Suffolk Villages Home Page | Ipswich Borough & Suffolk Hundreds |Suffolk Villages and Towns A - Z
THURLOW, (LITTLE) in 1844 is a neat village, adjoining that of Great Thurlow,
4 1/2 miles N. by E. of Haverhill, has in its parish 422 souls, and 1357 acres
of strong fertile iand. Mrs. Soame, of Bury, is lady of the manor, and owner of
most of the soil, and the remainder belongs to the Rev, William Chafy, D.D., and
a few smaller owners. The Hall, now a farm-house, on the west side of the vale,
was built in the reign of Elizabeth, by Sir Stephen Soame, Knight, who had been
lord mayor of London, and founded the school and almshouse here, as afterwards
noticed. There is a monument to his memory in the Church, (St. Peter.) which has
a tower and five bells, and was new pewed and repaired in 1843. The rectory,
valued in K.B. at £7. 10s. 5d., and in 1835, at £401, is in the patronage of
Mrs. Soame, and incumbency of the Rev. Thomas Crick, B.D., for whom the Rev.
Frederick Crick, M.A., officiates. The present estimated yearly rental of the
parish is £1859. 18s. 6d.
Soames Almshouse and School:- In the 15th of James I., Sir Stephen Soame, Knt.,
by his will declared that an Almshouse, which he had built in Little Thurlow,
should be for the habitation of eight poor unmarried persons, men and women, of
the age of 64 years or upwards, and who should have been resident 24 years in
Little Thurlow; but if so many could not be found here, he directed that the
remainder might be chosen from Great Thurlow, or Wratting. He also ordered that
the ninth room in the middle of the almshouse should be occupied by a person who
should read prayers to the rest of the almspeople. He willed that his executors
should purchase a yearly rent-charge of £30, to provide for the weekly payment
of 14d. a week to each of the nine almspeople, and to supply them with eight
loads of good faggots yearly, and with a gown each once in two years. And after
reciting that he had built a Schoolhouse here, he declared that it should be
employed as a free school for the parishes of Little and Great Thurlow, Great
and Little Bradley, Wratting, Ketton, Hundon, and other parishes in Suffolk; and
that the children should be taught by the master and usher in the English and
Latin tongues, writing, and cyphering. By a codicil dated March 2nd, 1618, the
testator charged the manor of Carlton, in Cambridgeshire, with the yearly
rent-charges of £30 for the almshouse, and £30 for the school; and of the hither
he directed £20 to be paid to the master, and £10 to the usher. By an indenture
in the 1st of Queen Anne, the manor of Carlton was also charged with providing
the faggots and gowns for the use of the almspeople, who are appointed by the
owner of the said manor, and the minister and churchwardens of Little Thurlow.
The school has attached to it apartments and a garden for the use of the master,
who receives £30 a year, and teaches reading, writing, and arithmetic
gratuitously to about 12 poor children nominated by the rector and
churchwardens. No usher has been appointed for many years, and the salary of the
usher was not paid till a few years ago, when the present owner of the manor of
Carlton agreed to add it to the master's annuity. The Poor's Estate, given by
Josiah Houghton, in 1693, consists of about 3a. of land, let for £5 a year, and
the Town House, which is partly occupied by paupers, and partly let to three
tenants at rents amounting to £4 a year. The rents are carried to the
poor-rates, but they ought to be distributed among such poor inhabitants as do
not receive parochial relief.
THURLOW (LITTLE.)
Baker Benjamin, surgeon
Betts Benjamin, wheelwright
Choat Mr Simon
Collins Mr Rd.
Crick Rev. Frederick, M.A. curate, Rectory
Daniels James, grocer and draper
Dearsley Joseph, corn miller
Bench Capt. T.
Farrow Hy. farrier
French John, schoolmaster
Lee Joshua, turner and shovel maker
Neave Ezra, collar and harness maker
Sargeant John, beerhouse keeper
Smith Joseph, tailor
Sparrow Thomas, victualler, Cock
Trudgett George, butcher
Vince William, grocer and draper
Wakelin James, blacksmith
Webb John, butcher
Webb William Henry, veterinary surgeon
FARMERS.
Bailey Samuel
Goodchild Joseph
Howard Mary
Osborne Alice
Osborne William
Shoemakers.
Fitch James
Fitch, Joseph
Webb Henry
CARRIERS.
William Cockerton, to London, Wed.
James Fitch, to Cambridge, Sat. and Bury, Wed.
Search my sites :