Diss Family History Group

The Bartrums
(Betty Morley)

The 1939 Register shows two Bartrum households in Thwaite Green, Fersfield.

All were descended from William, a farm labourer born in 1821 just across the border in Wortham, Suffolk, and Sophia his wife. One of their sons was Henry, born 10th August 1854 who became a farm labourer like his father and in 1891 he married Elizabeth from Wattisfield.

In the 1911 census we find Henry and Elizabeth with their children Roland (aged 17), Rupert (aged 13) Dorothy (aged 11), Hermin (aged 9) Jesse (aged 7), Ivan (aged 3) and Leonard sometimes called Leslie (aged l). All these were born in Palgrave except the youngest who was born in Eye. Henry and Elizabeth stated they had 12 living children and 2 had died.

By 1914 the Bartrums had moved to Thwaites \Green, Fersfield, and two Bartrum brothers served in WW1, Roland as Private 9033, 1st Norfolk Regiment, and Charles as Private 8818, 1sr Norfolk Regiment and Private 16770 Machine Gun Corps.

Living close by at Thwaite Green Farm was Miss Mabel Laws and her friend Hannah Hunt.

In June 1933. Leslie Bartrum 22 and Reginald 28 appeared in court charged with breaking and entering the house of Mabel Laws and Hannah Hunt at about 11 p.m. on 11th April, causing actual bodily harm to Mabel Laws (aged 60) and malicious damage to the property.

The old ladies lived in Thwaite Green Farm, a small farmhouse about 5 miles from Diss. They had heard a noise in the hall and on investigating found the hall door open and a man disappearing into the night. They made the door secure.

They then heard footsteps outside and Mabel Laws went outside and saw Leslie and Reginald Bartrum by the goat house. She went back indoors but then saw a flash of light by the pond near the road so she went out again with a lantern and stick. Reginald Bartrum seized the stick from her and struck her on the side of the face and tried to push her into the ditch. She got hold of his hair and he let her go. She went back to the house.

Afterwards someone broke the dining room window. Mabel Laws went out again and Reginald was standing near the plum tree with the stick in his hand. He told her to get back in to the house which she did. He tried to force the back kitchen door but it was closed, bolted and locked.. The two old ladies went upstairs with a bugle which they blew and waved a lantern in the window.

When cross examined Mabel Laws said she had ben at the farm for 6 years and kept goats and bees.

She was asked if the goats all had different names and she said they did and named them.

Counsel said he expected the village boys came and annoyed them.

Mabel Laws replied that they didn’t seem to like them.

Counsel: You sometimes throw water on the boys.

Mabel Laws: I had two buckets of dirty water thrown over me so I threw some clean water in their faces because they were smashing our gate.

Pressed, Mabel had no idea of the time when this happened. She said she had two clocks but one gained and the other lost.

In defence Leslie and Reginald Bartrum denied the charges.

Eliza Channell of Row Farm went down the lane near Thwaite Farm at 11 and returned at 11.30 p.m. She carried a lantern and heard a bugle.

The jury found the two men not guilty of burglary but guilty of assault and damage.

Mabel Laws merely desired to be protected against further annoyance and would be content if the men were bound over.

Sir Bartle Frere said the men were guilty of a cowardly act on two defenceless old ladies and it was only the strong appeal of Miss Laws that had saved them from going to prison. A most wicked thing to do. Bound over for two years and had to pay £2.10.0 each towards costs.

In the 1939 Register we see that Henry is now an 85 year od widower, living in a cottage in Thwaites Green with his sons Roland and Regnald.

Son Ivan, born July 1907, married Phylis in 1934 and by 1939 they had three children Joan born 1934, Dennis born 1935 and Daphne born 1937. Two more children would follow - Sylvia in 1940 and Shirley in 1942.

There are now no Bartrums living in Fersfield.

The people, their dates and events ..... (to follow)

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