Leonard Besford was born about 1798 at Ashmanhaugh, Norfolk, a small parish near Hoveton on the Norfolk Broads. His surname was written in many ways in the records of his life: Besfer, Besfere, Besser, Beper and Bestor as well as Besford.
On 2nd December 1822 Leonard married Julia Brown at Hoveton St John. Julia was born about 1802. They had eight known children:
- John Brown Besford, born 1823, who carried his mother’s surname as a middle name
- Julia Anne, born 1825, who died in infancy
- Richard, born 1827
- Martha, born 1832
- Julia Susan, born 1834
- Rebecca Maria, born 1835
- Eliza, born 1837
- Benjamin, born 1841
In 1830 Leonard, described as “of Hoveton Saint John, farmer”, was one of two sureties [people who bound themselves to pay a sum of money if the estate was not properly administered] for Mary Brown of Hoveton St John, widow, when she took on the administration of the estate of John Brown, deceased. The other surety was John Gales, a labourer. Sureties were often relatives, and Mary Brown may have been Julia’s mother.
The 1841 census recorded Leonard at Hoveton St John, where his name was written as Leonard Bestor.
The 1851 census recorded Leonard, aged 53, as a farmer at Hoveton St John, born at Ashmanhaugh. With him were his wife Julia (49) and four of their children: Julia (16), Rebecca (16), Elizabeth (13) and Benjamin (10).
When his eldest son John married Maria Chase at Caister in 1847, the parish register named John’s father as “Leonard Besford, farmer”. In 1868 Leonard was again named as a father, when his daughter Eliza married John Southgate at St Nicholas, Great Yarmouth.
We have not yet found a record of Leonard’s death.
Unsolved mystery
Who were Leonard Besford’s parents?
We have not found Leonard’s baptism. The bishop’s transcripts for Ashmanhaugh have no Leonard between 1796 and 1802. They do record, in April 1802, the baptism of Mary, daughter of Richard Besfer and Ann his wife, whose maiden name appears to be Neale. A Richard Neale lived at Ashmanhaugh at the time. Richard and Ann Besfer are the likeliest parents for Leonard, but we do not know of a record that links them.
Another Besford family lived at Happisburgh, on the north-east Norfolk coast: James Besford and Anne Williams, whose children included Martha, Richard and Benjamin. Leonard gave three of his own children those names, but we do not know of any connection between the two families. Please get in touch if you can help.
Whether Leonard’s family could have come from the Besfords of Northumberland is discussed in Norfolk and Northumberland.