II Swifts Garden

Page 5	Johnson	Martin	40	Denomination E
		Maria	36
		Jane	3.5.57
		Maryanne	26.7.58
		Emma	9
		Walter	7
	See Page 101	Eliza	5
		George	4

Martin Johnson, who worked as a shepherd, was living in one part of this cottage with his wife Maria (née Aggis) of Kersey and their six children - four more were born in the following six years. He was born in 1831 in Chelsworth, the son of Susan (née Creek) and John, who were married in Monks Eleigh in 1826.

Martin and Maria, who was the daughter of John, a labourer, were married in Chelsworth in 1857. They moved soon after this survey was taken, up to the bungalow (now gone) on the common. (This is the point of the pencilled note referring to page 101).

Martin died in 1901, aged 69. He is buried in the churchyard here, along with Maria who died in 1917 aged 82. Their son Walter (1936), who in later years worked as a blacksmith and then as a "general dealer", also lies here with his wife Jane (1944).

Our records show that son George was to marry Clara Lister in 1892. She was the 22 -year-old daughter of George Lister of Bildeston. Two daughters went into service, Jane at The Rectory and Maryanne as a housekeeper in Semer.

Martin has a strange entry - the only one in this survey - which is an ‘E’ in the column headed "Denomination". We have no idea what this means; but it is interesting that the survey as originally designed was intended to ascertain each person’s religious affiliation. Another column specified "Society or Club", but there is not a single entry.

Page 7

John and Elizabeth Claydon and their two sons lived in the other half of Swifts Garden until just before 1870, when they moved down Cakebridge Lane.

This part of the cottage was therefore empty at the time of the survey.

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