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Facts and Events
Address: 40 Black Street Gisleham, near Kessingland
John Rackham, father of Capt Wilby Rackham, was illegitimate son of Maria Rackham. Her parents were Thomas Rackham born 15 June 1740 and Margaret(Elizabeth) Langley married 31 Dec 1764 in North Cove.
The marriage of JOHN RACKHAM and ELIZABETH SIMMONS, or SIMONS, is listed on 15th August 1830 in the parish register for Wrentham, a village about 4 miles south west of Kessingland, near Lowestoft,Suffolk. The entry reads -
15 August 1830. John Rackham widower, Elizabeth Simmons spinster, both of this parish, by banns.
IGI for Suffolk lists a baptism of WELBY (sic) RACKHAM, son of JOHN and ELIZABETH RACKHAM, on 26th February 1831 at Wrentham Independent Congregational Church.
Also listed in the IGI, son of the same parents, is a baptismal entry from the Wrentham Anglican church register for a WILBY RACKHAM at Wrentham on 30 July 1837. The parish register gives the date of birth of this child as 31 January 1831 and it becomes clear that there was only the one son named Wilby and that he was baptised twice, once in a non-conformist church and again six years later in the Wrentham parish church of St Nicholas.
Wilby was one of four children of John and Elizabeth Rackham, all baptised on 30 July 1837 at the Anglican church at Wrentham. The baptismal entries are -
Wilby son of John and Elizabeth Rackham of Wrentham, shoemaker, born 31 January 1831.
Frederick son of John and Elizabeth Rackham of Wrentham, shoemaker, born 17 December 1832.
George son of John and Elizabeth Rackham of Wrentham, shoemaker.
Jemima daughter of John and Elizabeth Rackham of Wrentham, shoemaker.
John Rackham was previously married on 15 November 1821 to Sarah Wealey, born Upcraft, widow of William Waley or Whalley, who died in 1818. Sarah was born in about 1793. The Wrentham marriage register noted -
15 November 1821 John Rackham, bachelor, Sarah Wealey, widow, both of this parish with consent of parties by banns. There were six childrenof this first marriage. Their baptismal entries in the parish registers for Wrentham gave, in each case, the parents as John and Sarah Rackham of Wrentham. John Rackham's occupation was given as "Labourer" in the case of the first born child and as "Shoemaker" in the case of subsequent children.
The baptismal dates were John on 17 December 1821, George 26 June 1823, Hannah 25 July 1824, Charles 9 December 1825. Edward and Robert were both baptised privately on 4 November 1829 which suggests that they were sickly at birth and were twins. Edward was buried on 9 November and Robert on 6 December 1829. Their mother, Sarah, was buried 30 December 1829, aged 36. In August 1830 John Rackham married Elizabeth Simmons.
Charles who had been privately baptised on 9 December 1825 is recorded in the registers as having been publicly (sic) baptised on 30 July 1837. It is noteworthy that on that date all four children of John and Elizabeth Rackham were also baptised. The inclusion of his son Charles, by his first wife, in the "mass" baptism of the four children of John Rackham's second marriage is an indication that the same John Rackham was the husband of both Sarah and Elizabeth. His occupation as a shoemaker, and the dates of his first wife's death and his remarriage, and his description as a widower, further reinforce this view.
There are no entries for John and Elizabeth Rackham at Wrentham in the 1841 Census. Wilby Rackham was not the only one of John Rackham's eleven children to have been baptised on two occasions as his brother Frederick who had been baptised 5th March 1833 at the Wrentham Congregational church also featured in the "mass baptism" of July 1837.
The Rackham family moved from Wrentham to Kessingland in about 1838 and a son, Edward, was born there 16 April 1839. They are listed in the 1841 Census for Kessingland. Their son George died of the smallpox at Kessingland in 1847. The family had moved to Gisleham by the time of the 1851 Census. In February 1859 they lived at Black Street, Gisleham. On 3rd February 1859, their son Wilby Rackham, on his application for an examination for his Master's Certificate, gave his address as Gisleham.
John Rackham died of "Choleriac Diarrhea" at Gisleham, Suffolk, on 2nd October 1866. His son, Edward, whose address was stated to be at
Kessingland, was "in attendance". The Gisleham Parish Register, page 25,entry number 193, records his burial on 5th October 1866, aged 68.
Sources:
IOM FHS Library, Peel, Isle of Man.
Suffolk Record Office, Postal Service, Lowestoft. Suffolk.
Stan Rackham, "Elmstead Too", 2/27 Alfreda Avenue, Rosanna,Victoria,Australia 3084.
The Gisleham Parish Register, page 25,entry number 193, records hisburial on 5th October 1866, aged 68.
but there is this one too [from a registration district index]:
Deaths: Dec 1866: RACKHAM John, 68, Mutford, 4a 415
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