Person:Thomas Palmer (48)

Thomas Palmer was born on 9th February 1860 at Glapthorn in Northamptonshire. He was the son of Elizabeth Palmer, formerly Marriott, and her husband Joseph Palmer, a wheelwright. He appears to have been named after his paternal grandfather, who was publican of the Dun Cow in Glapthorn and who died when young Thomas was seven years old. Thomas appears in the 1861 census and 1871 censuses living with his parents and siblings on Lower Street (now Main Street) in Glapthorn. His maternal grandmother was also living with them in 1871 – she died in 1872. By 1881 Thomas was working as an agricultural labourer.

On 26th December 1882, aged 22, Thomas married Eliza Berridge. She was originally from the neighbouring village of Benefield, but her family had moved to Glapthorn around the late 1870s or early 1880s, and were neighbours of the Palmers, being listed immediately before them in the 1881 census. She had spent some time before their marriage as a domestic servant, working as a cook at Bathford Manor in Somerset.

Thomas and Eliza went on to have thirteen children at Glapthorn between 1883 and 1904. All thirteen lived to adulthood.

The 1901 census described Thomas as being a rough carpenter. The family recalls that Thomas used to work for the Capron family in the nearby village of Southwick, a couple of miles north of Glapthorn. Mr Capron was described as a hard taskmaster. He would wait in the carpenters’ workshop at Southwick with his lantern ready for the men. Even in the worst weather of winter, if they were as much as a minute late, he would dock a penny or two off their pay.

The Caprons would sometimes send Thomas to work at other properties they owned or where they had agreements with other landowners. Thomas would therefore sometimes have to walk to Apethorpe, a couple of miles further north beyond Southwick to work for Mr Brassey of Apethorpe Hall. On other occasions he would have to walk to the railway station at Oundle in order to catch the train to Ringstead where the Caprons also had property.

Thomas’s father died in 1904. Thomas’s mother then came to live with Thomas and Eliza.

After their marriage, Thomas and Eliza are believed to have lived in a small thatched cottage on the village street in Glapthorn, which has since been named The Thatched Cottage, Main Street. This part of Glapthorn was known as Lower Glapthorn at the time. Most, if not all, of their children were born at that house. They later moved to a slightly larger house directly opposite it, which has since been named Melton Cottage. It is believed that this was Eliza’s parents’ old house and it is therefore presumed they moved there around 1903 after Eliza’s father died. The family called one of the outbuildings behind Melton Cottage “the old bakehouse” which was understood to have been previously used by Eliza’s father.

Once they were living at Melton Cottage, Thomas gave up working for the Caprons, and set up his own smallholding. They kept cows, hens and pigs and rented two fields (called Bodgers Close, which the family described as being “at the corner of Frith Lane and going up Southwick Hill”, and Swinner Field, which was “on the right hand side going out along Benefield Road”). The fields were rented from the Wilkinson family, and the rent for them was about £20 per year. To help pay the rent Thomas would do some carpentry work for the Wilkinsons, in particular making ladders.

Their cows were grazed at Swinner Field and would be herded down to the old bakehouse at Melton Cottage to be milked. There was a well in the old bakehouse, and the milk churn would be lowered into the well to keep it cool until the morning, when Thomas would take it with his pony and trap to the railway station at Oundle to catch the milk train. Eliza had to clean and scour the milk churns and utensils for butter making, which all had to be spotless.

Thomas and Eliza’s son John (Jack) is believed to have served in the army during the First World War, including spending some time at the front in the Somme campaign.

It is also recalled that Eliza used to make homemade wine, with parsnip wine being a particular favourite. Eliza would store the wine in stone jars in the parlour of the cottage. On occasion, Thomas would fancy some of the wine and would sneak into the parlour with a little jug and top the stone jars up with water. He got away with it for a time, but when Eliza found out she was most unimpressed. Thomas was remembered as having a wicked sense of fun and as being a likeable old rascal.

Palmer family group

Three of Thomas and Eliza’s sons (Thomas, George and Charles) emigrated to America, although George later returned to live in England again in the 1930s.

In 1935 Eliza’s older sister Mary Ann died. Mary Ann had not married until she was in her forties and did not have any children. She had also owned her house in Upper Glapthorn, which has since been given the name Little Peke. Eliza inherited this house from her sister. Thomas and Eliza decided to move into Little Peke, and wound up their smallholding at Melton Cottage. Eliza also wrote a will in 1936, shortly after inheriting the house. She left all her property to her daughter Nellie, but with the proviso that her husband Thomas should receive all the rents and incomes from it during his lifetime in the event that he outlived Eliza.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Thomas and Eliza were living at Upper Glapthorn with their daughter Nellie. Thomas was described as a retired grazier.

Thomas died on 28th April 1940, aged 80. He had seen at least eighteen grandchildren born in his lifetime. Eliza survived him by ten years.

1. ↑ Birth certificate, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   REGISTRATION DISTRICT Oundle
   1860 BIRTH in the Sub-district of Fotheringhay in the Counties of Northampton & Huntingdon
   No.	When and where born	Name, if any	Sex	Name and surname of father	Name, surname and maiden name of mother	Occupation of father	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   312	Ninth February 1860 Glapthorn	Thomas	Boy	Joseph Palmer	Elizabeth Palmer formerly Marriot	Wheelwright	E. Palmer Mother Glapthorn	Fifteenth March 1860	Jonas Tebbutt, Registrar

   The adult Thomas Palmer who married Eliza Berridge can be linked to the child Thomas Palmer son of Joseph and Elizabeth Palmer on the basis of his marriage certificate and the 1911 census, in which Elizabeth was living with the adult Thomas and his wife Eliza.

2. ↑ England. 1861 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG9; Piece 963; Folio 95; Page 7, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Lower Street, Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Joseph Palmer, head, married, male, 35 [1825/6], Wheelwright, b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Palmer, wife, married, female, 30 [1830/1], b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Palmer, daughter, female, 3 [1857/8], b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Thomas Palmer, son, male, 1 [1859/60], b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Caroline Palmer, daughter, female, 1 week [1861], b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire

3. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Glapthorn Parish Registers, 1538-1957. (Northampton, England: Northamptonshire County Record Office).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Glapthorne in the County of Northampton in the Year 1863
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   707	Aug[ust] 9	Thomas	Joseph & Elizabeth	Palmer	Glapthorne	Carpenter	William Watson, Vicar

   Baptised same day as siblings Caroline Emma and Joseph George.

4. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 1513; Folio 124; Page 10, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Lower Street, Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Palmer, head, widow, female, 77 [1793/4], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Joseph Palmer, son, married, male, 45 [1825/6], Wheelwright, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Palmer, son’s wife, married, female, 40 [1830/1], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Palmer, granddaughter, unmarried, female, 13 [1857/8], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Thomas Palmer, grandson, male, 11 [1859/60], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Joseph George Palmer, grandson, male, 8 [1862/3], Scholar, b. Glapthorne, Northmptonshire
   William Palmer, grandson, male, 6 [1864/5], Scholar, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Phillip Palmer, grandson, male, 5 [1865/6], Scholar, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Annie Palmer, granddaughter, female, 3 [1867/8], Scholar, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire

5. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 1587; Folio 93; Page 7, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Joseph Palmer, head, married, male, 54 [1826/7], Wheelwright, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Palmer, wife, married, female, 51 [1829/30], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Thomas Palmer, son, unmarried, male, 21 [1859/60], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   George Palmer, son, unmarried, male, 18 [1862/3], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   William Palmer, son, male, 16 [1864/5], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Phillip Palmer, son, male, 15 [1865/6], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Annie Palmer, daughter, female, 13 [1867/8], Scholar, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire

6. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 1224; Folio 84; Page 7, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: Village Street, Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   4 rooms occupied
   Thomas Palmer, head, married, male, 31 [1859/60], General Labourer, employed, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Eliza Palmer, wife, married, female, 28 [1862/3], b. Benefield, Northamptonshire
   Thomas William Palmer, son, male, 7 [1883/4], Scholar, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Annie Eliza Palmer, daughter, female, 6 [1884/5], Scholar, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   George Palmer, son, male, 5 [1885/6], Scholar, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Mary Elizabeth Palmer, daughter, 3 [1887/8], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Caroline Emma Palmer, daughter, female, 2 [1888/9], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Agnes Palmer, daughter, female, 8mos [1890], b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire

7. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 1456; Folio 74; Page 6, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: Lower Street, Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   4 rooms occupied
   Thomas Palmer, head, married, male, 41 [1859/60], Carpenter (Rough), worker, b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Eliza Palmer, wife, married, female, 38 [1862/3], b. Benefield, Northamptonshire
   Mary E.E. Palmer, daughter, single, female, 13 [1887/8], b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Caroline E. Palmer, daughter, single, female, 12 [1888/9], b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Agnes Palmer, daughter, single, female, 10 [1890/1], b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Nellie Palmer, daughter, single, female, 8 [1892/3], b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Effie M. Palmer, daughter, single, female, 7 [1893/4], b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   John J. Palmer, son, single, male, 2 [1898/9], b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   May Palmer, daughter, single, female, 1 [1899/1900], b. Glapthorn, Northamptonshire

8. ↑ England. 1911 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom: The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.))
   Class RG14; Piece 8633; Schedule 54, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: Lower Glapthorne, Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   4 rooms occupied
   Thomas Palmer, head, male, 51 [1859/60], married, Hawker, own account, working at home, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Eliza Palmer, wife, female, 48 [1862/3], married 28 years, 13 children born, 13 children still living, b. Benefield, Northamptonshire
   Nellie Palmer, daughter, female, 18 [1892/3], single, Housemaid (Domestic), b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Effie Maud Palmer, daughter, female, 17 [1893/4], single, Kitchinmaid (Domestic), b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Charles Edward Palmer, son, male, 15 [1895/6], single, Houseboy Domestic, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   John Joseph Palmer, son, male, 13 [1897/8], single, Farm Labourer, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   May Palmer, daughter, female, 11 [1899/1900], single, School, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Margret Palmer, daughter, female, 8 [1902/3], single, School, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Beatrice Palmer, daughter, female, 7 [1903/4], single, School, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire
   Elizabeth Palmer, mother, female, 81 [1830/1], married 54 years, 7 children born, 6 children still living, b. Glapthorne, Northamptonshire

9. ↑ General Register Office. 1939 Register
   Oundle & Thrapston Rural District, 29 Sep 1939.

   Address: Upper Glapthorn, Glapthorn, Northamptonshire
   Palmer, Thomas / male / 9 Feb 1860 / married / Grazier Retired
   Palmer, Eliza / female / 18 Jun 1862 / married / Unpaid Domestic Duties
   Palmer, Nellie / female / 16 Aug 1892 / single / Unpaid Domestic Duties

10. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

    d. Thomas PALMER, June Quarter 1940, Oundle Registration District, Volume 3b, page 447, aged 80 [1859/60]

11. ↑ Newspaper cutting.

    Newspaper cutting in possession of descendants of Thomas's daughter Caroline. Unfortunately date and newspaper not recorded:
    FUNERAL OF MR. T. PALMER. - The funeral took place on Wednesday last, the Vicar (the Rev. E.P.W. Shepheard) officiating. The service was choral, and Mrs. Shepheard was at the organ. The mourners were: Mr. G. Palmer, Miss A. Palmer, Mr. J. Palmer, Mrs. Edwards, Miss N. Palmer (sons and daughters), Mrs. J. Palmer (daughter -in-law), Mr. H. Edwards (grandson). Mrs. Palmer, widow, was unable to attend owing to ill-health. The beautiful floral tributes were from: His dear Wife and daguther Nellie; His daughter and grandson Carrie and Harold, Charley, Meg and Nancy, U.S.A., Tom and Gerda, U.S.A., Edna, George and Bob; Maggie and Dick; Annie, sister Carrie and family; Effie, Joe and children; Agnes and son-in-law Percy and the children; May, Cyril and the children; Ivy and Frank; Mr. and Mrs. Parker and Evelyn; Mr. and Mrs. A. Stanford; Mr. and Mrs. I. Ingram and family; Mr. and Mrs. Bewick and family; All at Glapthorn Manor; Mr. and Mrs. Goodley; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Palmer; Mr. and Mrs. P. Ives; Mr. Mitchell and Mabel, W. Gray and S. Gray; Mr. Baxter and Jess. The coffin was of polished elm, with brass furnishings, and was inscribed: "Thomas Palmer, Died 28th April, Aged 80 years." The bearers were Messrs. G. Bewick, S. Bewick, A. Stanford and J. Baxter. Mr. Berridge, of Cotterstock, carried out the funeral arrangements.

12. ↑ England. National Burial Index.

    bur. 1 May 1940, St Leonard, Glapthorn, Northamptonshire: Thomas Palmer, aged 80 [1859/60]

13.   Many of the recollections on this page are drawn from notes written by Christina Edwards, based on the stories told by her husband, Harold Edwards (Thomas’s grandson) and his mother, Caroline Emma Palmer (Thomas’s daughter).