of Oliver Cromwell. She married Thomas Bendish of Gray’s Inn, London, who was descended from Sir Thomas
Bendish, an Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Charles I’s reign.
Bridget Bendish lived at Cobholm and was chiefly a salt refiner. On the death of her husband, Thomas, she was left
in possession of the Cobholm salt works, which brought in an income of £200 a year. She entered into the business
with great spirit and sometimes went further than her finances allowed. She commenced the grazing of cattle and
used to attend cattle markets herself, driving a chaise alone. She was quite fearless knowing that angels surrounded
her chaise and thus she was protected. The salt works were open to the road and she could be seen labouring in the
drudgeries of work. She would stump about in an old straw hat, her hair about her ears and a staff in her hand. If it
was cold she would throw a blanket over her shoulders.
A pencil drawing of Bendish Bridget's house
She was an eccentric and enthusiastic woman and when she became old she was looked upon as a singular woman.
Her dress, her manners and her conversation were all peculiar. There was something in her that did not fail to
arrest the attention of strangers. Splendid in dress she never was; her best costume was a plain silk dress of what
was called, a Quaker colour. She wore a black silk hood or scarf, which was unfashionable in her day. She never
wore hoops with her dress, although they were in fashion. People of all ages were happy to listen to her tales of the
Cromwell family. She venerated her grandfather, Oliver, it was said, to excess. She looked upon him as the first and
greatest of mankind, as a chosen vessel and a regenerated child of God divinely inspired. She declared that next to
the twelve apostles, Oliver Cromwell was the first saint in heaven. On one occasion she happened to travel to
London in a stage-coach with two men, who wore their swords. One of them, a Royalist, began to abuse the memory
of Oliver Cromwell, which she answered with spirit. When the coach stopped she instantly drew the man’s sword
and challenged him to a duel.
When she could, she gave to the poor and, in the meanest sick-room she attended the sick for hours on end. By all
classes she was respected and her company was sought for her merits. Her failings were treated leniently. After
labouring all day she would throw herself onto a couch and sleep for two to three hours and then dress herself in her
best attire and then ride in her chaise or on horseback to visit friends in Great Yarmouth. She wouldn’t leave them
until one o’clock in the morning, which they found inconvenient. At such visits she partook of wine freely, but not to
excess, although her tongue was stimulated into brisk motion. She seldom left her friends without singing a Psalm.
41
She never allowed a servant to accompany her on these visits at night. She said God was her guard and that she
needed no other. On travelling home she would sing a Psalm or one of Isaac Watt’s hymns in a loud, but not
harmonious key.
When she was unsure of what action to take she would shut herself in her room and, by fasting and prayer, her spirit
was enhanced by the intensity of thought and she could make a decision. When a portion of Scripture came into her
head she considered it a guide for her conduct. She was a Calvinist and never doubted her eventual election into
heaven.
83. Bendish, Henry, died 1753, aged 49 years.
Late of Tempsford, Bedfordshire. From his coat of arms on the gravestone he was related to those persons buried in
grave 82.
84. Ede, Clarke, died 30th May 1784, aged 80 years.

Hagon, Robert, died 11th February 1749, aged 83 years.
Dawson Turner in Sepulchral Reminiscences also notes: Thomasine Hagon died 1731 aged 69 years, Robert’s wife.
85. Lovell, Thomas, died 28th March 1699, aged 61 years.
Thomas Lovell was an alderman of the borough.
86. Miller, Richard, died 21st July 1780, aged 73 years.

Miller, Barbara, died 7th June 1785, aged 72 years.
Miller, Maria, died 15th September 1782, aged 3 years and 5 months.
Miller, Maria, died 7th October 1785, aged 18 weeks.
Miller, Richard, died 1810, aged 74 years.
Miller, Mary, died 23rd November 1793, aged 48 years.
Miller, Barbara, died 1812, aged 78 years.
Barbara Miller, who died in 1785 was the wife of Richard, who died in 1780. Mary was the wife of Richard, who
died in 1810. Barbara, who died in 1812 was the sister of Richard.
87. Mew, Deborah, died August 1681, aged 67 years.

Mew, John.
Mew, Robert, died 15th October 1677, aged 16 years.
Mew, Sarah, died 1709, aged 33 years.
With them lie their children: Margaret, Jonathan, William, Joseph, Benjamin, Margaret, Thomas and Elizabeth.
Deborah was the wife of Mitchell Mew, who died aged 71 years. John was their eldest son, Robert, their third son
and, Sarah their daughter.
Mitchell Mew’s grave was adjacent to his wife’s, but was not noted in the 1957 survey.
Mitchell Mew was a Bailiff of Great Yarmouth in 1670 and 1681 and the Mayor in 1687, in which year Prince
George of Denmark landed at Great Yarmouth. Prince George’s troop of dragoons was billeted in public houses,
coffee houses, the houses of brandy sellers, brewers, bakers, butchers, cooks and cheesemongers.
The horses of the troops had to be quartered in the borough and the chamberlains had to bear all the charges. The
financial burden was great and Mew petitioned the King for aid.
Mew was also a committee member for the purpose of collecting bills and counting the expenses for the visit of
Charles II to Great Yarmouth in 1671.
In the same year, Mew entertained the Earl of Dartmouth, Sir Henry Shiers and Sir Martin Beckman with their
retinue for three days, when they came to Great Yarmouth to advise about the haven.
He was allowed £40 for his expenses, exclusive of horses’ meat, servant’s expenses and horse shoeing. He also
entertained the Duke of Norfolk and his secretary for which he was allowed £30. This sum included expenses for
rejoicing at the birth of the Prince of Wales.
42
88. Godfrey, Stephen, died 20th January 1729, aged 58 years.

Godfrey, Isabel, died 1753, aged 85 years.
Godfrey, John, died 1730, aged 30 years.
Godfrey, Timothy, died 1755, aged 50 years.
Godfrey, Elizabeth, died 1789, aged 80 years.
Stephen Godfrey was a wine cooper. His wife was Isabel. John their son was married to Martha. Timothy was
John’s brother and was married to Elizabeth.
89. Godfrey, Martha, died 26th May 1798, aged 61 years.

Godfrey, Stephen, died 30th March 1809, aged 77 years.
Martha Godfrey was the wife of Stephen.
90. Turner, Francis, died 1719, aged 38 years.

Turner, Martha, died 1729, aged 33 years.
Martha Turner was the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Godfrey. Thomas Godfrey was twice a Bailiff of Great
Yarmouth in 1683 and 1688 and the Town Clerk for many years. Francis Turner was the Great Yarmouth Town
Clerk, when the long-standing acrimonious disputes concerning the last of red herrings, to which the Great
Yarmouth Corporation had bound themselves in 1352, which was to be sent to the Dean of Windsor every year, was
terminated and a compromise of a £10 annual payment was substituted. Francis Turner originated from
Kenningham, Mulbarton, Norfolk. One of his ancestors had purchased the 500 acre manor there in 1570 from Sir
Thomas Gresham. His father-in-law had been the Great Yarmouth Town Clerk and probably brought Francis
Turner to the town.
91. Turner, Rev’d. Francis AM., died 5th February 1790, aged 73 years.
Turner, Sarah, died 11th November 1795, aged 76 years.
Turner, Martha, died 1745, aged 4 years.
Sarah Turner was the daughter of James Dawson.
The Rev’d. Francis Turner was the son of Francis Turner (grave
90). He was the Minister of St. George’s Chapel for 49 years.
He died, after breaking his leg, when he fell into the cellar of his
son’s, the Rev’d. Richard Turner, house at 51 King Street. The
text for his last sermon was: “it is appointed unto all men once to
die”. The Rev’d. Francis Turner was a master at Great
Yarmouth Grammar School. This school occupied part of the
lodgings and chapel of St. Mary’s Hospital in the Market Place.
Another part of the building was the lodging of the Corporation’s
Lecturer. He printed, at the request of the Corporation, a sermon
preached by him on 9th October 1746, which was the day
appointed for a General Thanksgiving for the Suppression of the
Late Unnatural Rebellion (the Jacobite Rebellion). He left four
sons:
1. Francis, a surgeon who taught Sir Astley Cooper the art of

surgery and who inherited the estate at Fritton from the Fuller
family. Francis Turner
2. James who was the father of Dawson Turner and who was the Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1799 and who founded
Gurney’s Bank in the town.
3. Rev’d. Joseph Turner who was Master of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge and Dean of Norwich.
4. Rev’d. Richard Turner who was the Vicar of St. Nicholas’ Church from 1800-31. His company was much sought
after by scholars and literary men. He wrote nothing himself, but collected items of the history of the town. He
started his working life in London in the counting house of Hanbury and Company. On the death of his first wife,
Frances (nee Kentish) in 1777, he entered Pembroke Hall in Cambridge and later took Holy Orders and moved to
Great Yarmouth. He had also worked for a short period with his father-in-law as a jeweller in Cheapside, London.
He had no children with his first wife. He married Elizabeth Rede in 1783, the daughter of a solicitor in Beccles.
With her he had twelve children. Elizabeth died in 1805. Twelve years later he married Sarah Parish. She died
eleven years later. In 1779, Great Yarmouth Corporation revived the post of lecturer, which had been discontinued
for some time, and conferred the post on Turner. On the death of the incumbent of St. Nicholas’ Church, Samuel
43
Cooper, Turner was appointed vicar. To this was added the living of Ormesby with Scratby in 1813. Residence at
Ormesby was not required, as the vicarage was not built until 1870.
Turner was said to be a high-church Tory parson. On his retirement, because of ill health five years before his
death, the Dean and Chapter of Norwich expressed their thanks to him, particularly mentioning the zeal, ability and
fidelity, with which he had discharged his duties in the town for over 50 years. During his time as the vicar he
oversaw the founding of two churches in Great Yarmouth, namely St. Peter’s and St. Mary’s.
92. Brinsley, Rev’d. John MA., died 1664, aged 64 years.

Brinsley, John junior, died 1655, aged 21 years.
Brinsley, Edward, died 1658, aged 19 years.
Brinsley, died 1676, aged 69 years.
Brinsley, J., died 1700, aged 53 years.
Brinsley, S., died 1727.
Brinsley, S., died 1773.
The Rev’d. John Brinsley was a native of Ashby de la Zouch. He entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge at the age
of 13 years. His father was a clergyman and his mother was a sister of Dr. Joseph Hall, the Bishop of Norwich. In
1625, the Rev’d. John Brinsley was appointed by the Great Yarmouth Corporation their minster. However, the Dean
and Chapter of Norwich, claiming the right of nomination, disputed the appointment and Brinsley was suspended
from the appointment by Archbishop Laud. However, he continued to preach in the town in the Dutch Chapel.
The Corporation continued their struggle with the church authorities and in 1632 the king forbade Brinsley
preaching in Great Yarmouth and imprisoned four people, including the Recorder, Miles Corbett, for aiding and
abetting Brinsley. After this Brinsley performed his pastoral duties at Lothingland and in 1643 was appointed Vicar
of Somerleyton. Two years later he was again chosen by the Corporation to be a Great Yarmouth town preacher and
he occupied part of the now divided St. Nicholas’ Church. At the death of Charles I the Corporation, at a cost of
£900, had divided the church into three to accommodate the Puritans, the Presbyterians and the Church of England.
They held their services simultaneously.
The Rev’d. John Brinsley had a son, Robert, who graduated from Emmanuel College, Cambridge and later
graduated in medicine at Leyden University in Holland. He then practised as a physician in Great Yarmouth and
was elected the Chamberlain. In 1681 Robert Brinsley was appointed the Water Bailiff. Robert Brinsley died in
1684.
93. Owner, Edward, died 1650, aged 74 years.

Owner, Elizabeth, died 25th October 1672, aged 94 years.
Burrough, Owen, died 1674, aged 54 years.
Burrough, Rachel, died 5th August 1694, aged 83 years.
Dade, Sarah, died 30th July 1823, aged 74 years.
Sarah Dade was the wife of Thomas Dade of Bradwell and the daughter of the Rev’d. Francis Turner. Thomas Dade
was a merchant and was appointed the Collector of Customs for Great Yarmouth (1784-91). Although Sarah Dade
is named on the gravestone, she was not related to the Owner family. She desired to be buried near her father and
consequently the adjacent Owner grave was opened and, on finding that Edward’s coffin had rotted and his bones
scattered, she was deposited in it.
Elizabeth Harrison married Edward Owner in 1598. Edward Owner filled the office of a Bailiff in Great Yarmouth
in 1625, 1634 and 1646. In 1625, he introduced a yearly feast on St. John’s Feast Day, in which the Bailiffs
entertained the electors. He represented the town in the Parliaments of 1620, 1625, 1628 and 1640.
He strongly opposed the Ship Money Act (see grave 77). He was active in the support of the Rev’d. John Brinsley
(grave 92) against the actions of the Dean and Chapter of Norwich. He gave £1,500 to the Children’s Hospital
during his lifetime and a further sum and plate (to be made into coins) for the defence of the town, when it declared
for Parliament during the Civil War. This money was used for the payment of soldiers and the provision of horses,
arms and ammunition. He became the President of the Artillery Corps, who were the volunteers of the day.
He tried to establish a library in Great Yarmouth, but received no support. He was the leader of the Presbyterians in
Great Yarmouth.
In 1649, by his exertions and his own money, Edward Owner took measures to establish a workhouse in the Market
Place.
44
He used the proceeds from the Irish Estate to finance it. The Irish Estate had been confiscated from the Earl Of
Ormond after the Irish Rebellion and was purchased by the Great Yarmouth Corporation. Owner subscribed £100
of the £600 required to purchase the estate. The estate was leased out. The estate of 2,159 acres was in Tipperary
and included the town of Clonmel. In 1833, the annual value of the estate was £6,000. Owner left his house on the
Quay to his nephew, Ralph Owner. Ralph Owner died in 1676 and passed the house onto his son, Ralph. The house
was conveyed to Richard Brightin in 1683.
94. G
95. Symonds, Nathaniel, died 1708, aged 39 years.

Symonds, Mary, died 1736, aged 62 years.
Symonds, Nathaniel, died 1727, aged 33 years.
Symonds, James, died 11th August 1714, aged 17 years.
Nathaniel Symonds (died 1708) was the fifth son of James Symonds, a
gentleman. Mary was his wife and Nathaniel and James were their children.
Mary was the daughter of John Harper.
96. Symonds, Mary, died 8th January 1777, aged 45 years.

Symonds Nathaniel, died 23rd October 1793, aged 69 years.
Nathaniel Symonds was a plumber and Mary was his wife. House of Nathaniel Symonds
(died 1768) - Grave 101
97. Preston, Phillis, died 1805, aged 26 years.
Preston, James Symonds, died 1817, aged 17 years.
Preston, Edmond, died 17th December 1799, aged two months.
Preston, Harriet, died 9th November 1803, aged one year.
Preston, Phillis Symonds, died 21st November 1803, aged 5 years.
Preston, Harriet, died 1803, aged one year.
Phillis Preston was the wife of Edmund Preston, the third son of Jacob and Elizabeth Preston and the daughter of
Jonathan Symonds. In 1810 Edmund Preston purchased a house on ground next to the river. Previously Quay Mill
had stood on the site. He enlarged the house and named it Milmount and laid out a garden extending to the river.
He was a solicitor and was the Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1818 and 1830. He was a Deputy Lieutenant for
Norfolk. He died at the age of 80 years in 1856. He married Phillis, the only surviving child of Jonathan Symonds,
by whom he had two sons, namely James Symonds and Henry, who entered the church. Phillis died in 1805.
Secondly, he married Frances Maria the daughter of Thomas Smyth of East Dereham, who died in 1822 at the age of
41 years leaving several children. Thirdly, he married Hannah the daughter of John Farr of Cove Hall, Suffolk, who
died in 1861 aged 75 years. John Henry Druery, a solicitor, wrote the Historical and Topographical Notices of
Great Yarmouth in 1826, whilst working in the office of Edmund Preston.
Milmount, the house

of
Edmund Preston
Grave 97
45
98. Symonds, Jonathan, died 9th August 1803, aged 65 years.

Symonds, Phyllis, died 22nd October 1826, aged 80 years.
Jonathan Symonds was a salt refiner and the brother of Nathaniel Symonds. He had taken over the salt works
belonging to Bridget Bendish (see grave 82). From him they descended to his son in law, Edmund Preston (see
grave 97), and after that they fell into disuse.
99. Symonds, James, died 16th June 1688, aged 59 years.

Symonds, Elizabeth, died 4th December 1707, aged 78 years.
Picture of the grave: page 12 and 15.
100. Symonds, Ann, died 23rd December 1788, aged 84 years.

Symonds, Mary, died 15th November 1806, aged 75 years.
Symonds, Ann, died 25th January 1811, aged 86 years.
Ann Symonds was the wife of Nathaniel (died 1768) - (see grave 101).
101. Symonds, Nathaniel, died 22nd November 1768, aged 72 years.

Symonds, Ann, died 28th September 1657, aged 52 years.
Symonds, Mary, died 1691, aged 77 years.
102. Symonds, Nathaniel, died 7th June 1808, aged 54 years.

Gower, Robert, died 14th September 1650, aged 64 years.
Nye, Rachael, died 30th January 1682, aged 23 years.
Nathaniel Symonds was a plumber and was the son of Nathaniel and Mary (Grave 96). There used to be a series of
hatchments of the Symonds family in the church, ranging over two centuries.
Rachael Nye was the granddaughter of Robert Gower. Robert Gower was a Bailiff of Great Yarmouth in 1642 and
during that year the Corporation purchased their Irish estate. He headed the subscription list with his fellow Bailiff,
John Carter; the former with £12 and the latter with £15. Also in that year, the town declared for Parliament, when
the Civil War broke out. Robert Gower donated nine pieces of plate, weighing 75 ounces to the value of £20, for the
defence of Great Yarmouth.
He was appointed one of the commanders in chief of the town’s militia by the Earl of Manchester. During 1643,
Manchester secured East Anglia for Parliament.
103. Pritchard, Maria, died 22nd March 1807, aged 25 years.

Pritchard, Eliza, died 25th February 1808, aged 2 years.
Maria Pritchard was the wife of John Pritchard, a surgeon of 43 Market Place. Eliza was their daughter.
John Prichard practised from 43 Market Place and 2 King Street. He died on the 13th July 1850. He had qualified
in 1822 and was one of four surgeons appointed to the newly established Great Yarmouth Hospital in 1838, when it
was known as the Dispensary. He practised in Great Yarmouth from 1823 to 1850.
104. Whitton, Susanna, died 26th September 1779, aged 81 years.

Whitton, Thomas, died 13th February 1788, aged 84 years.
Linder, Mary, died 24th October 1839, aged 84 years.
Thomas Whitton was a brazier.

46
The Nave (Plan page 26)
105. Fuller, John, died 20th February 1673.
106. Macro, Mary, died 10th February 1724, aged 33 years.

Macro, Thomas DD., died 16th April 1743, aged 60 years.
This gravestone had an extensive Latin epitaph.
Mary Macro was Thomas’ wife. Dawson Turner in his Sepulchral Reminiscences
also notes Thomas Macro, their only son, who died in 1746 aged 22 years. Dr.
Thomas Macro was the son of Thomas Macro of Bury St. Edmunds. His mother
was the daughter of the Rev’d. John Cox, the rector of Risby. Thomas Macro
succeeded Mr. Barry Love as the incumbent at Great Yarmouth. On the death of
Love, the Great Yarmouth Corporation decided to judge each applicant on the
quality of his voice and other abilities, while preaching a sermon. Each applicant
was paid 20 shillings for preaching one. Macro was appointed from a field of six
applicants. On his induction Great Yarmouth Corporation provided him with two
scarlet hoods, two black hoods and a surplice. He was a learned man and a
popular preacher. He was the incumbent at Great Yarmouth from 1722-44.
Previously he had been the Rector of Hockwold with Wilston, Norfolk and was a
Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge. Coat of arms on the
Macro gravestone - Grave 106
In 1731 Macro received the thanks of the Great Yarmouth Corporation for the
excellent sermon he had preached on 5th November and requested to have it
printed at their expense. He also published a series of sermons. The sermon he preached on the occasion of the
opening of the organ on 20th December 1733 still exists. The text was “singing and making melody in your heart to
the Lord”. He possessed an extensive library with many divinity books and several early black-letter printed books
from the presses of many cities in Europe. He presented his library to the church. Much of it was destroyed in the
Second World War. In 1772 there were 175 books in the church library. With further gifts of books the number had
risen to 320 volumes by 1877. The earliest book was printed in 1468.
Amongst Macro’s library was Cranmer’s Black-letter Bible of 1641, a Roman Missal printed in Venice in 1547 and a
pictorial Scroll of Esther on a roll of vellum. Macro also had a large collection of autographs, which came into the
possession of Dawson Turner, and were later presented to the British Museum. Macro died in 1743 at the age of 60
years. His wife had died 19 years previously. There was a wall monument to Thomas Macro and his family in the
north aisle of the chancel.
107. Newman, Robert, died 25th June 1710, aged 81 years.

Newman, Mary, died, aged 83 years.
John Newman lived at the end of Row 19.
108. Neech, Joseph, died 25th October 1750, aged 56 years.

Neech, Susanna, died 7th August 1767, aged 62 years.
Barnby, Elizabeth, died 17th September 1796, aged 70 years.
Elizabeth Barnby was the daughter of Joseph and Susanna Neech and she married
John Barnby, the Commander of the Custom House Smack.
Joseph Neech was the Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1743.
109. Atwood, Elizabeth, died 10th February 1693, aged 38 years.

Bird, Judith, died 1st January 1698, aged 20 years.
Bird, John, died,1699.
Bird, Judith, died 1703, aged 60 years.
Elizabeth Atwood was the wife of Gilbert Atwood. John Bird was the son of John
and Judith Bird.
Judith Bird (died 1698) was the daughter of Elizabeth Atwood. The coat of arms on the Atwood
grave - Grave 109
47
110. Shelly, Martha, died 28th April 1784, aged 32 years.

Shelly, John, died 1809, aged 72 years.
John Shelly was a merchant and lived on the Quay. Martha Shelly was the daughter of John Wright, a freeman of
the borough. John and Martha Shelly’s son, John, was a partner in the firm of Thomas Hurry and Company.
Under the Tower (Plan page 26)
111. Hurry, John, died 18th August 1782, aged 57 years.

Hurry, Elizabeth, died 1828, aged 22 years.
Hurry, Jane, died, aged 2 years.
Hurry, William John, died 1843, aged 78 years.
Elizabeth, Jane and William Hurry were John Hurry’s grandchildren.
John Hurry was the third son of Thomas Hurry and Elizabeth, nee Clifton. He married Sarah Winn and fathered
three sons; the first of whom settled as a merchant and ship-owner in Liverpool. John Hurry was responsible for
distributing stamps in Great Yarmouth in 1781. The stamps raised revenue by requiring all legal documents to be
impressed with a government stamp. This requirement was introduced during the reign of William and Mary.
112. Porter, Elizabeth, died February 1763, aged 22 years.

Bernard, Mary, died 7th May 1684, aged 47 years.
Bernard, Robert, died 2nd October 1699, aged 68 years.
Bernard, Leonard, died 24th September 1712, aged 48 years.
Bernard, Sarah, died 10th February 1729, aged 6 years.
Elizabeth Porter was the daughter of Richard and Sarah Porter and the granddaughter of Leonard and Sarah
Bernard. Mary Bernard was Robert’s wife and she bore him 14 children. Sarah Bernard was Leonard’s wife.
Robert Bernard was a Bailiff of Great Yarmouth in 1691. He is named in the Charter of Charles II.
The South Aisle (Plan page 27)
113. Dunlop, John, died 13th February 1819, aged 69 years.
John Dunlop was from Port Glasgow and he died in Great Yarmouth.
114. Hurst, Captain Thomas, died 4th June 1766, aged 68 years.
Captain Thomas Hurst married Martha. In 1747, when in command of the vessel, “Richard”, he was stopped by a
privateer and the vessel had to be ransomed. The “Richard” was carrying horses and their equipment belonging to
a nobleman.
Dawson Turner in Sepulchral Reminiscences also notes Thomas Hurst, his son.
115. Marsh, Stephen, died 7th November 1799, aged 63 years.
116. Seaman, Rebecca, died 2nd January 1796, aged 73 years.

Goodwin, John, died 20th February 1763, aged 70 years.
Goodwin, Dinah, died 16th November 1764, aged 74 years.
Rebecca Seaman was the daughter of Francis, who died 1761, aged 62 years and Rebecca, who died 1744, aged 42
years.
48
South Chancel Aisle (Plan page 29)
117. Ward, Robert, died 3rd March 1741, aged 64 years.

Laycon, Elizabeth, died 3rd April 1798, aged 73 years.
Robert Ward married Elizabeth Beevor, the daughter of the Rev’d. William Beevor, Rector of South Walsham, who
was the grandfather of Sir Thomas Beevor.
Elizabeth Laycon was the eldest daughter of Robert

Ward and the widow of John Laycon.
Dawson Turner in Sepulchral Reminiscences states

that their son, John Laycon, was named on the
gravestone. He died in 1811 aged 53 years.
John Laycon, who died in 1811, was the brother of

the first Baronet of the family, Sir Edmund Lacon,
who was knighted in 1792 for his services as the
Mayor of Great Yarmouth.
He suppressed the riots at Great Yarmouth during his

Mayoralty. The rioters were complaining about the
price of corn. The gaol was broken into and the
prisoners escaped. Lacon quelled the riot without Robert Ward’s house
Corbridge’s Prospect 1724
calling in the army.
Lacon was spelt with a ‘y’ at this time.
118. Thompson, Roger, died 14th March 1724, aged 54 years.

Bonell, Mary, died 17th March 1766, aged 34 years.
Thompson, Elizabeth, died 17th August 1768, aged 66 years.
Thompson, Roger, died 18th November 1732, an infant.
Dawson Turner in Sepulchral Reminiscences also notes Elizabeth (died 1729) and Elizabeth (died 1734), who died
as infants.
Mary Bonell was the daughter of Roger and Elizabeth Thompson. She was their only child and she married John
Dodd. Roger Thompson, who died in 1724, was the son of Roger Thompson, an Alderman of Great Yarmouth.
119. Jackson, Mary, died 1742, aged 67 years.

Jackson, Robert, died 1754, aged 83 years.
Robert Jackson was the husband of Mary.
A white marble monument was on the wall of the south aisle, which commemorated Mary, the last survivor of their
five children, who was born in Great Yarmouth in 1709 and died in 1728 at Ipswich and, as the epitaph stated, “in
the flower of her age, lovely in body and in mind”.
120. Bright, William, died 2nd October 1729, aged 78 years.
121. Phillipo, Thomas, died 1719, aged 24 years.
122. Cooper, Thomas, died 12th January 1740, aged 63 years.

Cooper, Mary, died 28th March 1741, aged 69 years.
Cooper, James, died 1st August 1749, aged 41 years.

49
123. Wright, Mary, died 14th May 1818, aged 82 years.
124. Ferrier, Robert, died 27th May 1648, aged 52 years.

Ferrier, Mary, died 13th November 1678, aged 72 years.
Ferrier, Richard, died 11th July 1695, aged 61 years.
Ferrier, Robert, died 13th August 1695, aged 66 years.
Ferrier, Judith, died 5th January 1704, aged 61 years.
Ferrier, Elizabeth, died 1717, aged 77 years.
Mary was Robert Ferrier’s wife. Robert, their son (died 1695), was a merchant. Richard Ferrier was the son of
Robert and Mary. Judith was his wife. Elizabeth Ferrier was the wife of Robert (died 1695) and the second
daughter of Sir George England.
Many of the Ferrier family were buried in St. Nicholas’ Church. Robert Ferrier (died 1648) was descended from
several Mayors of Norwich. They were the Mayors of Norwich in 1473, 1478, 1483, 1493, 1498, 1536 and 1596.
Robert Ferrier was a Bailiff of Great Yarmouth in 1643. In his will he left £8 to Edward Owner (grave 93) for the
purpose of erecting a new workhouse in Great Yarmouth for the poor. If the building did not proceed then the money
should be spent on providing coal for the poor. He also left £40 for maintaining the Artillery Company of Great
Yarmouth. His brother-in-law was John Carter. In 1648 the Parliamentary leaders are supposed to have met in
John Carter’s house at 4 South Quay and decided that Charles I must be tried and executed. His eldest son, Robert
(died 1695) was an Alderman of the town.
125. Brightin, Richard, died 6th January 1734, aged 71

years.
Barnard, Elizabeth, died 27th August 1757, aged
63 years.
Elizabeth was the widow of Christopher Barnard.

Richard Brightin was a wealthy brewer and was the son
of Richard Brightin, who died in 1696.
Richard Brightin’s brother, Christopher, also a brewer,

was the Mayor of Great Yarmouth in 1721. He
subscribed £21 towards the purchase of a gold chain for
the Mayor.
126. Ferrier (see grave 124).

Richard Brightin’s house
127. Woods, William, died 15th October 1754, aged 49 years. Corbridge’s Prospect 1724
128. Gillman, George, died 12th February 1713, aged 57 years.

Gillman, Mary, died 20th September 1724, aged 68 years.
129. Thompson, Mary, died 21st October 1740, aged 63 years.

Thompson, Hannah, died 8th May 1728, aged 16 years.
See grave 118.
Mary was the wife of Roger Thompson, who was an Alderman of Great Yarmouth. She was the daughter of John
Curtis of Aylsham, Norfolk. Hannah was their youngest daughter.
130. No record noted.
131. Ferrier
No note of date of death or Christian Name.
50
132. Baker, Joseph, died 1732, aged 74 years.

Baker, Elizabeth, died 1746, aged 80 years.
Baker, Joseph, died 1754, aged 64 years.
Baker, Ann, died, aged 87 years.
Elizabeth was the wife of Joseph Baker (died 1732). Ann was the wife of Joseph Baker (died 1754).
133. Ferrier, Robert died 27th May 1648, aged 52 years.
See grave 124.
134. Drake, Priscilla, died 17th April 1756, aged 48 years.

Drake, John, died 10th October 1795, aged 63 years.
Drake, Mary, died 1st March 1813, aged 80 years.
Priscilla Drake was the wife of John Drake senior. Mary was the wife of John Drake (died 1795), who was their son
**************************
In the north aisle there is a gravestone to the Artis family. This gravestone is not documented in Sepulchral
Reminiscences by Dawson Turner or in the post war survey of 1957.
135. Artis, Mary, who died 14th November 1709, aged 7 months the youngest daughter of Samuel and Mary Artis.
Artis, Ann, who died 13th February 1718, aged 12 years, their only remaining child.
Artis, Rebecca, died 24th June 1736, the wife of Samuel Artis.
Artis, Samuel, died 8th November 1748, aged 67 years.
Samuel Artis was a merchant and the Postmaster of Great Yarmouth. John
Ives in 1736 wrote that:
“Samuel Artis brought home his lady from London, where he was married; she
is next August, 15 years of age, and he is 55 years old. His previous wife,
Rebecca, had died earlier in the year. When George II landed in Lowestoft in
1737, Samuel Artis rushed there to offer the King the loan of four carriage
horses, which took his majesty to Saxmundham in Suffolk. Artis was also a
magistrate and in 1734, when a poor fisherman called John Darby, threw a
stone at Lord Hobart’s carriage he was sentenced by Artis to be whipped and
have his head and hands placed in the stocks. After a further six days in gaol
he was made to kneel before the Mayor and beg for pardon”.
Picture of the gravestone: page 14. Samuel Artis’ house

Corbridge’s Prospect 1724
Bibliography
Johnson, H. B., n.d., Yarmouth Yarns, Jarrold and Sons, Great Yarmouth
Palmer, C. J., 1853, History of Great Yarmouth, Meall, Great Yarmouth
Palmer, C. J., 1875, Perlustration of Great Yarmouth, Nall, Great Yarmouth
Palmer, C. J., 1847, Foundation & Antiquitye of Great Yarmouth, Sloman, Great Yarmouth
Turner, D., 1848, Sepulchral Reminiscences of Great Yarmouth, Barber, Great Yarmouth
51
Index of Names on the Gravestones
Armar 18 Gillman 49 Robinson 18

Artis 50 Godfrey 42 Seaman 47
Atwood 46 Goodwin 47 Shelly 47
Baker 50 Gower 45 Sherring 18
Barnard 49 Guthrie 37 Spelman 38
Barnby 46 Hagon 41 Spillman 19
Bartram 18 Harrison 19 Spilling 34
Bendish 40, 41 Hodgkinson 35 Steadman 18
Bernard 47 Holdrich 35 Steward 30
Bird 46 Horsley 34 Stoker 34
Bonell 48 Hoste 39 Symonds 39, 44, 45
Borrett 19 HSE 36 Thaxter 35
Brackler 34 Hurry 47 Thompson 16, 19, 48, 49
Bright 48 Hurst 36, 47 Tolver 17, 33
Brightin 49 Jackson 48 Turner 30, 42
Brinsley 43 Jolly 32 Upsher 35
Brown 33 Langley 34 Walter 30
Browne 32 Laycon 48 Wade 38
Burrough 43 Le Grice 34 Waggett 20
Burton 31 Le Grys 17 Ward 17, 18, 48
Butcher 33 Linder 45 Whitton 45
Clarke 33 Love 34 Wilson 20
Clements 38 Lovell 41 Woods 49
Cooper 17, 48 Macro 46 Wright 49
Costerton 17, 18, 34 Marsh 47
Crickfield (Chuchfield) 33 Master 35 Pictures of gravestones
Cutting 35 MCH 37 still in existence
Cuttinge 38 Mew 41
Dade 43 Miller 41 Artis 15
Dickson 18 Money 32 Barnard 15
Ditcham 38 Moore 17, 33 Bernard 15
Drake 50 Morse 32 Brightin 15
Ducker 18 Neech 46 Burton 13
Dunlop 47 Newman 46 Errington 14
Ede 41 Nichols 32 Fowle 14
EN 37 Norfor 37 Hay 14
England 37, 39 Nye 45 Love 13
Errington 33 Owner 43 Nichols 13
Fauld 17 Partridge 31, 32, 33 Partridge 13, 14
Felstead 34, 37 Payne 17, 18 Porter 15
Ferrier 39, 49, 50 Pepys 19 Pritchard 16
Fisher 36 Phillipo 48 Preston 14
Fowle 35 Porter 47 Symonds 13, 16
Fuller 17, 46 Preston 44 Walter 15
G 44 Pritchard 45 Whitton 16
Garwood 31, 40 Ridge 31

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Record of the Surviving and Legible Memorial

Slabs on the Floor

Edited by Paul P. Davies

Copyright © Great Yarmouth Local History and Archaeological Society

Great Yarmouth Local History and Archaeological Society

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or

The Great Yarmouth Local History

Great Yarmouth Local History

Vice Chairman and Secretary

North Chancel Side Aisle ….. 17

North Transept ….. 18

North Aisle ….. 19

Plans of the sites of the legible gravestones existing in 1957….. 22

North Aisle continued ….. 30

Under the tower ….. 47

South Aisle ….. 47

South Chancel Aisle ….. 48

Plan of legible gravestones in 1957

Before the destruction of the church in the Second World War

In 1957, a plan of the surviving legible gravestones in the

The plan of 134 legible gravestones, which was made in

Many gravestones of the great and good of Great Yarmouth

Turner was not the only collator of gravestones,

In the preface to his book, Dawson Turner

In 1840 there were over 500

We know from The Perlustration of

The numerous guild side chapels also contained

Palmer also noted the following gravestones,

1. Thomas Manthorpe, an alderman,

2. Captain Francis Courtenay RN in the

3. Captain George Young of the

4. Captain Thomas Peyton RN, who

5. Captain Thomas Middleton, who

6. Captain John Little RN, who died

7. Captain Deane of the packet,

8. Captain Robert Abbon Marsh,

9. Major Downes, of the St. James’

10. Charles Philpott, who died on

11. Mr. Brock, buried in the south

The custom of hanging hatchments in

The George Parker hatchment

The Cooper hatchment

List of hatchments in St. Nicholas’ Church in 1893

The surviving gravestone of Errington and Partridge

Fowle coat of arms

The surviving gravestone of Brightin/Barnard

The surviving gravestone of Porter/Bernard

The surviving gravestone of Artis

The surviving gravestone of Symonds The surviving gravestone of Symonds

The surviving gravestone of Pritchard The surviving gravestone of Whitton

North Chancel Side Aisle (Plan page 22)

1. Moore, John, died 4th December 1722.

2. Tolver, Samuel, died 15th January 1746, aged 73 years.

3. Moore, Rebecca, died 1830, aged 80 years.

4. Payne, wife of Captain Thomas, died 1701, aged 77 years.

Not documented in Sepulchral Reminiscences by Dawson Turner.

7. Ferrier, Edward, died 1759.

8. Ward, James, died 10th October 1715.

9. Thompson, George, died 8th November 1819, aged 78 years.