Edward Catchpole
1769 - 1847
On 15th Feb 1796 our 3xGreat Grandparents Edward Catchpole and Elizabeth Wake were married in Fressingfield, Suffolk. Elizabeth was about five months pregnant at the time. They moved to the nearby village of Laxfield where Elizabeth had a boy in July 1796. They named him Righteous Wake Catchpole.
They had three more children in Laxfield, William in 1802, Anne in 1804 and Elizabeth in 1807. Anne died as a baby. So the Catchpole family in Laxfield in 1810 consisted of Edward (41), his wife Elizabeth(35), and their three children Righteous (14), William (8), and Elizabeth (3). Edward worked at home in Laxfield as a linen weaver. The linen weaving industry in Suffolk was concentrated in the area along the southern banks of the river Waveney, which is where Laxfield is. The industry was organised through a ‘putting–out system’, whereby hundreds of small family-run cottage workers carried out the various processes. By 1810 with the advent of the industrial revolution and the emergence of the new loom factories in Lancashire, the Suffolk linen weaving industry was in decline and was non existent by the 1840s. Edward Catchpole lived through this period and his fortunes mirrored the decline in the linen industry.
We know nothing of his early life in Laxfield but when he died on 22nd March 1847 he left a will, and we have been able to obtain a copy from the Ipswich records office. His funeral took place on 29th March 1847 and he is buried here at All Saints Church in Laxfield.
There are some interesting insights into Edward's life in his will. There are the usual small legacies to his daughter Elizabeth, and his son William. with the remainder going to Righteous. There is no mention of his wife Elizabeth, but he did stipulate that his nurse Sarah Rose, the wife of a labourer John Rose, should have a decent suit of mourning to be made up at his expense in recognition of her care and attention prior to his decease. This is curious because Elizabeth seems to be still alive - they appear to have separated. The will suggests that he was very weak hence the need for Sarah Rose to look after him. But he couldn't have been that ill because he lived for another ten years.
Edward also very sportingly left twenty shillings to be shared five shillings each among the four public houses (The General Wolfe, The Kings Head, The Royal Oak and The White Horse) for the "Brother members" of his Club who attended the funeral. No doubt there was a good turnout!
We think his Club is a friendly society or benefit club. These were clubs that met in public houses regularly for members to pay a subscription, and the money was used for assisting members who fell ill or on hard times. Very often a death benefit would be paid to assist with funeral expenses. In 1803 Laxfield had a friendly society with 41 members. This is probably it.
The final item of particular interest in the will is a codicil from 1840 which refers to Edward borrowing £5 from a Benjamin Baker, who becomes an executor to protect his interest. This confirms Edward's financial difficulties due to the decline in the Suffolk linen industry.