Richard Calver, known as Dick, was born in 1923 at Station Farm, Stanhoe, son of Helen Calver. He died in 2009.

Chris Branch says in 2011:

Dick married Joan Ryan, and Peter Calver was their only child. He is the last known Calver of our family in England.

Peter Calver returned from Scotlnd in 2011 and now lives at Mundford, Norfolk. (He is organising a family gathering at Northwold, where his grandmother Helen Ward’s (nee Calver) eldest daughter now lives. There should be over 40 of us gathering there but needless to say there will only be one bearer of the family name of Calver.

Recent contacts through Ancestry have identified Calvers in America, some with the actual name. Many more of course, claim a distant link.

Over there, my contact claims to have over 2,300 “Calvers” in her tree, all stemming from Banham in Norfolk. Diane and I went to Banham at the end of June 2011 and located five headstones. It was from that Banham stem that a Thomas Calver born in 1716; he later married Frances Booty. Their son John Calver b.1750 married Ann Betts b.1755. I believe they had two sons: John Calver b.1781 d.1853, who married Susan Blake b.1787, and his brother Henry Calver also b.1781 (both brothers shown aged 60 on 1841 Census Return and both with stated birthplace “Banham”). Henry Calver was married to Ann b.1786. Now bear in mind the Bobbins family also lived on Creake Road, Burnham Thorpe.

It was (by calculation of his stated age on the Census return) - John Calver b.1781 at “Calver House” next door to “Nelson Inn” with a somewhat younger wife Susan Blake b.1787 or same Census query could be b.1791, who raised 3 children at Ivy Farm : Philip (20), Jane (15) and Thomas (12) (my Grandfather’s Father). Thomas Calver b.1829 d.1884 married Susan Bobbins b.1839 (Note that with 10 years between them, we think she might have been his second wife!!). They were the parents of our Grandfather Thomas Henry Calver b.1874 d.1957 who was destined for Station Farm.

The 1841 Census identifies Calvers at Ivy Farm to be farming in Burnham Thorpe on 617 Acres with 22 farmhands. Thomas Henry Calver, born in 1874, was my grandfather born at Ivy Farm. He married Edith Amelia Riches from Burnham Overy Staithe in Spring 1896 and signed a farm tenancy for Station Farm, Stanhoe, on 13 March 1896, and moved into Station Farm, Stanhoe on 11 October 1896.

The Nelson Saga:

Miggie (my mother) always claimed that the Calvers were farming at “Ivy Farm, Burnham Thorpe”. The 1841 and 1851 Census shows the “Calver House” to be the entry next to “Neson Inn” so she was right her own Father was born there.

Now called “Ivy Farm House” it is certainly impressive and has a huge barn adjacent. Miggie also claimed that Lord Horation Nelson was NOT actually born at The Rectory, Burnham Thorpe but at “Ivy Farm” as the Rectory was under repair at the time.” Perhaps she was right but I have another theory:

Further research in the 1841 and 1851 Census shows it was another Calver - Henry Calver b.1781 and his wife Ann b.1786 who lived on Creek Road, Burnham Thorpe (also smaller acreage nevertheless an impressive 310 acres) and it was they who lived next door to “The Rectory”. My Theory: Perhaps it was at Henry and Ann Calver’s address - next to “The Rectory” on Creek Road that was the scene of Horation Nelson’s actual birth in 1768 and not at Ivy Farm. - Even if the Calvers were still at Banham when Nelson was actually born in 1768, we may never know if Calver children were raised under one or other of the same roofs in the 1800s.

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Wednesday 29 June 2011

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