The Bower & Collier Family History
Research by Colin Bower
The Big One!
Visits to Debenham in Suffolk
We have made a number of enjoyable visits to the delightful Suffolk village of Debenham on the River Deben where many of my wife Chris descendants came from (Hunt, Marjoram and Ransome).
At the time, some of the lanes/roads appeared to us to have rather grandiose names like Gracechurch Street (similar name to the famous road in the City of London) and Chancery Lane (similar name to the famous road near Holborn in London).
On our first vist to Debenham in 1982, it was on a Sunday morning and we saw a (probably informal) arrangement/event taking place where a number of horses and carriages were being driven to the village pub for a Sunday drink or lunch. Wonderful.
A number of christenings and marriages took place at the church of St Mary Magdalene and also Debenham's Independent Church.
On our first visit to Debenham, we went into St Mary's Church and found that the Parish Records had been summarised onto a card index system. We communicated with the vicar and the lady concerned, who was kind enough to provide me with a list of entries for the Hunt Family in which we were interested. Sadly the lady died but we were able to access the card index on subsequent visits in 1985, 1998 & 2000 and obtain the entries for Marjoram and Ransome. The card index was last held at a firm of chartered architects at , "the Market Cross".
From a book on Debenham, the upper floor of the Market Cross building was at one time a school; at one time the lower floor was quite open and frequently used as a corn market.
Ransomes living in Debenham
George Ransome married Susannah (Susan) Alhous/Ollis or Aldous at St Mary's on 17 November 1811. A number of their children were christened at Debenham's Independent Church.
George & Susan's daughter Elizabeth married Jeremiah Marjoram at St Mary's on 16 May 1864.In 1891 Jeremiah & Elizabeth were livng in Back Lane, Debenham.
Photographs of Debenham
Outside& Inside the Parish Church of St Mary's
On the corner of High Street and Gracechurch Street (to the right)
The Market Cross building where the card index of Parish Records was held on our last visit
Behind this building was Little Back Lane (and behind that was Great Back Lane!) Following Little Back Lane was Chancery Lane.
Walking along the High Street
Colin Bower
31 October 2010
