Jackamans
Mary Ann Cobbold (courtesy of John Jackaman)
George Edward Jackaman
Born: 1849, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Died: 1903, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Mary Ann Cobbold
Born: 1854, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Died: 1951, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Children
Florence Emily Jackaman, born 1874, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Rosetta Jackaman, born 1878, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
George Jackaman, born 1879, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Ella Augusta Jackaman, born 1880, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
George Edward Jackaman, born 1882, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Lilian Jackaman, born 1885, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Nimrod Jackaman, born 1886, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Canon Jackaman, born 1888, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Martin Jackaman, born 1890, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Bessie Jackaman, born 1892, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
Cyril Jackaman, born 1893, Mendlesham, Suffolk, England
George Edward Jackaman
George was one of a long line of Jackamans who seem to have been in Mendlesham at least since the 1500s. It was quite an experience for me in 2010 to stand at the font in that church knowing that the Jackaman part of my family have worshipped, married, been baptised and left this earth in the same 12th century church for at least 4 to 500 years.
St Mary's Mendlesham, font to altar
Old George was a cordwainer (a particular sort of shoemaker) and poultryman as well as the parish clerk or sexton at that church in the late 1800s and early 1900s. A sexton is a church officer charged with the maintenance of its buildings and/or the surrounding graveyard. The parish clerk, in those times, recorded births, marriages, deaths and funerals and could, I gather, charge a small fee for doing so.
I don't know much more about my great grandfather, but this little snippet from a 1959 article by Walter Tye, a contemporary of George's, brought him to life a little for me.
'The most enjoyable sing-song of the year was that f'ollowing the Church Choir tea, when Vicar, wardens choristers, bell-ringers, and organ blower, met at the Royal Oak Inn for their annual Christmas party. Supper over, everybody was in convivial mood, ready to take an active part in the evening's entertainment. No need for a printed programme, for the same songs, speeches, tales, etc, were repeated, and asked for, year after year. The Village Schoolmaster, Arthur Mayfield, was the only one to offer variety.
'Sutton Bendall, the young Miller, usually started the evening with his unique little song, "I really can't sit still". This suited the boys, who joined in the chorus with vigour. Then followed the Village Sexton, George Jackaman, who, although old and tremulous, never failed to get a clap for his rendering of Tim Flanagan’s Ball.'
While the building that was the Royal Oak is no longer a pub, it is still there. Apparently it was also the local courthouse as well.
Former Royal Oak public house
Mary Ann Cobbold
Again, I don't much about my great grandmother, except that she was long-lived. Born in 1854, she died at 96 in 1951. Ironically, that was same year her daughter, my grandmother, died. When I visited Mendlesham in 2009 and 2010, I tried, unsuccessfully, to find her grave.
A Canadian cousin of mine, John Jackaman, has the following memories of Mary Ann.
'My great-grandmother, then in her 90’s, lived in the village and we visited her from time to time. She must have been a grand old girl as I can still hear the family admonishing her for balancing on a stepladder and whitewashing her own kitchen despite her advanced years. My sister hinted that great-grandmother was a kept woman at one point in her life, but I never heard any details of such naughty goings on.'
Mary Ann Cobbold at the back door of the Front Street house, 1936 (courtesy Sheila Culbertson)
She certainly was an attractive lady in her younger years, as the picture at the head of this article shows.
Mendlesham
Mendlesham in about 1908
While the village doesn't appear in the Doomesday Book, it would appear that people have been living in the locality for thousands of years as archeological finds indicate the probable presence of Neolithic and Roman settlements. Scandinavian settlers are indicated by the village name and a silver crown, weighing 60 ounces, supposed to have belonged to a king of East Anglia, being dug up in the late 17th century. A runic (that is, Scandinavian) gold ring also was found in 1758.
There has been a church in Mendlesham for over 1,000 years, but most of the current structure dates from the 1200s. Dedicated to St Mary, the church includes some Norman arches; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with lofty tower; and was restored in 1864-6. The Church enjoys a glorious heritage with splendid mediaeval brasses and benches, an Elizabethan Holy table and a Jacobean pulpit and font cover. Over the North Porch is a fine armoury with its unique collection of Tudor armour. The parish register dates from 1558.
St Mary's Mendlesham
(Marian martyrs)
(Spanish Armada)
(Grocer's coin)
(There is a record of an Elizabeth Jackman being born in Mendlesham on 29 September 1567 - I assume an ancestor.)
Around 1870 the village was described as consisting mainly of two long streets (Front and Back [now Market] Streets), parallel with each other. It was formerly a market town, but by the 1870s the market had long been discontinued, however, there was a pleasure fair held annually in October. In the 1800s the Jackamans and their related families (especially the Finbows) seemed to congregate in this area.
(Spanish Armada)
(Grocer's coin)
(There is a record of an Elizabeth Jackman being born in Mendlesham on 29 September 1567 - I assume an ancestor.)
Around 1870 the village was described as consisting mainly of two long streets (Front and Back [now Market] Streets), parallel with each other. It was formerly a market town, but by the 1870s the market had long been discontinued, however, there was a pleasure fair held annually in October. In the 1800s the Jackamans and their related families (especially the Finbows) seemed to congregate in this area.
The land was said to have clay subsoil and to be productive. The air was said to be ‘salubrious.’ In 1900 the chief crops were wheat, barley, peas and roots.
There were chapels for Independents and Baptists, a national school and an endowed grammar school. There were also three public houses, the Kings Head, The Oak Inn and the XXX.
In 1891, the population of the parish was 1,198.
Close by is the hamlet of Mendlesham Green. Though the green was distant only about 1½ miles from the village, the cultural gap seems to have been greater. Our contemporary observor, Walter Tye, tells us the story of Mendlesham's fire engine.
'During the early years of the century the 'Street', the traditional rival of the 'Green', was given a manually operated fire engine by Jacob Robinson, a local farmer. The village people were very proud of this, but not so the 'Green' folk, who vowed they would never use it, even though their old cottages burned to the ground. The chapel-goers and Radicals of the 'Green' would have nothing to do with the church-folk and Tories of the 'Street'. For those reasons the 'Green' decided to get its own fire engine. William Arbon, the local carpenter and general handyman, was asked to build it and a very good job he made of it apparently. Three men could work it and it was capable of throwing a powerful stream.'
Walter also gives a little glimpse of what people did for enjoyment in the late 1800s (from Music in the Village, by Walter Tye, The Suffolk Review, Bulletin of the Suffolk local History Council, Vol 2, No 2, June 1959).
'Most Suffolk village homes in late Victorian times had some sort of musical instrument, if only a concertina or a flute. With bad, and almost impassable, roads, and but little transport except the carriers cart, folks had either to make their own music, or go without.
'When passing through Mendlesham ‘Street’, or the ‘Green’, on a winter’s evening in the nineties, one could often hear a tinkling piano, or a wheezy harmonium, or maybe a whining fiddle; and should it be a Saturday night, one was bound to hear concertinas, grinding out their hornpipes, at the five Village Inns. There, on Tuesday evening, and the two Sunday services, one never failed to hear the five bells of St. Mary’s, which could easily be heard throughout the Parish. At such times the more enthusiastic boys stood around, looking forward to the time when they themselves could handle the ropes.
'This story of "Music in the Village" would not be complete without mention of the old Singing Games, which were frequently heard in the School playground during the nineties. One could seldom pass the School those days without hearing strains of "Poor Mary lies aweepin’, aweepin’, or "Now you’re married you must be good, make your husband chop the wood". Boys looked on these games as being silly~ preferring to keep to their hoops and spinning tops, but the girls took them seriously, impersonating in turn princesses, gypsies, dairymaids, etc. It was the introduction of 'organised games' that eventually killed the Singing Games, which had their origin on the Village Green.
'The last time I heard the old Singing Games was, strangely enough, at the Mendlesham Green Chapel treat, which was held in the meadow adjoining. There, on a summer's evening bearded deacons, Sunday School teachers and older scholars, joined in those fascinating "ring games". On one such occasion I succeeded in drawing away the men folk to play the new game of Soccer ~ much to the annoyance of the girls. The game, however, only lasted a few minutes. The strains of "Here We Go Gathering Nuts and May" proved too much for them. Donning their jackets, they slyly returned to their women folk, leaving the referee disgusted, but amused.'
A darker side of life in 19th century Mendlesham is shown in this item I found on the internet.
'The Suffolk Coroner (Mr Charton) on Tuesday held an inquest at the Green Man Inn, Mendlesham, touching the death of a child, named Maggie Alberta Wade, daughter of Henry Wade, an agricultural labourer. The first witness called was the mother, Elizabeth Wade, who stated that last Friday the deceased pulled a cup of boiling soup over herself and was badly scalded. She did not send for a doctor, but at once sent for an old woman living in the neighbourhood, whose name is Brundish, who, according to witness, is possessed of supernatural powers in the cure of burns and scalds. The old woman came at once, and said some strange words over the child, and passed her hands across the injured parts. Witness, under these circumstances, did not consider the attendance of a medical man necessary, but notwithstanding the woman's incantation, the child died in 40 hours. Witness persisted in expressing her belief in the old woman's power, and said she really was a witch. The female referred to declined to reveal the words spoken, as she said she would lose her power. Other witnesses professed their faith in the professions of the old woman. Eventually, after the Coroner had commented on the superstition exhibited, medical evidence was given to the effect that the child's life could not have been saved.'
Sources
Pastscape, English Heritage, National Monuments Record: www.pastscape.org.uk/default.aspx
'The Suffolk Coroner (Mr Charton) on Tuesday held an inquest at the Green Man Inn, Mendlesham, touching the death of a child, named Maggie Alberta Wade, daughter of Henry Wade, an agricultural labourer. The first witness called was the mother, Elizabeth Wade, who stated that last Friday the deceased pulled a cup of boiling soup over herself and was badly scalded. She did not send for a doctor, but at once sent for an old woman living in the neighbourhood, whose name is Brundish, who, according to witness, is possessed of supernatural powers in the cure of burns and scalds. The old woman came at once, and said some strange words over the child, and passed her hands across the injured parts. Witness, under these circumstances, did not consider the attendance of a medical man necessary, but notwithstanding the woman's incantation, the child died in 40 hours. Witness persisted in expressing her belief in the old woman's power, and said she really was a witch. The female referred to declined to reveal the words spoken, as she said she would lose her power. Other witnesses professed their faith in the professions of the old woman. Eventually, after the Coroner had commented on the superstition exhibited, medical evidence was given to the effect that the child's life could not have been saved.'
Sources
Pastscape, English Heritage, National Monuments Record: www.pastscape.org.uk/default.aspx
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