John Brown Besford was born in 1823 at Hoveton St John, Norfolk, the eldest son of Leonard Besford, a farmer, and Julia Besford (née Brown). His middle name was his mother’s maiden name, and in the parish records the family’s name was often written Besfer.
On 21st June 1847 John married Maria Chase at Holy Trinity Church, Caister, near Great Yarmouth. The parish register described John as of full age, a bachelor and a blacksmith, living at Caister, and gave his father as Leonard Besford, farmer. Maria was under 21, a spinster, also of Caister. Her father was Robert Chase, a bricklayer. The witnesses were John Chase and Mary Ann Gown, who signed with a mark.
Their son Henry John Besford was baptised at Caister on 1st December 1850.
By 1858 the family had moved to Southtown, on the Suffolk bank of the river at Great Yarmouth, where their daughters Eva Rachel (1858) and Rachel Emmeline (1860) were born. The 1861 census recorded John at Gorleston, Suffolk, with Henry in the household.
By 1871 the family was living in Great Yarmouth. The census recorded John, aged 47, as a blacksmith, born at Hoveton. With him were his wife Maria (42), born at Caister, and their children Henry (20), a blacksmith’s apprentice, Julia (18), Leonard (15), Eva (13), Rachael (10) and John (2).
Their son Leonard Robert was born on 9th April 1865 and baptised at St Nicholas, Great Yarmouth, on 5th July 1869, when John was again described as a blacksmith. He was named after both his grandfathers, Leonard Besford and Robert Chase. The 1871 census, as transcribed, gives Leonard’s age as 15, although Leonard Robert would then have been five.
Julia’s baptism gives her full name as Julia Elizabeth. John and Maria also had children baptised as Annie Amelia and James.
The 1881 census recorded John, born at Hoveton, still in Great Yarmouth with Maria and their children Rachel and John. In 1891 John and Maria were still living in Great Yarmouth. John was then about 67.
We have not yet found a record of John’s death. Please get in touch if you can help.