The Barritts of the Fenlands - Page 8

Elijah, son of Robert and Sophia Barritt

Born on 14th February 1843, Elijah was Robert and Sophia's second son. Like his father, he was a carpenter and as windmills had given way to steam engines for drainage purposes, he became a builder.

On 6th August 1864 he married Jane Porter, daughter of William Porter, a farmer, at Southery parish church. Jane was the sister of Aan who had married Elijah's eldest brother, William Barritt five years earlier. Elijah and Jane lived at Brandon Creek and from about 1883 at Waunch Bank, Southery.

In 1897 Elijah secured the contract for building a Primitive Methodist Chapel in Black Horse Drove. One day he sent his two young nephews to the knacker's yard to buy a horse's head. When the boy's returned with it they watched the workmen dig the trench for the foundations and then saw their uncle carefully mark the centre of the site by driving into the ground a wooden stake. The men gathered round while Elijah took a measure of beer from a cask he had provided for his workmen, placed the horse's head in the bottom of the trench and poured the beer into the footings as a libation. An old pagan custom.

Elijah built many wooden bridges that spanned fenlands drains and ditches. He also was a skilled wheelwright and made complete wagons for farmers. Most houses built on fenland peat suffer from settlement and become unsafe. There are a few houses on the old road between Brandon Creek and Southery which carry the initials E.B. that were built by Elijah Barritt.

Elijah and Jane had ten sons and one daughter. Their eldest child was Frederick William, born 1865, and all their other sons were given biblical names; Ezekiel, Abel, Job, Hezekiah, David, Elijah and Joshua. They had two sons named Job and two named Hezekiah. In both cases the eldest child died and the next son born carried the same name.

Frederick William and Elijah junior both emigrated to Vancouver. Job went to Poplar in East London and worked in the building trade. Ezekiel was a builder, Abel a carpenter and David a bricklayer who also was a publican at the Carpenter's Arms, Wimblington.

Elijah died 29th October 1904 and was buried at Southery. He had written his will 12th September 1904 and probate was granted 8th February 1905 to the Executors, his son Ezekiel Barritt and Joseph Wootton. He made bequests of land, property or money to all his children as follows;

To Frederick William three acres of freehold land in Ragmore, Southery; To Ezekiel, Fern Cottage and garden, Southery; Job, leasehold cottage in Hilgay plus £100; Abel, Rose Cottage with wheelwrights shop, cottage and garden in Southery; Hezekiah, two leasehold cottages with bake house and grocers shop at Brandon Creek plus £40; David, Wellfair Cottage and garden in Southery; Joshua, freehold house and five acres of land at Ragmore Drove, Black Bank, Southery Jane, Waunch Cottage and garden, Southery. He made provision for his wife by ensuring his children paid her an annuity and she to live in Bridge Cottage rent free for life.

Elijah's widow, Jane, lived to the age of 78 and died 6th November 1920. She was buried in Southery churchyard in the same grave as her husband.

© Copyright Ron Barritt - March 1995

Barritt/Barrett homepage or Next page

Return to Main Cambridgeshire page

Comments and Other Information

Last Updated on: 23 January 2000
For comments about this webpage, please email Martin Edwards.
©1999. EnglandGenWeb and WorldGenWeb Project.