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Borley
Borley maps
Historic maps of Borley and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Borley maps
Borley area books
Displaying 1 of 18 books about Borley and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Borley
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memories of Borley.
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All Hot Air...or is It?
It was a beautiful hot summer's day, and we took our three children on a bike ride. We biked along the old railway track from Sudbury to Rodbridge. We saw a combine harvester in a nearby field and stopped for a while, eventually making our way up Borely Hill. As we ascended up the hill the strangest thing happened! The air suddenly went icy cold. We all felt it. The nearer to the church we got, the colder we got. It was a strange experience. We joked about the haunted church, but in the end we just put it down to natural climate change...or was it?!
Suffolk memories
Roots
My Grandfather William Hazell came from Pentlow and was a legend in our family. the rest of his family spelled their name Hasell and there seem to be many in Pentlow going back to the 1700s.
Grandfather William found himself in Pentlow and Foxearth area where he was born and had no work to provide a living for himself.
He decided to leave Pentlow Hills area and walked all the way from there down to the village of Hazeleigh in Essex in order to find employment and a wife. He lived in the Dengie Hundred for most of his life and my family look back to Pentlow and Foxearth as the place of our roots.
Always happy to hear from anyone who might be related to us
My Ancestors James Waters And Letty Waters (nee Cant)
James and Letty Waters, both born about 1811, are my great, great, great grandparents. In the 1841 census Letty is recorded as living in Wickham St Paul with 5 children, one of whom was Daniel, my great, great grandafther. James at the time of the census was in the Halstead House of Correction for, I think, a minor infringement though I am investigating that further. Letty Cant was born in Wickham St Paul I believe. I think James Waters was too but I am not sure about that. I think they may have married in Wickham St Paul. Letty was a straw plaiter who lived at Shellard's in Wick St Paul in 1841. My line of the family moved into London, presumably for work. I would like to track down James and Letty's parents and wonder if there are any Waters and Cants still living in Wickham St Paul who may have family connections with James and Letty. Thanks, Jo Waters
The Ransons Move to Castle Hedingham
We arrived in Castle Hedingham around the turn of the year 1964/5, Mum, Dad, my three little brothers and myself. Our newly built house was just out of shot to the left of this photo of Pye Corner. Mum & Dad's friend Tony owned the white Alvis car parked on the green. We were very excited be in our big house. It was a cold winter and Mum was trying to get us settled in. Like all new houses it had it's teething problems.
We all eventually went to De Vere primary school on the other side of the village and made lots of friends, some of whom we still see. Also on Pye Corner was a lovely old house called Astles. It belonged to a man called Mr. Kelk. His granddaughter, Charlotte showed me all the nooks and crannies of the house and garden which fascinated me and began my interest in old houses that continues to this day. Mr. Kelk's house has recently been beautifully restored... Read more
Pye Corner Castle Hedingham
My grandfather used to live in Nunnery Street in the 1880s. His name was James Pilgrim born 10.6.1845, died 18.7.1900, he was married to Julia Reeve born 18.5.1849, died 24.3.1924, they had 9 children. I think my grandmother was born in Pye Corner, (6) Nunnery Street.
My Grandfather
My grandfather Harry William Letch lived, towards the end of his life, at "Near Rising Sun", Nunnery Street, Castle Hedingham. He died I believe in 1952. His wife Ellen Ruth (nee Teader) may also have lived at this address at some time. The Letch family seems to have been around for many generations in the same area. I wonder if anyone knows where exactly he lived or has any information about his family. I can remember as a child visiting the Castle for picnics with my parents but didn't realize until quite recently that my grandparnts had lived nearby.
GREAT YELDHAM 50+ YEARS AGO
Born in Chelmsford in 1946 I grew up in Gt. Yeldham but after a career in the Fleet Air Arm the flying side of the Royal Navy I settled in Somerset. The small town where I now reside though quite away from the coast is close to a Royal Naval Air Station at which I served. I married a Yeldham girl and as I mentioned we live in Somerset.
As a child I lived at the top of Oaker Hill on the Ridgewell road and opposite the entrance to the RAF station. Father was a porter at Yeldham station before becoming a platelayer for BR and ending up as a Signalman at Birdbrook station. We moved to the Croft when it was built I think in the 1950s and would go by bus to Hedingham Secondary Modern School. Mother was a Post Lady and also helped run the library as a volunteer.
I can remember Highfields being built as some of it was directly behind our house in The Croft... Read more
