Firstly, I searched the Norfolk papers for mentions of my Bates and Dunnell ancestors. Not much there it seems, probably because they were law abiding folk!
Then I searched for Bambridge, one of the unusual names in my tree. And I found a very interesting article from 16 May 1795 edition of The Norfolk Chronicle.
"Absconded from his wife and family, Edmund Bambridge of the Parish of Stody, by trade a Bricklayer, about 45 years of age, five feet six or seven inches high, grey eyes, brown hair, bald upon the forehead, had on when he went away a blue coat and fustian jacket. Whoever will give information about the said E. Bambridge to the Overseers of the said Parish, shall be rewarded for their trouble. N.B. If he shall return he shall be received without punishment. Dated 13 May 1795, Stody"
A shiver went down my spine upon reading this for the first time. Edmund was my direct ancestor and when he went missing his wife would have had 5 or 6 small children at home, the others having already left home and got married.
I checked my family tree and confirmed that Edmund Bambridge was buried in Stody (see church below) in 1815 aged 65 years. So he must have returned at some point to his native village.
Thanks to the British Newspaper Archive I have an intriguing story about a direct ancestor. And I now know what he looked like, what he did for a living and that he suffered from male pattern baldness! It seems he was also loved, or at least that is what I summise from the comment about returning home without punishment.
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