On a visit to Great Witchingham church, more of a pilgrimage to see the Bates family graves we first discovered 24 years ago - and carefully transcribed and photographed then - we got a shock.
Re-reading one of the tombstones, it struck me that the death place of the deceased (Thomas Bates, brother of my great x 3 grandfather) was noted as Ranpore in India. I gawped! Inside the church we found a transcription of the memorials (newly placed since our last visit in April 2010) that duly noted the Indian connection.
Thomas was a carpenter in his early 70s in Lenwade in the 1871 census, living with his spinster daughter. His wife had died a few months before. With 15 months of the census, he has travelled to and died at Ranpore in India.
How on earth can I explian that!
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