IV Weavers

Page 13	Gosling	John	25
		Esther	Death

The rear part of this house was the home of John and Esther Gosling. The survey shows Esther as having died, but other records show that she lived to 1880, dying when she was just 32. She was born Esther Moore in Naughton in 1847, the daughter of Samuel Moore, and married John Gosling in 1867. They had four children born between 1868 and 1878. The first-born, Walter, died in infancy.

John later married a woman called Susannah from Brandon, and they had two more children, Ada (1885-1973), in whose tenure the cottage opposite Riverside (which we call "Goslings") burned down in 1935, and Arthur George, who was killed in Paraguay in 1914 aged 31.

Susannah herself died in 1929 aged 80.

 John Gosling was born in Chelsworth, the son of Isaac, a "higgler" or dealer, and Elizabeth Gosling of Marshes, and worked as labourer and miller. Isaac and Elizabeth had five children, including John and James of Deysfield.

The family can be traced back in the Chelsworth registers to the year 1696, when an early Isaac was born to a still earlier Isaac and Susan Gosling. In fact, this family name of Isaac occurs in the baptismal records of All Saints in 1696, 1749, 1793 and 1821.

John Gosling was another witness at the inquest on John Claydon in 1884, and he was evidently an active and vocal member of the village community, being several times quoted in the minutes of the parish meeting. He died in 1924 at the age of 79.

Page 15

Gage

Henry

The main part of Weavers was unoccupied at the time of the survey, but a pencilled addition shows the names of Henry and Eliza Gage.

Henry was the eldest son (born 1811) of Isabella and William Gage who used to own Weavers, but he did not inherit the house on his father’s death in 1859 - it passed instead to his youngest brother Frederick by the custom of the Manor known as Borough English, because William died without leaving a will.

Frederick moved to Rotherhithe, in London, but Henry stayed until his death in 1883. His wife Eliza was born in Waldingfield in 1819, but we know nothing more about her.

Weavers was eventually enfranchised - released from its copyhold status - but Frederick was so much in debt by that time that the freehold had to be surrendered right away.

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