The 1851 Census
Brumstead Hall (Rose Hall) : Owned by Cubitt Durrant (son of William Durrant) who was the Lord of the manor. The census records him as being a farmer with 800 acres employing 34 people. The Tithe map of 1842 shows that he owned 613 acres, 3 rods and 17 perches. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Cubitt Durrant Head 64 Scottow Farmer Ann Durrant Wife 41 Catfield William Durrant Son 7 Brumstead Elizabeth Durrant Daug 4 Brumstead Rachel Appleton Servant 35 Tunstead Ann Peggs Servant 25 Brumstead Ann Lacey Servant 17 East Ruston John Amis Servant 15 Ingham The Loke : Plot No 14 - owned by Alexander Balls on the 1842 Tithe map. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Alexander Balls Head 76 Tunstead Agg labourer Sarah Balls Wife 57 Worstead Plot No 107 - owned by John Grey on the 1842 Tithe map. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation John Grey Head 53 Tunstead Agg labourer Elizabeth Grey Wife 53 Hoveton Hannah Grey Godchild 2 Brumstead George Shepperd Lodger 19 Brumstead Agg labourer Plot No 108 - owned by William Breeze on the 1842 Tithe map. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation William Breeze Head 45 Ingham Agg labourer Ann Breeze Wife 43 Smallbrough Rhoda Breeze Daug 16 East Ruston William Breeze Son 9 Brumstead Scholar Plot No 119 - owned by Able Shepperdon the 1842 Tithe map. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Able Shepperd Head 50 East Ruston Agg labourer Diana Shepperd Wife 48 East Ruston Benjamin Shepperd Son 16 Brumstead Elizabeth Self Goddaug 4 N’ Walsham Agg lab’s daug Plot No 136 - owned by Thomas Salmonds on the 1842 Tithe map. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Thomas Salmonds Head 59 Sutton Agg labourer Ann Salmonds Wife 56 Barton Isreal Salmonds Son 14 Brumstead Mary Salmonds Daug 10 Brumstead Scholar Plot No 137 - owned by Richard Besford on the 1842 Tithe map. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Richard Besford Head 54 Happisburgh Agg labourer Ann Besford Wife 44 Perton (Lancs) School Mistress Frederic Besford Son 15 Brumstead Harriet Besford Daug 12 Brumstead Scholar at home Amelia Besford Daug 8 Brumstead Scholar at home Plot No 160 - part owned by George Burton on the 1842 Tithe map. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation George Burton Head 45 Brumstead Agg labourer Mary Burton Wife 43 Witton Francis Burton Daug 7 Brumstead Scholar Plot No 164 - owned by Robert Lacey on the 1842 Tithe map. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Robert Lacey Head 53 Brumstead Farm labourer Sarah Lacey Wife 52 Westwick Mary Lacey Daug 19 East Ruston James Lacey Son 13 East Ruston Benjamin Lacey Son 9 East Ruston Orchard farm : Plot No 58 - owned by Charles Hewitt on the 1842 Tithe map. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Charles Hewitt Head 54 Hempstead Fund holder Maria Hewitt Wife 52 Eccles Vallentina Hewitt Daug 12 Brumstead Scholar at home Plot Nos 148 & 149 - owned by John Newman on the 1842 Tithe map, who is stated on the census as farming 118 acres and employing 5 people. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation John Newman Head 68 Worstead Farmer Hannah Newman Wife 65 Brumstead Hannah Newman Daug 21 Brumstead Sarah Gibson Servant 21 Norwich William Floweday Servant 28 Riddlington Farm labourer John Read Servant 17 S’ Walsham Farm labourer Sarah Fither Servant 60 Happisburgh Work woman Plot No 21- owned by John Newman on the 1842 Tithe map. Cubitt Newman is stated on the census return as being a farmer of 96 acres employing 3 people. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Cubitt Newman Head 30 Brumstead Farmer Margaret Newman Wife 37 Suffield Margaret Brooks Niece 9 Woolwich (Kent) Maria Parsons Servant 22 Hickling Jospeh Cooper Servant 29 Worstead Agg labourer William Hoverday Servant 16 Ingham Agg labourer Plot No 11 - part owned by Thomas Riches (son of Issac Riches) on the 1842 Tithe map, who is stated on the 1851 census return as being a Blacksmith and employing 1 person. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Thomas Riches Head 50 East Ruston Blacksmith Hannah Riches Wife 44 East Ruston Sarah Riches Daug 22 Brumstead Dress maker Hannah Riches Daug 14 Brumstead John Riches Brother 36 Brumstead Blacksmith’s man William Pestle Lodger 80 Bacton Agg labourer The Rectory : Presumably church property. Horatio N W Comyn was the rector of Brumstead church and being the son of Lord Nelson’s chaplain (Rev’d S Comyn - see foot note) was baptised on HMS Victory (01). Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Horatio Comyn Head 49 Bridgeham Rector Elizabeth Comyn Wife 50 Marylebone (Middlesex) James Bond Servant 23 N’Walsham General servant Richard Grey Servant 12 Brumstead Lad Elizabeth Bugg Servant 28 Mattishall House servant Martha Pestell Servant 22 Scottow House servant Isreal Salmonds Son? 14 Brumstead Plot No 19 - part owned by John Besford on the 1842 Tithe map. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation John Besford Head 43 Happisburgh Agg labourer Elizabeth Besford Wife 43 East Ruston Plot No 19 - part owned by James Fisher on the 1842 Tithe map. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation James Fisher Head 63 Happisburgh Agg labourer Mary Fisher G’Daug 10 Brumstead Brumstead Grange owned by Cubitt Durrant. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Golden Dexter Head 62 Southrepps Agg steward & Parish clerk Sarah Dexter Wife 59 Ingham Ann Burton Servant 17 Happisburgh House servant George Baillwell Servant 20 Bacton Agg labourer John Shepherd Servant 22 Brumstead Agg labourer The Lodge owned by Cubitt Durrant. Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation William Lake Head 30 Brumstead Farm labourer Harriet Lake Wife 23 Hadley (Suffolk) Elizabeth Lake Daug 6 Stalham Scholar Thomas Lake Son 3 Norwich Scholar David Lake Son 1 Stalham Mary Storer MotL? 62 Bungay (Suf’) Formally Brickmaker’s wife Family units in unknown locations - Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation William Lake Head 66 Sco Ruston Agg labourer Elizabeth Lake Wife 66 Ingham William Lake Son 5 Norwich Agg labourer’s son Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation Thomas Salmon Head 35 East Ruston Agg labourer Elizabeth Salmon Wife 35 Bungay (Suffolk) Eliza Salmon Daug 7 Scholar Name Family Relation Age Born Occupation William Allard Head 60 Tunstead Agg labourer Ann Allard Wife 57 Hickling Robert Allard Son 24 Brumstead Agg labourer’s son William Spatcher Lodger 48 Great Ormsby Agg labourer Inhabited plots with unknown families - Plot No 133 on the 1842 Tithe map - Used to be owned by Samuel Postle. Plot No 188 on the 1842 Tithe map - Cottage, Barn & Yards owned by Cubitt Durrant. Plot No 11 on the 1842 Tithe map - Used to be owned by John Sporey. Notes : The census was carried out on 30 March 1851 and found the total population of Brumstead was 93 and it had 21 houses plus three separate groups of barns & yards. The Hall (Rose Hall) had been improved at considerable expense in 1844 (02) In 1840 the penny post had been introduced (05) and by 1845 there was a post office in Stalham with letters arriving by 11:00 AM and letters despatched at 1:00 PM (03). In 1845 Stalham did not have its market (04 - page 131) and the nearest poor house was in Smallbrough (that closed in 1869) - (04 - page 145) There had been a decline in the population of Brumstead of between 10% to 33% between 1801 and 1851 (04 - page 133). Travel from the area was by coach from the Swan Inn, Stalham to Norwich, each Monday, Wednesday & Saturday at 7:00 AM plus Vans, & C to Norwich and Yarmouth on market days (03). In 1847 Charles Dickens wrote Dombey and Son and Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre (05). In 1850 Lord Tennyson succeeded Wordsworth as poet laureate and in 1851 Prince Albert opened the great exhibition at Crystal Palace (05). Foot note - The Reverend Stephen Comyn ; Stephen Comyn was born in 1766 and gained his BA. in 1788. At the age of 32 he joined HMS Vanguard (74 guns) as Nelson's chaplain. He attended Nelson during the battle of the Nile when it was feared that Nelson would die. In 1799 Stephen Comyn, along with Hardy and the lieutenants of HMS Vanguard, joined Nelson in his new flagship HMS Foudroyant (80 guns) and in 1800 he transferred to HMS San Josef (112 guns) Nelson's old prize from the Battle of St. Vincent. The Spring of 1801 found the British Fleet in the Baltic for the attack on Copenhagen where Stephen Comyn now became chaplain of Nelson's ship, HMS St. George (98 guns) then later to HMS Elephant (74 guns). By now he was reaching the end of his service with the Navy and so approached Nelson with a request for a living ashore. In June 1802 Nelson was able to write the following to Stephen Comyn ; "My dear Sir, I send you the Chancellor's letter, and most sincerely congratulate you on your preferment, which to a person who has conducted himself so prudently in pecuniary affairs will make you truly comfortable." Stephen Comyn had two sons, George Robert who joined the Royal Navy and died in 1816 and Horatio Nelson William Comyn who later became the Rector of Brumstead. Stephen Comyn went to Bridgham in Norfolk where he was to serve for the remaining 36 years of his life (information obtained from the Nelson web page). References ; 01. St Peter's Church leaflet. 02. Whites directory of Norfolk dated 1864. 03. Whites directory of Norfolk dated 1845. 04. An Historical Atlas of Norfolk published by the Norfolk Museums Service. 05. The Wordswoth Dictionary of British History - 1994. Definitions ; Tithe Map was a map of the parish to determine how much money or produce each farmer / person owed to the church (normally set at a tenth of their income - the word tenth was corrupted to tithe). Return to Main Menu