Charles Robert Shreeve (1854-1932)

Edward Shreeve (1821-1890) was a farmer of Marsham in Norfolk married to Eliza-Ann Greenwood. They had a son Charles Robert who was born on 10th December 1854 in Marsham.

Charles married Alice Tuddenham (1867-1932) in 1879 and they had five children, Frederick Charles Greenwood (1880), Philip Henry (1881), Dorothy Anne (1885), Evelyn Alice (1886) and Alan Robert (1893). The sons were born in Marsham and the daughters in Heydon, which is about seven miles to the west.

Charles was described as a miller in 1880 and a farmer and miller of Windmill House, Marsham in 1881. Windmill House was built beside the postmill in Mill Road. Charles was by this time miller at both Bolwick Mill and Marsham postmill. He ran those businesses in conjunction with his farming interests from c.1883 - c.1890

Charles probably took over Bolwick mill from his uncle Thomas who ran the mill from c.1864 - c.1883. Thomas initially managed the business on behalf of George Shreeve for some 21 years but when George died in 1880, Thomas took over as proprietor. It appears that Thomas Shreeve was very successful and was also running Marsham postmill and Aylsham Steam Mills as well. He left Bolwick and Marsham c.1883 to run the much larger Buxton Mill.

By the time of the 1891 census Charles had taken over his father's property in Allison Street, Marsham. His widowed mother was also at the same address, the family being shown under the surname of Shreave.

The farming business evidently became insolvent by mid-1897 and on 24 August he executed a deed of assignment allowing for his creditors to be paid 9s in the £ from the proceeds of the sale by auction of all his property. A portion of the assignment list is shown below. Among the creditors were his first cousins Henry Herbert (owed £3.0s.6d) and Edgar Ernest (£9.2s.3d) and his uncle, Thomas Shreeve), the father of Ernest. A form of receipt was used for each creditor. That for Christmas Stapleton is detailed below and shows that he received £1.1s.9d. It is of interest that even in 1897 a method of duplication was used to avoid the necessity of having the forms printed or written out by hand.

Charles and his family next appear in the 1901 census at 25 Hill House Road in Norwich when his occupation is given as cattle care salesman. The youngest son, Alan Robert, a Lance Sergeant with the 6th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, died in France on 19th July 1916 aged 23. His name is on the Loos Memorial which commemorates "over 20,000 officers and men who fell in the area from the River Lys to the old southern boundary of the First Army, east and west of Grenay, and who have no known grave." (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) Alan's parents' address in 1916 was 36 Plumstead Road, Norwich.

C. R. Reeve's Assignment

Stracey, Revd.

20th May 1898