Post Office Directory of 1865.
Commercial Traders in 1865
WICKHAM MARKET is a post town, in Wilford hundred and rural deanery,
Plomesgate union, Woodbridge county court district, Suffolk archdeaconry, and
diocese of Norwich, East Suffolk, pleasantly situated" on an eminence by the
river Deben, and 5 miles north from Woodbridge, on the old turnpike road leading
from London to Yarmouth. The Great Eastern Railway passes near the town; the
nearest station to Wickham Market is at Campsey Ashe, a village 2 miles from the
town. The church of All Saints stands upon a hill, and has a handsome octagonal
tower, surmounted by a spire covered with lead; it contains 6 bells and a clock
: the steeple is a conspicuous seamark: the south aisle of the church was
erected at the cost of Walter Fulburn, who was buried here in 1489. The living
is a vicarage, vicarial tithe rent-charge commuted at �105, a stipend of �40
charged on a farm a� Barsham, the property of the Rev. John Yelloly, late part
of the estate of Robert William Rede, Esq., for reading prayers during the time
of Lent, and the rent of the glebe land with the vicarage, containing 38a. 2r.
2p. in the gift of the Lord Chancellor, and held by the Kev. Weeden Butler, M.A.
The trustees of Pemberton's Charity are impropriators of the rectorial tithe
rent charge, commuted at �195. The Independents and Wesleyans Methodists have
chapels in this parish. The town estate comprises 39a. 20p. of land, one acre of
which is freehold, and lies in the adjoining parish of Hacheston; the remainder
is copyhold, and lies in this parish: that part of the estate called the " Old
Town Land," about 17 acres, has been for a very long period appropriated to
charitable and public purposes; the other part of the estate, called the " New
Town Lands' about 22 acres, was purchased with �320, �300 of which was left by
Mrs. Ann Barker in 1730, " to be laid out by the minister and churchwardens in
the purchase of lands, upon trust that two-thirds of the rents thereof should be
applied towards the benefit of the poor, either in the workhouse or otherwise,
and the other third part to the teaching of poor children to read and write:"
the rents of the whole estate are now applied, under a decree of the Court of
Chancery, made in the year 1835, in occasionally apprenticing one or two boys,
in a salary to the National schoolmaster, and the remainder to the support of
the poor. A National school was built here in 1842. This was formerly a town of
some consequence, with a shire hall, in which quarter sessions were held, but
the hall has been taken down and the sessions removed to Woodbridge. It had a
weekly market and two fairs (now disused) granted in 1440 by Henry VI. Andrew
Arcedeckne, Esq., is owner of the greater part of the land; but the Duke of
Hamilton and Brandon is lord of the manor of Wickham with its members and Byng.
The family of Ufford gave the manor and church to Campsey Priory, and Henry
VIII. granted the former to Anthony Wingfield. I n 1600, Thomas Wood, Bishop of
Lichfield and Coventry, by his will charged his manor of Barham with the payment
of �15 per annum for equal division among four poor men of Wickham Market, and
with providing each of them with a gown once in two years, marked with the
letters "H. W.": the testator's heir, Henry Webb, neglected to pay these charges
till 1705, when it was ordered by a decree of the Court of Exchequer that the
estate of Barham Hall should be charged with the further yearly sum of �6 as
interest of the arrears, so that the four pensioners now each receive �5 5s. per
annum, and a coat once in two years. A sum of �50 was, by the will of William
Butcher, dated 12th January, 1854, directed to be invested, and the interest
thereof laid out in the purchase of bread, to be distributed at Christmas, or
such other time or times as the minister and churchwardens shall think fit,
amongst the most deserving poor of the said parish, preferring those attending
divine worship in the church. In 1703 Thomas Mills, by his will, directed the
trustees of his estate to cause 5s. worth of bread to be distributed quarterly
amongst the poor persons in Wickham Market, which has been regularly continued.
John Kirby, who published the " Suffolk Traveller," resided here from 1732 to
1753, when he died. Mr. James White, of this town, has in operation a
self-winding clock, which, he states, determines the time with unfailing
accuracy, maintaining a constant motion by itself, never requiring to be wound
up, and which will continue its movements so long as its component parts exist.
Thomas Harsant, well known for his mechanical attainments, died here in 1852,
aged 88. The extensive engineering and iron works of Messrs. Whitmore and Sons
are in this parish, giving constant employment to over 200 hands: these works
are supplied with gas manufactured on the premises, and it is proposed to extend
the supply to the whole town. The workhouse of the Plomesgate union is in this
parish. The union comprises the following places:�Aldeburgh, Benhall, Blaxhall,
Brandeston, Bruisyard, Butley, Campsey Ash, Chillesford, Cransford, Cretingbam,
Earl Soham, Easton, Eyke, Farnham, Framlingham, Friston, Gedgrave, Great Glenham,
Hacheston, Havergate Island, Hazlewood, Hoo, Iken, Kenton, Kettleburgb,
Letheringham, Little Glemham, Marlesford, Monewden, Orford, Parham, Rendham,
Rendlesham, Saxmundham, Snape, Sternfield, Stratford St. Andrew, Sudborne,
Swefling,Tunstall,Wattisden, Wickham Market. The parish contains, by Tithe
Commutation survey, 1,174a. 28 � p. of land, and 1,571 inhabitants by the census
of 1861.
GLEVERING lies to the north.
Parish Clerk, Jesse Hill.
POST & MONEY ORDER OFFICE & POST OFFICE SAvINGS BANK.�Daniell Till, postmaster.
Letters delivered at 7 a.m. & 2 p.m.; dispatched at 1.40 a.m. & 10 p.m. Money
orders are granted & paid daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. & on Saturdays from 9 to 8
INSURANCE AGENTS:�
Clerical, Medical & General Life, Whitmore & Sons
Liverpool & London & Globe, W. P. Bartrum & W. Oxborrow
Norwich Union, Welton & Son
Reliance Mutual Life, C. H. Read
Sovereign Life, D. Till
Suffolk Alliance, Whitmore & Sons
Sun Fire if Life, William F. Motum
Plomesgate Union House, George Mason, master; Mrs. N. Mason,
matron
National Schools, Richard Bellingham, master; Mrs. Ann Bellingham, mistress
CONVEYANCE.�Omnibus from Vine inn to the Station, to meet the trains
CARRIERS TO (from ' Chequers'):�
HALESWORTH�Coates, on tuesday
IPSWICH�Mavhew, on tuesday & Saturday; Coates, monday at noon; Meen, monday
SAXMUNDHAM�Rouse, on Tuesday & friday
STRADBROKE�Meen, tuesday
WOODBRIDGE�Mayhew, monday & Wednesday
Barclay James Pringle, esq
Butler Rev. Weeden, M.A. [vicar]
Cochrane George, esq
Earl Mrs
Edwards Miss
Foreman Mrs
Griffiths James, esq
Jackson Rev. Michael Satterthwaite [curate]
Jackson Rev. Thomas [Independent]
Keer George, esq
Largent Mr. John
Lynn Lieut.-Col. James
Muriel Cant. William, R.N
Muriel William George, esq
Shipley Mrs. Susan
Tench Edward B. esq
Thurkettle Mrs
Welton Cornelius, esq
Whitmore William, esq