Glemsford Street Names

- some musings -

In helping Glemsford Local History Society celebrate their 20th Anniversary in 2010, I found an excuse to put together some recent cerebral ramblings about some of the street names in the village and, in particular, correct a major error in my own understanding of the village.

Flax Lane, previously known as "Workhouse Lane"

It's best to start here, I suppose.
When Richard Deeks originally wrote the text for "A Walk Through Glemsford" in 1993, he referred to Flax Lane's previous identity as "Workhouse Lane", and identified it as the site of the parish Workhouse.
When I copied the material onto this site, I added this peremptory note:
"I disagree with Richard here, feeling that a "workhouse" simply meant a factory. I have never seen any evidence that Glemsford had a workhouse before the Sudbury Union was created after 1834."

Ho hum.

I am indebted to Ray Whitehand, of Historical Suffolk Research Services, for pointing out the error of my ways!

Ray's researches confirm that Glemsford did indeed have its own Workhouse:

in 1776-7, a survey was carried out by order of the government into the provision of Poor Relief; included in it was an inventory of workhouse provision. That inventory shows Glemsford, along with Hartest, Cavendish, Clare and Lawshall (for instance), having a workhouse of its own, with places for 50 people;
in January 1776, an advertisement appeared in the Ipswich Journal for "a man and wife to be managers of Glemsford workhouse, they must understand the woollen manufactuary in regarding to spinning work and carding, none need apply who cannot stand strict scrutiny in regarding the honesty, sobriety and humanity. Apply to officers of the parish";
in March 1811, a similar advertisement appeared for a "governor";
and, retrospectively, White's Directory of 1844 talks of income of "£4 from the rents of the town field and workhouse";
while the tithe map and apportionment for the parish, which probably took place in the 1840s refers specifically to plot 514: workhouse field, plot 507: workhouse garden and plot 515: workhouse pasture. And plot 506: which shows a building is described as: "house, garden, malthouse, 1 rod 9 perch is owned and occupied by William Smith" - Ray assumes this was the workhouse itself which, as Richard indicated, stood where the Mirror Factory used to be.

Again, I am very grateful to Ray for his help here, and happily direct readers to his own web site: www.historicalsuffolk.com and to his book on the subject of Suffolk's workhouses.

As always, Richard was right; Glemsford had a Workhouse, and it was on what is now Flax Lane.

Bells Lane

In all the time I lived in the village, I never really stopped to think about this road name. I suppose, because the road leads to the church, I must have assumed it had something to do with the sound of the bells across that part of the village, but, consciously, it never occurred to me to question it.
Then I had an email from Penny Rose who raised a fascinating possibility, namely that Glemsford had its own bell foundry. She has seen bells from the village, possibly in Great Waldingfield. So: does anyone have any more light to throw on Glemsford Bells? Was Bells Lane the site of a foundry?

Which leads me on to:

Whitechapel

Some correspondents recently have asked whether I know anything about an area of the village being referred to as "Whitechapel". I don't, but am happy to throw the question open.
And in the context of the village and Bells Lane, of course, another Whitechapel was an area of London famous for bell making. Could there be a connection between names and occupations?

If anyone does have any thoughts to add, please do not hesitate to contact me, either by email to admin@glemsford.org.uk, or by leaving a note on the Family History Blog page. I look forward to hearing from you.

And, indeed, Jenny Wears has been in touch with the following, for which I am very grateful:

"During my searches at the Bury Record Office, over the past couple of years, I have come across The Six Bells, Glemsford. The period is mainly 1752-1776 and the P/H also crops up in the Ipswich Journal between 1761 and 1776.(Thanks to the Foxearth LHS)

I'm pretty sure the place was named after the six bells of St Mary's and the lane then after the pub/hostelry.

It must have occupied a good plot as horse and sheep fairs were held there regularly; unfortunately it was too early for the Tithe map and there is a dearth of other maps for that period."

Brilliant stuff, adding more material, thoughts and extra questions to another area of Glemsford's History.
I wonder what else we may find.