Author Margaret Dowland
Using census returns, trade directories and oral history we have complied a list of anyone recorded as a carpenter or wheelwright. It is a surprisingly long list going back to 1819. Those in bold are known to have been wheelwright as well as a carpenter.
| 1819 | Jonathan Duncan |
| 1841 | Robert Copeman, Jonathan Duncan, John Foulger, Richard Green, Robert Starling, Samuel Vince. |
| 1845 | Robert Copeman, Priest Green, William Temple |
| 1851 | Jonathan Duncan John Foulger, William Foulger, James Storey, William Temple |
| 1856 | Robert Copeman, William Temple. Priest Green |
| 1861 | Robert Copeman, Jonathan Duncan, Emmanuel Duncan, William Foulger, James Storey, William Temple, Samuel, James and John Vince, Priest Green |
| 1871 | George Cubitt, Elijah Curson, William Foulger, Robert Starling, James Storey, William Temple |
| 1881 | Elijah Curson, Emmanuel Duncan, William Foulger, Robert Starling, James Storey, John Storey, William Temple. Edward Foulger |
| 1883 | Elijah Curson, William Curson, James Storey, William Temple Emanuel Dunkin |
| 1891 | Thomas Daniels, William Rogers, John Storey |
| 1900 | Edmund Bates, John Storey |
| 1901 | Edmund Bates, William Rogers, John Storey |
| 1911 | Edmund Bates, Willis Ash Payne, William Rogers, John Storey |
| 1912 | Edmund Bates, John Storey |
| 1921 | Edmund Bates, John Storey Edward Foulger |
| 1922 | Edmund Bates, John Storey, Richard Swann |
| 1939 | Edmund Bates, Douglas Tuthill, Richard Swann |
| 1953 | Richard Swann |
Jonathan Duncan born Southrepps 1790. The baptismal records of his son James shows him as a carpenter in 1819. In 1841 he lives in Lower Street and is listed as a carpenter, in 1851 journeyman carpenter at the age of 62. 1861 as a carpenter in Lower Street. Married Hannah Self in 1819. They had at least six children. He died in 1861 and Hannah in 1875.
Emmanuel Duncan born Southrepps 1834. He started as a bricklayers labourer, in 1861 he is listed as a carpenter in Lower Street, by 1871 he has moved to London returning to Southrepps by 1881 as carpenter and wheelwright but has left the village by 1891. He married Elizabeth Allison in 1859. They had many children.
Robert Copeman born in Knapton in 1797. In 1841 he is shown as living and working in Upper Street with his wife Hannah nee Cooke and two sons Robert and James, both Robert Junior and James follow in their father’s footsteps as carpenters. By 1871 both Robert Copeman junior, and James had moved to London to work as carpenters. He died in 1869.
Richard Green born Norfolk 1770 married Elizabeth Gray 1798. Listed in the 1841 Census as a wheelwright. Died 1842
John Foulger born 1793 in Norfolk. He married Sarah Cook in Southrepps in. In 1841 he is a carpenter in Upper Street by 1851 he is a journeyman carpenter he died that year.
William Foulger born in Southrepps in 1826. John’s son and he followed his father as a carpenter. He married Mary Ann Jackson in 1863. They had possibly four children. He died in 1885 having worked and lived in Southrepps all his life.His son Edward also became a carpenter.
Edward Foulger born 1865 Southrepps, son of William Foulger he worked as a carpenter in Southrepps moving to Norwich by 1901 working as a gardener. In 1921 he has returned to Southrepps at the age of 61 and worked for Eddie Bates.
Robert Starling born in Southrepps in 1814 he lived in Upper Street. He was working as a carpenter in 1841. Married Elizabeth Arnold. He died in 1881.
Samuel Vince born Norwich 1803, listed as a carpenter in the 1841. He married Rachel Harmer in 1827. Two of his sons are recorded as carpenters in 1861. The family moved away from Southrepps.
Richard Green born Southrepps 1770, listed in the 1841 census Married Elizabeth Gray in 1798 died 1842.
Priest Green born Southrepps 1799. married Ann Starling 1826 died 1829. married Elizabeth Starling 1831 died 1854. he is listed as a carpenter in the 1861 Census. Died Southrepps 1861.
William Temple born Whitechapel 1811, married to Mary Ann Bacon died 1896. His brother Isaac was the village blacksmith. Isaac was born in Bradfield so the family must have moved when William was young. Their father John was also a carpenter.
James Storey born Roughton 1846. The family lived in Lower Street. He married Margaret Bunton. They had four children, Margaret, Elizabeth, James and John. He died in 1889 leaving his estate to his son John. We can see from the records that father and son probably worked together and that John continued the business on his father’s death.
John Storey born in Southrepps in 1852 .The census for 1871 and 1881 show John living alone with his father in Lower Street. By 1891 he was married to Louisa Baker, and they lived in Warren Road Lower Street with two children. They had three children in total. By 1939 he and Louisa had retired and were living with their married daughter Ellen Daniels at Sycamore Farm Southrepps. He died in 1946 at the age of 94 leaving his estate to Ellen and son William. Louisa had predeceased him in 1944. Their son James died in 1943.
George Cubitt born Trimingham 1846. He was s listed as carpenter in Southrepps in 1871 by 1881 he wass running the Crown and Anchor pub in Trimingham as well as being a carpenter.
Elijah Curson born Southrepps 1822. Also listed as a wheelwright. 1901 census he was listed as a retired farmer.
William Curson apart from being listed in Whites. He does not appear to have lived in Southrepps.
Emanuel Dunkin apart from the reference in 1883 Kellys there is no other record of Emmanuel. I wonder if it is a miss spelling of Duncan. See Emmanuel Duncan above a wheelwright in Southrepps in 1881.
Thomas Daniels born in Swanton Abbott in 1868. He married Sara Greenacre in 1887, by 1901 they had left to live and work in Norwich.
William Rogers born Southrepps 1846. He first worked in Great Yarmouth where he married Charlotte Gowen. He returned to Southrepps by 1891 a widower. He continued to work as a carpenter in Upper Street until his death in 1914.
(Samuel) Edmund Bates born in Gimingham 1869. Married Anna Marie Gaze in 1899. He died in 1931.
Edmund Bates born 1903 Southrepps. He had married Evelyn Moy in 1928.The 1939 register show him as master carpenter and wheelwright as well as a special constable. Living at 10 High Street with his wife, mother and mother-in-law. Eddie retired in 1949/50. He died 1955. Evelyn died in 1994.
Willis Ash Payne born Northrepps 1885, he was a journeyman carpenter and wheelwright, married to Stella Pardon. By 1921 he was working for Frank Golden wheelwright and saw mill in Northrepps. They had three children. He died in Overstrand in 1964.
Richard William Swann (Dick) born 1896 in Norwich. Dick was orphaned at an early age and came to live his aunt Ethel Salmon and her husband who lived near Southrepps Hall. He joined the Navy in 1914 and served as a Petty Officer (his naval trade being a carpenter) during the First World War based in Rossyth in Scotland where he met and married Jessie Law who lived at the foot of the Forth Bridge in South Queensferry. They returned to Southrepps when he left the Navy in 1922 and lived at 21 High Street. Their two children Maud (born in Scotland) and Jessie (later Tuthill). Dick carried on his business as a carpenter, wheelwright and undertaker from a workshop in an outbuilding to the rear of number 21 until he died in 1954, aged 58 year. He had a black and white signboard “R W Swann Carpenter Wheelwright and Undertaker” affixed to the front wall of no. 21 and as a village carpenter he led the building of the original Village Hall in 1949. Although they ran separate businesses he worked in association with Eddie Bates if either needed help on a big project. For example, if he were making a pair of big cart wheels, he might use Eddie’s workshop where there was more space. Dick had an apprentice Donnie Bane working with him around 1950. Dick died in 1954. He was also the village sub-postmaster and newsagent.
Douglas Tuthill born 1915 Southrepps, son of Arthur Tuthill and Alice Mary Drury one of 10 children.
Coffins and funerals
The village carpenters would make the coffins and as a result also became the undertakers. Eddie Bates, Dick Swann and later Reynolds would all make coffins and were the undertakers. We have a first-hand account by Richard Colman, the grandson of Dick Swann, he remembers his grandfather being called to the home of the deceased where the measurements were taken. He would then return and make the coffin; they were always oak as that was the wood they had. Richard recalls Dick kerfing and then steaming the wood using kettles and pots of boiling water to bend the timber for the shoulders of the coffin. The coffin was then taken to the home of the deceased where they were laid out. The dead would be taken to the church on a hand cart. After Dick died in 1954 it left Reynolds as the only undertaker in the village.
