Some Saxham Street People
Names listed here may also appear in Stowupland families, but this page is dedicated to those people who had ties to Saxham Street. Where we have more details about those ties their stories will be told in Saxham Street Stories.
Chaplin Family.
Arthur Chaplin told the story of his father’s ability to control his horse (qv Frederick Chaplin in the Crown).
Frederick came originally from Barttisford but his work seems to have taken him around the area before he settled in Stowupland., living here for 53 years. His his older children were born in Mickfield, Earl Stonham and Combs. A newspaper report of Arthur and his wife celebrating their silver anniversary in 1936 gave their address as the Hall Bungalow {NL} but we are nor sure where this is.
Frederick died in 1940 at 78 years old he worked for George Stedman at The Firs (Saxham Street) for 20 years before moving to Stowupland Hall. His daughter married William Scarlett, parents of Sidney Scarlett.
Members of the Goldsbury family were the predecessors to the Gyfords in Saxham Cottage, living in the house for 20 years at the end of the 19th century.
The Gyford family and “Gyfords, The Tailors”
The Gyford family moved into Saxham Street by 1911 and built up their shop. Read a short item about the Scarletts and Gyfords Shop.
The Gyfords had left by the middle of the 1950’s though their shop continued trading through to the late 1970’s. The shop was subsequently demolished and now a private house stands there,
Quinton, John – from the 1841 census he is our first known owner of Saxham Cottage, though we don’t know when he came. He was a carpenter and also owned many other properties along Saxham Street.
The Ipswich Journal, 23 Jan 1836 tells us that a Creeting farmer, John WIlson, ‘assigned his estate and effects to John Quinton of Stowupland, carpenter, in trust for benefit of his creditors. And then 30th November 1844 John Quinton Stowupland had his name on a list of people supporting the new railway.
A will for John Quinton was proved in 1853.
Charles Freeman of Stowupland Hall mentions him a few times in his diaries of 1825 for looking over the yard to plan out new buildings and for doing work. And on 14th July 1825 he pd Quinto 2 s for 8 pints of raspberries and the following year Freeman paid £89 12s 61/2d.
Robinson, John is important to our history of Saxham Street. In 1869 he was the owner and occupier of a house & shops in Saxon (Saxham) Street, with a rateable value of £6 5s 0d. This is most likely Saxham Cottage – though we don’t know if it had a name.
In 1852 William Freeman from Stowupland Hall mentions a Robinson who is doing some carpentry work for him, i.e. putting in some windows and doors, repairing granary and putting up new dresser.
The Suffolk Chronicle of 16th November 1861 list items of surplus stock to be auctioned on behalf of Mr John Robinson, Carpenter and Builder of Stowupland.
Then the Essex Standard 29th Jan 1868 ‘an auction by a Newmarket auctioneer against John Robinson Stowupland carpenter to recover £10 3s 2d having bought some lots he was unable to pay for’.
And from March 1868 the Ipswich Journal reported that Mr Robinson Stowupland has a contract to supply coffins to Stow Union Workhouse.
The Scarlett family
Sidney and Joan Scarlett, lived in Saxham Cottage in the the second half of the 20th century and took over Gyford’s shop after Mrs Elsie Gyford married and moved to Forward Green.
Sidney had been brought up in Grange Farm Cottage, next door to Saxham Cottage. His mother was the daughter of Frederick Chaplin who had worked as Horseman at Stowupland Hall. Sidney and he brothers fought in WW2, After the war Sidney and one of his brothers returned to Saxham Street and worked for Mrs Elsie Gyford until 1953 when Sidney with his wife Joan moved into Saxham Cottage.
Mr George Joshua Scarlett was born in the 1840’s in Tuddenham and was employed by Mr Harward of Tuddenham Hall but lived in Saxham Street for over 52 years. He had planted a tree on Stowupland Hall Estate to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.He died in 1937 aged 88.
He was father to William Scarlett and grandfather to Sidney.
Read more about the Scarlett Family.
Leeks
The Leeks family were involved in many businesses in Stowupland (see the garage), the sand pits on the way to Stowmarket but also one member remembers their small holding in Saxham Street along the Drift Way. In the 1960s they had a heated greenhouse on land rented from Ivy Cobbold. In the greenhouse they grew tomatoes and lettuce, and they also had battery cages for chickens and other sheds. When the greenhouse was demolished in 1963 the iron water pipes were sold for 17s.
John Cake
Details are sketchy but according to the will of E.E.Taylor 1902, in which he gave all his share & interest in Upland Farm/ Hall {sic} to his sisters – S.T. Whiting, E.E.Taylor, B.M.A.Taylor and W.E.Taylor.
A note is also added that with the farm were 2 ½ acres in Saxham Street, formerly the tenement of John Cake, of the Manor of Thorney Mumpliers with Braziers (ECA)
