EARLY CLERGYMEN
The church records list the Rectors of Trunch from 1294. In some years the Gimingham and Trunch Rectors were the same person.
Click here for my list of Trunch clergy.
One of the early Rectors - Bertram WODEHOUSE built and endowed almshouses in Trunch in the early 1500s and Goodrich says that Richard MYTTON paid for the chancel roof and asked to be buried in 1504 near the statue of Saint Botolph - now disappeared, while Thomas PAULE Rector 1548-1554 is a bit of a mystery. The parish records show that he was married to Joan and had 2 daughters born in Trunch, where he was also buried in 1566. But his will says "I Thomas WRIGHT alias PAULE" and mentions more children but why the alias I don't know.
Richard GATEFIELD, who was Rector from 1554-1556 may have been in gaol in Kings Lynn in 1554 for supporting Wyatt's Rebellion against the catholic Queen Mary and John SALISBURY Rector 1556-1566 was a Welshman, and a Benedictine Monk, who then married. After he left Trunch he became Bishop of the Isle of Man and he is buried in Norwich Cathedral.
Click here for my list of Trunch clergy.
One of the early Rectors - Bertram WODEHOUSE built and endowed almshouses in Trunch in the early 1500s and Goodrich says that Richard MYTTON paid for the chancel roof and asked to be buried in 1504 near the statue of Saint Botolph - now disappeared, while Thomas PAULE Rector 1548-1554 is a bit of a mystery. The parish records show that he was married to Joan and had 2 daughters born in Trunch, where he was also buried in 1566. But his will says "I Thomas WRIGHT alias PAULE" and mentions more children but why the alias I don't know.
Richard GATEFIELD, who was Rector from 1554-1556 may have been in gaol in Kings Lynn in 1554 for supporting Wyatt's Rebellion against the catholic Queen Mary and John SALISBURY Rector 1556-1566 was a Welshman, and a Benedictine Monk, who then married. After he left Trunch he became Bishop of the Isle of Man and he is buried in Norwich Cathedral.
Four of the Rectors were from the THEXTON family and they came either side of the Interregnum Period from 1649 to 1660 when Oliver Cromwell was in charge. Click here for more about the Thexton Family.
The non-comformist, dissenting preachers in Trunch from 1649-1660 were Richard LAWRENCE and John TILLINGHAST. They were both graduates of Cambridge University before becoming independent ministers. When the King and Church of England Rectors were restored in 1660 LAWRENCE went to preach in Amsterdam, before returning to England. TILLINGHAST was a prolific writer on religious matters, and was asked to come to Trunch from Great Yarmouth in 1651. His first wife and baby son had recently died and he married again to Mary (nee FLIGHT) and they had a daughter Mary. Mary the mother died in Trunch in 1654, a year before TILLINGHAST himself died in 1655.
The non-comformist, dissenting preachers in Trunch from 1649-1660 were Richard LAWRENCE and John TILLINGHAST. They were both graduates of Cambridge University before becoming independent ministers. When the King and Church of England Rectors were restored in 1660 LAWRENCE went to preach in Amsterdam, before returning to England. TILLINGHAST was a prolific writer on religious matters, and was asked to come to Trunch from Great Yarmouth in 1651. His first wife and baby son had recently died and he married again to Mary (nee FLIGHT) and they had a daughter Mary. Mary the mother died in Trunch in 1654, a year before TILLINGHAST himself died in 1655.
John JEFFERY was Rector from 1709 - 1748 but information about him is scarce. I think he was born in Ipswich about 1679 and studied at St. Catherine's College in Cambridge. His father was a more famous John, the Archdeacon of Norfolk and a prolific writer. I don't think that the Trunch Rector was married or had children but his death was recorded in the parish record with the following comment - John Jeffery Clerk AM successor of Rob. T Thexton Clerk in ye parishes of Trunch and Gimingham died at Ipswich August ye 1st. 1748.
Henry STEBBING was the Rector when Trunch was joined with Gimingham in 1751. He was also the son of a more famous Henry, who wrote many religious papers and has a portrait painted by Joseph Highmore in the National Portrait Gallery. Henry was the Rector from 1748 to 1787 and was also a preacher at Gray's Inn, where he died. He also wrote a collection of sermons and he was married and had a son Henry who was a barrister.
Philip GARDNER followed Stebbing as Rector of Trunch and Gimingham from 1788-1826. He lived in the Pasonage House in Gimingham and in 1788 applied for as loan of £735 to repair the house, outbuildings, and grounds and to sink a new well. I'm not sure if this was done but during his time an Act of Parliament was passed in 1793 for the separation of the 2 Rectories and for the building of a new parsonage house in Trunch. The separation came upon Gardner's death in 1826 and the new Rectory in Trunch was completed in 1832; St. Catherine's College, Cambridge contributed £600 towards the cost.
Thomas TURTON was the next incumbent from 1826-1833. He was said to be "a vigorous and controversial writer" and he also composed church music. He never married and eventually went on to become the Bishop of Ely.
Thomas JARRETT was the Rector for 50 years from 1832-1882 and he was quite a character. He knew 20 different languages and and was professor of Hebrew at Cambridge University. He published several books to do with algebra, spelling and language. He came from Devon and married Margaret Daw from Cornwall. They didn't have children but young relatives were often visiting the Rectory and he prepared paying live-in students for university. After Margaret died he married Sarah Hume a widow from Devon.
He was also canon of Ely Cathedral and spent some time there, sometimes employing servants from Trunch. Some people thought he spread his interests too widely and in 1876 he did suffer from a mental illness and a newspaper reported that in 1880 bells were rung upon his return to Trunch from Ely. He died at the Rectory aged 81.
He was also canon of Ely Cathedral and spent some time there, sometimes employing servants from Trunch. Some people thought he spread his interests too widely and in 1876 he did suffer from a mental illness and a newspaper reported that in 1880 bells were rung upon his return to Trunch from Ely. He died at the Rectory aged 81.
Click here for some later clergymen