groups alphabetical name index Brown Cooke Dawson Dix Hancock Hayward High Holman Lynn Pigott Woodhouse
 The latest Edition of Fred's HIGH Family Tree is viewable now click on the tree to see it (have you got Acrobat reader? if not, click here  ) |
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Fred High fredhigh@westnet.com.au emailed from Australia in October 2003 and introduced himself: |
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Let me introduce
myself. I am Fred High and I live in Point Lonsdale, Victoria Australia.
I read with interest the Salthouse History
Group Exhibition Project and while I do not have any old maps,
photographs, newspaper cuttings or memories relating to Salthouse,
my 5th Great Grandfather, William High was born in Salthouse
around 1705/10. His wife was Hester and they married about 1733/34.
To my knowledge they had at least three children; Sarah High
(b. 24 January 1735), Edmund High (b. 16 January 1735) and Benjamin
(b. 1741 and died in Salthouse 24 April 1829).
Benjamin married Ann Dennis (b. 1747,
d.Salthouse 6 October 1818) in about 1769 and their known children
were John High (b. 15 April 1770), Barbara (12 May 1771), Ann
(3 April 1774), Benjamin (1776), Henry (1784), Thomas (1787).
All born in Salthouse.
Benjamin (1776) married Frances Youngs
in about 1803 and they had at least eight children born in Salthouse.
Benjamin Youngs High (21 January 1804), John High (b.17 February
1807, d. 2 August 1807), Mary Ann High (b. 5 October 1808), Amy
(b. 22 April 1811). Christopher High (b. 26 December 1813), Louisa
High (b. 17 October 1816, John High (b. 18 November 1819) and
Robert High (b. 16 January 1822).
This branch of the family moved to Whissonsett in the late 1820's early 1830's and by 2003 have spread around the world. I have currently identified
about 700 descendants of William and Hester and if you have
an interest for your display I will send you a copy. It clearly
shows how one couple can populate the world. There are descendants
living in England, Scotland, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia,
New Zealand and Canada, and many have lived in other countries.
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Yours sincerely
Fred High
Quick Response Consulting Services 25 Anderson Street POINT LONSDALE 3225 Australia Tele: 61 3 5258 2873 Mobile: 61 408 344 749 Tele:03 5249 5704 (engin) |
This picture of Fred High was taken two years after the above message was written, when he visited the editor in Salthouse in October 2005 |
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THE HIGH COAT OF ARMS "CHEQUY OR AND SA. ON A CHIEF OF THE
LAST A LION PASS. GUARD. OF THE FIRST." |
here's a much later message from Fred |
This project was started as the result of a visit
to Barry and Peggy Langford High, then living in Hadley Wood, in about 1975
by Fred and Laurel High and family. Fred had been posted to England on secondment
to the British Army and was stationed at the Computer Systems Development
Wing of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in Didcot, Berkshire. Prior to arriving
in England in February 1975 Fred had not met any of his relatives other than
his immediate family in Australia. Fred is Barry's second cousin.
About every year since then Barry has asked Fred the question “How is the
Family Tree coming along?” The answer was always evasive with a promise to
do something. At the time of returning to Australia in May 1977 there were
about 40 people on the family tree and the original objective was to confirm
that Barry High and Fred high were second cousins.
Some 25 years later, in March 2002 after Matthew High's (Fred's son) visit to England and calling on Barry, he returned to Australia and indicated Fred better do something more on the history of the HIGH's. This timing happened to coincide with a planned reduction in the hours Fred was intending to spend in his consulting business. Besides this, winter was approaching in Australia and the great outdoors in Victoria is not all sunshine and beaches!! Since then some progress has been made in developing the family tree.
In the first three months of the project progress was slow and much of the information was sketchy and required confirmation before detailed research could be undertaken.
The main contributors in the first phase were:
Barry Langford High (England)
Nigel and Ming High (Canada)
Margaret Barrett (England)
Contact was also made with:
Helen Stallard (New Zealand) for details of the descendants
of Rose May (Doris) High
Yvonne Budd (Sydney Australia, but from Zimbabwe) for the details of Harold
High.
Sue Bartlett (Plymouth, Devon but from South Africa) For the details of Norman
High.
Iona Mackay (England), for more details on John High (1819 - 1880) and some
of his siblings/descendants and the Mackay's.
Assistance has been given by:
Suzie Zada: Genealogy and the Internet, An Introductory
Course.
Genealogical Society of Victoria. Fred became a member to have access to
their library.
Family History Centre of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints,
North Geelong. Access to their library.
The VITAL INFORMATION required for each person on the family tree is:
BIRTH: Date and Place
MARRIAGE: Date and Place
DEATH: Date and Place
DIVORCE: Date
While the genealogical libraries give the index (reference number for ordering) to the Vital Information they do not provide the actual certified copies of the certificates. Requests have to be to the government authority (records office) that holds that information and each certificate is charged for. For example: to obtain a UK Birth Certificate costs $AS31.00. Thankfully many relatives provided vital information on descendants of Benjamin High without the expense of first identifying the reference number, and then obtaining a certificate, it was and is most appreciated.
Other information that brings the history alive
was also sought and provided by many relatives. This help was most welcomed.
This information was obtained from various sources including the various
Census from 1851 to 1901. This information was anything of interest and included:
Occupation/S Including Employers Etc.
Qualifications
Awards And Decorations (Civil Or Military)
Immigration: Date And, From Where To Where.
Hobbies And Interests
Sports Played And Achievements
Places Lived
Travel Experiences
Any Highlight Of One's Life
The project stages for the development of the HIGH FAMILY TREE were initially:
Stage One: Obtain all
the VITAL INFORMATION for those currently listed.
Stage Two: Research John High's ancestry (Records
start about 1530)
Stage Three: Include all the other information
and if warranted write a family history of the descendants of the JOHN
HIGH (1819 - 1880) of NORFOLK. Distribute to those descendants who
have contributed or request a copy.
Stage Four: Trace the descendants of John
High's siblings.
Stage Five: Trace the descendants of Benjamin
High's siblings
Stage Six: Enjoy what life remains!!
While this was the plan for the project, the speed that each stage was attempted was very dependant on contributions from living descendants and the resources available to undertake research. At Christmas 2002 an updated Family Tree was distributed to those who had made a contribution, however small. Just one piece of Vital Information and small facts on the family sometimes opened a Pandora’s Box of information.
All the information supplied was and is much appreciated, however it was communicated.
By the 13 July 2002 the Family Tree had extended to about 235 descendants of Benjamin High (1776 -1862). Both the 1851 British Census (Devon, Norfolk and Warwick) and the 1881 British Census and National Index on CD were been purchased. While some valuable information has been found, no trace was found in the 1881 Census of some of John High's (1819 - 1880) siblings namely Frances, Louisa, Frederick, Albert Harry, Rosanna nor his wife Sophia (1820 -1903). George (1843 - 1876) family was found after information provided by Patricia Brown of Devon. Patricia's Grandfather Albert Walter (Bertie), was a son of George.
Patricia Brown had details of that branch of the family many of whom migrated to New Zealand at the beginning of WWII to the South Island. This information, combined with the information that Helen Stallard provided on the descendants of Rose May (Doris) High, daughter of Albert Harry (1864 - 1894) completed much of the New Zealand connection. At this time the two branches in New Zealand were not aware of their common ancestors.
After the visit to Sydney by Fred to meet, for the first time, his cousin Yvonne Budd (Daughter of Harold High (1901 - 1961), the majority of the South African/Zimbabwen branch of the family was identified. However, the vital information (BMD) of Norman (1910 - 1960) was yet to be confirmed.
Still no information had been found on Frances, Louisa and Rosanna other than they were born when John and Sophia lived in Colkirk, and only 10 siblings of John and Sophia have been identified. It is believed there were 12 or 13 children.
In April 1881 it is known that Emma, born about 1850, was living in Lewisham, unmarried and working for a surgeon as a Domestic Servant. Benjamin (B.1860) was lodging in Hackney, unmarried and his occupation was Architect and Surveyor. He lived within about 200 yards of John (1841 - 1881) and Caroline and their family. Walter (1853 - ????) in 1881 lived within about 200 yards of where Frederick (1856 - 1927) lived in 1901 in Stoke Newington.
While research continued to find out what happened to all the siblings the next stage was to research the 1891 Census of London. To this end the 38 set of CD's were purchased. Unfortunately, these are not surname indexed and to find the information on individuals and families required a household by household search. This was a very time consuming and initially the concentration was on the Hackney/Stoke Newington areas. This is where most of the High's of Norfolk seemed to have shifted to in the 1860/70's. The areas of Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, Lewisham, West Ham and St George Hanover Square will also be searched.
To try and trace old Benjamin (1776 - 1862) a request for the Marriage Certificate for John and Sophia was made. It was always believed they were married on 17 November 1839 in Whipworth Norfolk. A search of all the places in Norfolk including village and parish names in the Hundreds (pre 1837) and the Registration Districts (post 1837) have failed to locate a place called Whipworth. On checking the St Catharine’s marriage index it was found that the marriage is recorded as being in the Registration District of Mitford, December Quarter 1839. On receipt of the marriage certificate it was confirmed that John's father was Benjamin and their address at the time of marriage was Whissonsett, not Whipworth. The birth Certificates of Frederick (1856) and John (1841) were also obtained but unfortunately they did not give the place of birth of their father John (1819 - 1880).
In the 1851 Census John High (1819 - 1880) gives his birthplace as Salters. Unfortunately no such place exists in Norfolk. The Census supervisor in the 1861 Census has the notation “query Salthouse”. There were a number of High's born in Salthouse in the early 1800's. The only other place it could be is Salters Lode about 1 mile east of Denver on the Great Ouse River where there are sluice gates and was mention in White's History, Gazetteer and Directory of Norfolk 1845. It was necessary to positively identify the birthplace of John so as to extend the lineage back beyond John and Benjamin. Without determining where John was born this the task will be difficult but not impossible.
Fortunately the surname High was not that common. In the 1851 Census there were 448 people with the surname High living in Norfolk. The oldest was Mary High born 1755 in Thorpe and living in Burnham Thorpe. In the 1881 Census there were 1375 people with the surname High in the United Kingdom. Of these 535 were born in Norfolk and 506 were living in Norfolk. There was a large clan of High's in the Northern Counties and Scotland. The oldest living High in 1881 was Edward High born in 1790 (aged 91 years).
The Internet has been a valuable resource from which to gather information and in some cases facts such as the burial dates of at least 7 family members including John (1819 - 1880), Sophia (1819 -1903), Barbara Joan (1908 - 1909), Frederick (1956 - 1927), George (1843 - 1876), Louis (1880 - 1939), Albert Harry ( 1864 -1894) were obtained. Patricia Brown was contacted through a genealogical message board of which there are many on the internet. There is a website for the Abney Park Cemetery where all those listed above are buried.
By Christmas 2002 the family tree in the form of descendants of John and Sophia had made good progress but was nowhere near complete and some progress was made on the lineage back through Benjamin. The completeness of the information was very dependant on assistance from family members and many of these have very busy lives with family and work commitments. The information that was given to this date was very much appreciated. back to top
As a result of the News Letter Roger High took
the initiative and telephoned Peter High and arranged to meet. So the two
branches descending from Albert Harry (1864 -1894)(Roger) and George (1843-1876)
(Peter) have made contact at long last.
There are a large number of descendants of Albert Walter (Bertie) (1872-1962)
and Beatrice Sybil Pegler (1874-1918) living in mainly the South Island of
New Zealand, centred on Timaru.
Also in Auckland are David and Helen Stallard , descendants of Rose May (Doris)
High (1885-1980).
Two other relatives, Ethel (Ettie) and Beatrice (Trixie), are known to have
migrated to New Zealand but unfortunately no trace of when and where they
went to in N.Z. has been found to date. Does anyone know?
In the 1950 and 60’s every time Fred visited
a city or town in Australia one of the first things he did was to check in
the local telephone directory to see if there where any High’s listed. The
results were always negative.
In December 2002 a searched of all the telephone directories in Australia
and New Zealand revealed listing of 70 High's.
All the New Zealand High’s have been accounted for and are descendants of
John and Sophia. However, none of the High’s in Australia, other than immediate
family of Fred, appeared to be descendants.
In January 2003 Fred sent a letter to the High’s listed in the Australian
telephone directories and had a great response. Unfortunately, none can be
immediately identified as descendants of John and Sophia. However, some have
their origins in Norfolk in the same geographical area that John and Sophia
were born and lived.
There is a possibility that two High families in Australia could be related
but the connection would be before 1820.
When it has been established where Benjamin was born, who and where he married
and what children they had, a connection may be able to be established.
To date Fred had not progressed very far on this aspect, but he have found
a Benjamin High (e) who married a Frances ??? and this looks a possibility
but only time, when I have it available, will tell.
11 OUT OF 13- TWO STILL TO FIND
In the first edition of the “High’s of Norfolk” there were entries for Frances and Mamee High. From further research these have proved to be one in the same person.
Frances (Mamee) married George Francis Williams
at Kensington in 1887. There are no records that have been researched to
date, that indicate that there were any children from the marriage.
In the 1901 Census, Frances was described as widowed, living at 57 Wilton
Road, Bexhill, Sussex and her profession or occupation was described as “living
on own means”. It is believed she had a guest house in Bexhill for many years.
This being the case, if John and Sophia had 13 children, there are still
two to be identified. As John and Sophia and family have been located in
both the 1851 and 1861 Census, it is most likely the missing two were born
after March 1861, unless they died as infants or as young children.
By a process of elimination and obtaining Birth Certificates for selected
High’s born in the Registration District of Mitford, it would be possible
to confirm the number of children of John and Sophia. back
to top
WHO WAS JOHN HIGH’S FATHER
While it has been confirmed from the Marriage
Certificate of John and Sophia that John’s father was Benjamin, very little
else is known.
In both the 1851 and 1861 Census, John’s birthplace is shown as Salters,
but no such place exists in Norfolk. In the 1861 Census there is a notation
alongside Salters, i.e. “Salthouse?”. The actual birthplace of John is important
as it could help to trace his parents.
In the International Genealogical Index there is a record of a Benjamin Highe
whose wife was Frances and they had a son Christopher who was christened
on 26 December 1813, in Salthouse. On 16 June 1822, Benjamin and Frances
High (note the “e” has been dropped) had another son Robert christened in
Salthouse.
Why this Benjamin is a possibility of being John’s father is that later Census
show that both Robert and Christopher lived for some time in Whissonsett,
which is only a couple of miles from Colkirk and where John and Sophia were
married. However, neither was a witness to the marriage of John and Sophia
in 1839.
The following is a transcript from Francis White’s
History, Gazetteer and Directory of Norfolk 1854, p. 786.
John and Sophia lived in Colkirk from 1839 until at least the mid 1860’s.
Colkirk, a small scattered village and parish, 2.5 miles S. of Fakenham,
has 96 houses, 464 souls, and 1,309 acres of land, exclusive of about 110a.
in open common. The Marquis of Townsend owns most of the soil, and is lord
of the manor and patron of the church, which is dedicated to St Mary, and
is a rectory, valued in the King’s book at 10 pounds, and in 1831 at 805
pounds. It has been enjoyed since 1816 by the Rev. Ralph Tatham, D.D. The
poor have 7 pounds a year from 8a. 2r. 15p. of land given by unknown donors;
and the Crown public house, and 2a. of land let for 23 pounds a year, purchased
with 100 pounds, left by Saml. Collison, in 1764; and 20 pound derived from
the sale of land left by John Holland, in 1636: the public house was rebuilt
in 1827, at the cost of 324 pounds. The poor have also 52s. a year, left
by Thos. Carryan, and 3s. 4d from Dunham’s Charity.
JOHN HIGH (1819 -1880) AND THE SANDRINGHAM ESTATE
In the research to try and find out more about Frances (Mamee) High, who was born 10th December 1844, a request for a Marriage Certificate was made and eventually received.
Frances married George Francis Williams on 27th January 1887 at the Register Office in the District of Kensington. Some interesting information was shown on the Certificate.
Firstly Frances was described as 40 years old and a spinster; however, she was born in Colkirk on 10th December 1844. George was a bachelor and 33 years old, his occupation was gentleman. Their residence at the time of their marriage was 6 Warwick Road, South Kensington. George’s father was Charles Williams (deceased) and his profession was barrister. back to top
Far more interesting to me was that Frances’s father, John described as deceased (he died in 1880 in Hackney) and his profession was “Land Steward”.
This is the first piece of official evidence
that I have found to support the claim that one of the male High’s was employed
on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
It is known from the 1861 Census John and Sophia were living in Colkirk and
in 1865 Albert Harry was born in Colkirk. From 1865 until John died in 1880
in Hackney no official records of John, Sophia and family have been found.
They were not living in Colkirk according to the 1871 Census.
Sandringham Estate was purchased by the Prince
and Princess of Wales, later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1862
as a country retreat. The house was built in 1870 and at that time was described
as the most comfortable house in Britain.
It would appear the timing does fit for John to have been employed on the
Sandringham Estate sometime during the period 1865 to 1880.
The description of “Land Steward” would indicate that John was the manager of the estate on behalf of the landed proprietor, Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra). This fits with many of the stories handed down from descendants of John and Sophia to the current generation of many branches of the family.
The next step is to research Sandringham Estate records to confirm John was the Laird Steward. An email has been sent to Sandringham Estate requesting such confirmation.
Lost Family Links
While many of the descendants of John and Sophia have been identified the following is a list where the line has stopped.
Ernest High born about 1869 Hackney son of John
(1841 - 1881)
Jack High born London early 1900’s, son of Ernest
Ruth High born London early 1900’s ,daughter of Ernest
Mary High born London early 1900’s, daughter of Ernest
Arthur William High born Hackney 1871 son of John (1840 -1881)
Herbert Alfred High born Hackney 1873 son of John (1840 -1881)
Beatrice Mary (Trixie) High born Hackney 1875 daughter of John (1840 -1881).
Ethel Charlotte (Ettie) High born Hackney 1875 daughter of John (1840 -1881).
Gladys C High born Hackney 1880 daughter of John (1840 -1881).
Holmes High born London 1886 grandson of George (1843 - 1876).
Sydney G High born Shoreditch 1887 grandson of George (1843 - 1876).
George Frederick High born Hackney 1869 son of George (1843 -1876).
Eric Pendlebury High born Bethnal Green 1899 son of George Frederick.
Charlotte S High born Stoke Newington 1879 daughter of Walter Walden
Louis James High born Camden Town 1880 died Hackney 1939.
Edith High born Hackney 1881 daughter of Walter Walden.
Benjamin High born Colkirk 1860, son of John and Sophia
Maurice High born London after 1901 son of Benjamin (1860).
Alfred F M High born Hackney 1885 son of Alfred (1862)
Stafford W High born Finchley 1886 son of Alfred (1862)
Arthur Leslie High born Stoke Newington 1888 son of Alfred (1862)
Mabel L High born Stoke Newington 1891 daughter of Alfred (1862)
Gordon A High born Cheltenham 1893 son of Alfred (1862)
Sidney B High born Hackney 1895 son of Alfred (1862)
Albert P High born Leyton 1897 son of Alfred (1862). back
to top
SALTHOUSE HIGH'S - WILLIAM AND HESTER
Having spent about eighteen months endeavouring
to identify the descendants of John and Sophia High and exhausting the easy
options it was time to move on and try and find their ancestors.
The first step was to determine who Benjamin High was. A more detailed search
of the 1851 Census revealed that Benjamin was listed as Benjamin
Hye (1776) and he was a widower living with his daughters Mary Ann
Parker (1808), a nurse and Amy (1811) together with a son Robert (1822).
All were born in Salthouse and living in Whissonsett. Also in the same household
was a nephew John (1840) and a niece Maria (1844). Robert was listed as unmarried
so it is assumed they where not his children, John and Maria were born in
Whissonsett.
A search of the Archdeacon and Parish records for Salthouse revealed that
Benjamin was married in about 1803 to Frances Youngs and while the Parish
records prior to 1813 were damaged and not available on microfilm, post 1813
were reasonably complete.
By a combination of Archdeacon and Parish records it has been established
that Benjamin (1776) and Frances (1776) had Benjamin Youngs High (21 June
1804), John High (17 February 1807, died 2 August 1807), Mary Ann (5 October
1808), Amy (22 April 1811), Christopher (26 December 1813), Louisa (17 October
1817), John (18 November 1819) and Robert (16 June 1822). The mystery of
where John High was born and his parents was solved.
Using the Archdeacon Transcripts, Benjamin’s (1776) father and mother were
identified as Benjamin High (1741) and Ann Dennis (1747). In addition to
Benjamin they had John (15 April 1770), Barbara (12 May 1771), Ann (3 April
1774), Henry (1784), Thomas (1786). There could have been other children
but from the available records these are all that could be identified.
While the Archdeacons Transcripts date from 1600 and the Parish records from
1538, they are water damaged and what remains of the early records are extremely
difficult to decipher. However, it has been established that William High
and his wife Hester had Sarah (24 January 1735) and Edmund (16 January 1736)
and as they were the only High’s listed in the Archdeacons Transcripts for
Salthouse it is assumed that Benjamin (1741) was their son. It is estimated
that William would have been born somewhere between 1705 and 1710.
No listing of a High was found prior to William. There could be a listing
but the quality of the records is poor, the writing is difficult and there
are many years where there are no records of or recorded Births, Marriages,
Banns or Deaths.
From available records in Australia that’s about as far back as the High
ancestry can be traced.
At this time no descendants of Sarah (1735) or Edmund (1736) have been traced.
However, many of the descendants of Henry (1774) and Thomas (1786) have been
identified up to about 1901 using the Census from 1851 to 1901 and parish
records
The descendants of William and Hester number about 700 at this time and there
are many more to be found post 1901. This task is best completed by finding
a living relative of Edmund (1736), Henry(1774) and Thomas (1786) and working
backwards as the Census post 1901 are not available to the public. back
to top
SANDRINGHAM ESTATE & JOHN
HIGH (1819-1880)
There have been many stories of John High working
on the Sandringham Estate and the positions he held.
Here is the official story from The Royal Archives, dated 21 July 2003. Inter
alia;
“Thank you for your letter 18 June relating to your Great Grandfather, John High,
and please accept my apologies for the delay in replying to your enquiry.
I am pleased to say that I can confirm that John High was indeed employed
on the Sandringham Estate but I am afraid that many of the records relating
to the estate have not survived and so I can only give you the most basic
of information about him. It seems that from 1857 until 1875 he was employed
as a Farm Manager on the Estate and also as the Clerk of the Estate and Farm
Improvements, of which there were many at that period, as the Prince had
only taken up residence a few years previously. Unfortunately I can tell
you nothing about his family or about his particular duties, although I wonder
in fact whether on his daughters marriage certificate he is actually described
as “Land Steward”, rather than “Laird Steward”. He seems to have used several
titles, as the only other reference we have to him occurs in 1871, when he
attended the private funeral at Sandringham of Prince Alexander, a premature
baby of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who was born on 6 April and died
the following day. In a list of those members of the Prince of Wales’s Household
who attended the funeral, he is described as “J. High, Farm Bailiff”.
I am sorry that I cannot give you any more information about your Great Grandfather
but nevertheless, I hope that the above will be of interest.”
Douglas Sulley-Archives Assistant.
During most of John’s time at Sandringham, at least until 1861, Sophia and
the children lived in Colkirk. back to
top
THE VILLAGE OF SALTHOUSE-NORFOLK
As Salthouse is a very important place in the
history of our branch of the High Family, research was undertaken on the
internet to see if a Gazetteer or White’s Directory and/or history was available
for the early part of the 19th century, as they are with just about every
other village in Norfolk.
The only items found were photographs and these were mainly of St Nicholas
church (500 years old in 2003). As can be seen from the photograph, this
dominates the village and the surrounding country side.
Salthouse is a very old village dating back to pre-medieval times and formed
part of what was the most heavily populated part of England (East Anglia)
until it was ravaged in 1348 by the Black Death. Most people in those times,
and up until the major drainage and reclamation projects in the 18th century,
made their living from fish and wildfowl.
In 1801 the population was 201 rising to a peak of 281 in 1821 but by 1901
it was back to 217.
From the records nearly all the male High’s were Agricultural Labourers,
and the females Domestic Servants. The only early exception was Mary Ann
(1808) who was a nurse. back to top
SALTHOUSE 18TH CENTURY CLERICAL & CIVIL RECORDS
[this paragraph partly refers to the Local Heritage
Initiative Salthouse History Project that took place in 2003 and is now
all over, but I'm leaving it in for the record, val]
The Heritage Lottery Fund has allocated £7,570
to the Salthouse History Group Exhibition Project.
This project comes out of the discovery of a chest of 18th century clerical
and civil records in the Salthouse village church.
Facsimiles of these records and registers are forming the basis of the exhibition,
coinciding with the church’s 500th birthday in 2003.
The project is also publishing an updated version of the History of Salthouse,
first written by Commander Frank Stagg in 1930. The original version only
went up to 1840, and the updated book will contain more recent memories collected
from local people.
The 18th century records could contain some of the High family history.
Contact has been made with Ms Val Fiddian (valfiddian@salthousehistory.co.uk) the
Project Contact to see if the High’s appear anywhere in these records.
[The Parish Records, dating from 1538 have been restored into readable condition
as far as it is possible to do so by the Norfolk Record Office, and are already available on microfilm in Norwich. financed by the proceeds from the sale of the Salthouse
book on the open market in 2003] back to top
Salthouse History Group
For those who have an interest in the ancestry
of the High’s and in the local history of Salthouse, I recommend the purchase
of the recently published book, “Salthouse - The story of a Norfolk village”,
edited by Val Fiddian.
The cost is 15 pounds and has the ISBN 0-9543547-0-2. For those outside of
the UK you would need to add about 11 pounds for postage by air mail. Message from Val: 'I'm so sorry, but there are no more copies of this limited edition.'
I recently obtained a copy from Val Fiddian and at that time (Nov 2003) there
where only 150 copies available of the run of 1500. It is available from
selected book shops in the UK. [there maybe a few still
left in bookshops, but only about 30 now with me (Val, 25June 2004)]
The book is full of Salthouse High’s, mainly descendants of Thomas High (1787)
and Ann Williamson (1788). Thomas was the brother of Benjamin High (1776)
who was the father of John High (1819).
The majority of the 368 pages have either stories about the High’s or reference
to them. It is a wonderful publication mainly because the text is stories
as told by the people who live or have lived in Salthouse.
Two important developments have come as a result of making contact with Val
Fiddian, the first is that I now have some of the descendants of Thomas and
Ann High and contacts to pursue even more.
The second is that there was a Christopher High who married Amy in 1620.
I will now try and find the lineage from William and Hestor (married abt
1733) 3 or 4 generations back to Christopher and Amy.
Benjamin High (1776-1862) and Frances Youngs (1776 - 1844)
Since the last Newsletter John High (1819-1880)
parents Benjamin and Frances have been identified, together with their other
children who where all born in Salthouse (see cover story).
From the records, it would appear the family moved from Salthouse sometime
in the mid to late 1820’s to Whissonsett. Mary Ann High (1808) married a
Luke Parker in Whissonsett on 14th October 1829, and in 1851, she was a widow,
and living with her in High Street, Whissonsett were Benjamin then a widower,
Amy (1811) unmarried, Robert (1822) unmarried, and her nephew John (1840)
and niece Maria (1844).
While some of the descendants of John’s (1819) siblings have been identified,
much more still remains to be done. The next part of the research will be
to examine the Parish and Archdeacon Transcript records of Church of England
in Whissonsett.
These have been requested, but as yet they have not arrived at the LDS Genealogical
Library for me to view. Because there are many people using the LDS Centre,
research sessions are restricted to about four hours per week. With the period
of time (1823 -1901) that has to be researched this could take a number of
weeks. back to top
JOHN & SOPHIA HIGH IN COLKIRK
From research to date it would appear that John
and Sophia had the majority of their children while in Colkirk from 1840
to 1865.
As yet only eleven children have been identified and from information passed
down through the family it is thought there were thirteen children.
All research to date has failed to identify the last two, and as a last resort,
a request has been made for the microfilm of the Parish and Archdeacon records
of the Church of England in Colkirk to try and positively identify all of
John and Sophia’s children .
Hopefully, the records will give the births of all the High’s born in Colkirk
between 1839 and 1901.
John’s cousin Henry High (1826) also lived in Colkirk about the same time
as John and Sophia and he and many of his married children were still living
in Colkirk in 1901.
Hopefully the records will provide the proof of the children of both John
and Sophia and Henry and Frances and fill another branch of the High Family
tree.
For a copy of Fred's family
tree in pdf format (53.8KB), click here,
and if
you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader click here 
to
get it
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