Cross-over

Occasionally two strands of life seem to arrive at a crossroads.  This month has seen one and offered the prospect of another.

Last Thursday, I was despatched to one of our customers to collect some wine for delivery 'in Woodbridge.'   I entered the showroom and caused some confusion as one of the assistants exclaimed, 'Wow! that was quick - we've only just received the e-mail!'   The e-mail was from satisfied customers of a holiday firm based next to Woodbridge train station, who wanted to send an alcoholic gift to the organisers of their summer vacation.

While this was being picked and packed, another member of staff approached, confirmed what I was there for, and announced that my goods were all ready, and were even then being brought up from the warehouse.   Sure enough, within seconds another box arrived, addressed to 'Thomas Churchyard Close, Melton, Woodbridge.'   After the confusion had been cleared up, and confirming phone calls made, I left with both orders, and everyone was happy.   The Woodbridge delivery was trouble-free, apart from the unobserved step down into the office (which didn't cause me to drop the booze!), and off I went to nearby Melton.

Now comes the interesting bit. My father's maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Churchyard, descended from a whole clan of Churchyards living in the 18th and 19th centuries in a broad swathe of eastern Suffolk from Wortham to Wickham Market, and I'm confident that this Close to which I now delivered would have been named after some distant relative, even though I don't as yet have a Thomas amongst my records.

When I got there, I discovered that it is a new development of about four executive dwellings at the side of the broad grounds of a large Victorian pile. Knowing what I do, I asked the householder to whom I delivered whether this might be the former asylum. She told me that it was, and so I sneaked a picture on my way out.

My link with this place is in duplicate, for the mother-in-law of the aforesaid Elizabeth Churchyard (and therefore my great-great-grandmother), by name Sarah Thrower, née Battley, was recorded as an inmate there in the 1851 census. In 1861, she appeared re-united with her family, living in Church St, Hoxne, but when I had examined the records of the asylum at Ipswich record office some years ago, I discovered that she was once more admitted there in September 1865, and discharged the following February.

I recently discovered the whereabouts of a great-uncle whom I thought had been completely 'lost'.  In a last groping search of the 1871 census, I found him in Colchester barracks - he'd become a soldier!  With that lead, and amazing good fortune, I discovered that he'd been discharged from the regiment in 1876 as 'unfit for service', after suffering an accident while on a posting to Ireland.  He'd declared that his future place of residence would be Enniskillen and - remarkably - I found him recorded there on the 1901 census with quite a large family!

I made enquiries about where the appropriate records are kept, and now I'm waiting for a delivery next year somewhere in Ireland, from which I can divert with a few spare hours to the General Register Office in Belfast.  Hopefully, this will lead to more discoveries, but who knows when?