Bury St Edmunds in the 1820's

My ancestor is JOSEPH (b1800) [8th child and 3rd of 4 sons of ROBERT GILBERT (1766-1840) and Mary Kent] who appears to have moved to Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk sometime before 1826 after marrying Mary Ann WEST on 22 September 1817 in her home village of Kenninghall (near Banham).  JOSEPH (b1800) was only 16 when he married.

There is no record of any children until circa 1821 1 when JOHN (b circa 1821) is born in Banham.  JOSEPH (b.1800) and Mary Ann end up having  6 children as far as we know, but I suspect that there may have been some other children before then due to his being so young at his marriage - though I didn't find any records that would confirm this.

JOHN (c1821's younger siblings were born in Bury St Edmonds; CHARLES (b circa 1826), HARRY (b. circa 1828), SALLY (b. circa 1831), ROBERT (b circa 1833) and LUCY (b circa 1840) 2.   They are all registered as living at North Gate Street - which I visited in 1997.

Northgate Street, Bury St Edmonds (1997)


As mentioned in the chapter The Engineer, I believe JOSEPH (b1800)'s trade as an Engineer had something to do with brewing machinery which he would have been learned in the cider making industry. Greene King brewery is built on the site of a brewery in Westgate that was there since 1700.  Northgate to Westgate Bury St Edmonds

We don't have the number of their house, but on Northgate Street which is a row of  joined houses, except for a Wine Merchants amongst the dwellings with a gateway and drive to the back (maybe for dreys?)

This is the only break in the row. At a complete guess this property may have been their workshop as the other buildings in the street are residential except for a Post Office/shop two-doors along.

Obviously this needs further investigation.

The other side of the Wine Merchants drive way showing

the joined houses and the post office/shop.

The Wine Merchants (1997) possibly the home of 
Joseph (b1800) and Mary Ann circa 1820-1830