Hello Tim

Let me see if I can answer some of your questions:
• Closeness to the exchange in Caston controls the speed of your broadband here but I’m generally getting around 5-6Mbps and I’m around 400 metres away but nowhere in Caston is further than 1.5 Km so reception should be good throughout
• Mobile phone can be patchy but appears fine on Vodafone – 3G and T-Mobile are not so good
• No gas in the village
• Mains sewage is in the village but not all houses are connected. Some have bio-digesters which are excellent and rarely need emptying. They also reduce water rates by half as no mains sewage tariff to pay for.
• The village has around 180 homes and a population of 450 or so.
• Caston has a village hall and the Red Lion pub for which refurbishment plans have been submitted.
• Caston has a camera club, an art club, a WI and of course a church. Regular activities such as whist drives and quizzes go on at the village hall. We are currently looking at the possibility of other activities such as a film club and wine tasting etc. If you have a talent or desire to run some kind of activity once you are here you will be actively encouraged to do so.
• There are no shops, the closest is Griston or Rocklands but Watton is just 4 miles away where it is said you can buy anything apart from shoes! Otherwise Dereham and Thetford are around 13 miles each.
• Rocklands is two miles away and has an excellent buiders merchant as well as a very friendly local post office/shop
• Watton has a market each Wednesday.
• We’ve lived in Caston for six years and find it a very friendly place that welcomes newcomers particularly if they wish to take an interest in the village and what goes on.
• You could do a lot worse than moving to Caston.

Good luck with your house hunting.

Hello There,
I just received details of the web site from a friend. I was also at Caston Primary in 1962 so would probably know your Mother. I returned to Caston some three years ago for a visit. I live in Melbourne Australia and still have family in Watton and Attleborough.

Kind regards
Stephen

Click on the menu item Caston Past > History of Caston but for even more information contact John Barnes - his email is on the Useful Links page and acquire his books for around £10.00 plus postage. (Ed.)

Your prompt reply was greatly appreciated.

You can trace the family name. My father did it some years ago. Caston has a coat of arms, and is mentioned as far back as towns were linked to names, so you are looking at when UK records began. Caston is quite a rare name in the UK, but our numbers are strong in the east coast of America, which would suggest we travelled quite well. I dont know if we had links to royalty, but to have a town and castle as well as a coat of arms would say royalty or army or defender of the throne somewhere along the line.

Thank you for the complimentary note - it's much appreciated.
The maps or street plans were scanned in from some books written by a former local man, John Barnes, to whom I'm very grateful and without whose help would not have been able to put together such an extensive site.

If you use IE7 as your browser you can always click the drop down box in the bottom RH corner of the screen and enlarge up to 400% - you may find it a little fuzzy but certainly more readable.

Hi Josie.
Just tried to call you and mum tonight, but said the number was unavailable. Where are you now?

(Well, that's a really nice comment to receive. Thank you Peter - Ed)

The family name of Gilman appears on a number of occasions in John Barnes' books "A History of Caston". You might care to email him - address on our Useful Links page - for a copy. Ed.

Hello Colin, Thanks for your enquiry about the Hall fund. We are running slightly ahead of ourselves here, as we have yet to obtain a 'solid' figure to work on. We are gathering the data and will be talking with Breckland in the next few weeks to guage their view on what we want to do. There is no option but to build anew, as you will know from your recent visit to the hall that parts are getting very tired. Where has the fund got to so far is a question to be referred to Jane which I can do for you. But in the meantime please be assured that whilst progress is slow at the moment, which may have certain advantages when we get into serious discussions with suppliers etc, the hall will arise anew in due course. I hope this helps and should you or any other reader of this message have any query, then fire away.

Regards, Ian Mc

Unfortunately the 1881 Census of Caston is the one which I have not got. However, I have checked both the 1871 and 1891 censuses and the mill which stood just over the boundary in Carbrooke, but which was to all intents and purposes a part of Caston, does not feature in either of them. Therefore, I think that in 1881 there was only one Mill House, the one beside Caston Windmill.

The windmill belonged to the Wyer family. I noted that in one of the two censuses there was a family other than the Wyer family living there and so it it seems quite feasible that a Ruffles (or Ruffels) family was living in Mill House in 1881.

I have no knowledge of a Ruffles family in Caston because I have not seen the 1881 Census. I have phoned Cyril Ruffles, mentioned in Part Three of 'A History of Caston', and who now lives in Rockland. Cyril lived with his family in Stow Bedon when he was one of our Caston bellringers. He tells me that he has no knowledge of a Ruffles family in Caston and that his father came from a house on the Griston to Carbrooke road. When the airfield was built the house was somewhere near the end of the runway and had to be pulled down. Cyril says that he cannot recall anyone ever saying that the Ruffles ancestors ever lived in Mill House, but of course it is just possible (but I think unlikely) that they never have mentioned it. Cyril was born in 1933, his father in 1900 and so his grandfather was probably born about 1870 and his great grandfather about 1840. It is his great grandfather's generation that we are looking at with his grandfather a boy of ten or eleven in 1881.

Cyril says that when he was young there was a Ruffles family in Carbrooke and another in Watton, but neither was related to his family.

I note that there are a few Ruffles listed in the Phone Book and it might be worthwhile if your correspondent, Mr Brooks, contacted them because one of them just might have done some research on the Ruffles family tree.

I am sorry that I seem to have reached a dead end on this one.

(John Barnes is the author of A History of Caston - ed)

Hi
Thanks for the reponse, I was very interested in the news that the Ruffles family lived in Griston (I know my relatives were from there, not too far from Caston), and my mother remembers her mum did live in a house at the end of the runway of the airfield as mentioned in your reply. This was before she moved to Manea.
In your reply you mentioned that there was still a Ruffles that remembers this.
Maybe I should show him my family tree and figure out where he fits in to that.
Any email address or number would be great.
Thank you
Andrew Brooks (descendant of the Ruffles family).
(Andrew, I think you're on your own with this now but try www.bt.com for phone numbers - ed)

Hi again
I spoke to my mother who in turn got in touch with Cyril.
He told her that the family did live in the Mill House and provided me with even more family members than I originally knew.
Thanks again for pointing me in his direction.

Hi Andrew, I was very interested to read the exchange of communications re: Ruffles Family & Caston/Griston.
Ebenezer Ruffles is my Wife's Grandfather! Also noted ref: to Manea - my Wife's Aunt Dorothy (Ruffles) lives there.
I have recently researched the Ruffles (Ruffels) Family Tree and would be pleased to hear from you.
Regards, Alan Bloomfield

My Great Great Grandfather Samuel Ruffels was the Miller at Caston Tower Mill,working for Mr Edward Wyer the owner of the mill in 1881 when the Census was taken. He lived at the mill house with his wife Sarah & children Henry (16) my
Great Grandfather who I met, & Jane (10)Ebenezer (8) Hepzibah (6)William (6)Cornelias (5) George 91)

Hi Andrew
I am a Ruffles descendent but of a totally different line, have to go back about 5 generations from Samuel Ruffels to get a common ancestor. Would love to hear from you with view to exchanging info.
Regards Sue
suehart57@yahoo.com
(If you click on Andrew's name you will bring up his email address and can write to him direct - Ed)

Hello Jessica,
I see you are located in South Carolina so I hope you have a pleasant trip over to the UK when the time comes.
Caston is a very small village. We have a population of around 400 living in something like 180 houses. You can walk from one end to the other in about 10 minutes. We have a very fine church with a history going back to the 13th century and a really well kept churchyard but other than that I'm afraid that "points of interest" will appear to be few and far between. Nevertheless the village has a charm of its own with some thatched cottages and interesting farm houses. I would suggest that you email John Barnes and ask him to send you his books on the "History of Caston". You'll find his email on the Useful Links page.

Thanks for the help!!

I feel so sad that people can complain about an incident like this. I personally experienced being nearly run over by these poor frightened animals myself on Saturday evening! Yes, and my garden got trodden on too - so what! it will grow back!!!Some idiot/s found it clever to let them out of their secure pens and have a laugh!!! How can people be so sick as to let them out, running scared and putting everyone else at risk - let alone the poor cows themselves? Apparently one cow died with stress due to this foolish prank that someone thought was a good idea!!! Various others are still missing - goodness knows what danger they are in now! I only hope the stupid idiots get caught by the police and that they think twice next time they have a night out at someone else's expense! On the other hand, if you choose to live in the country you SHOULD expect to experience farm life going wrong now and again - it happens!!!! Good luck to the farmer whoever you are in finding them safe and well and I only hope that others feel the same as I do!

I do hope that you did not think I was complaining Sarah. If you look into the message I was trying to get the culprit to own up. That was the purpose of my message, it was not to complain. I have spoken with the farmer and we are all very upset that he and the animals have suffered.

I understand it did not sell at auction but details of the agent were e-mailed to Jo Stannard who enquired (Ed.)

Hi, could any one give me any news about the Red Lion if sold yet and why did it close in the first place? Thanks

Hello Brian - I have found 17 references to the Murrells within John Barnes' books "A History of Caston". Can I suggest you contact John for a copy. You'll find his contact details on the Useful Links page of this site.

I have a very small connection via the Murrells at Caston, I have an old address card with Murrells somewhere.

You will find that there is also a connection with Murrells at nearby Carbrooke.

Thanks for reply I got the Caston book from library. There are so many Murrells from Caston. Mine came from William Murrell. As I said before, my grt grandfather lived in Bridge Farm Cottages as a boy then married and moved to Norwich.

I'm pleased to say that additional information regarding Reginald Lawes has been gathered for our village book of rememberence called Those Whom We Remember. This was published two years ago and co-ordinated by one of our village residents, Jane Horner. I've spoken to Mrs Horner and she is putting a copy in the post to you. She also tells me that a niece of Reginald still lives in Rocklands. She will speak with her and if she, the neice, is willing to be contacted will put a contact number in the post to you along with the book.

I can recall my father coming home one day during World War Two and saying to my mother that Reggie Lawes had been killed.

I was at school at Caston with Brian Banham and his brother, Roy. Their mother was a Lawes and kept the grocery shop close to the tall tree on Dukes Head Corner and so Brian and his brother were related to Reggie Lawes. Brian also went to Thetford Grammar School - at the same time as me. Brian is in the Blackheath area somewhere but Roy is in Norfolk not far from Norwich, I believe.

I have Brian's address somewhere but your quickest way to get both addresses is to ask Jane Horner for them because I think that it was she who invited them to the service of dedication of the Caston War Memorial Book

Grand to hear life is good :) Gabriel 6'5" WOW!! Hope you had a great birthday on April 1 :) We still think you @ Caston School :)
Checked out our website?!
"Hang on, did you say my taxi is here?!?!" ;)

Thank you for writing in Beris - really good to hear from you and I can confirm it's still a very nice place to live.

So would this be Beris Savory from the Council Houses in Stow Bedon Road? If so, didn't you learn to ring a bell at Caston Church, taught by Charlie Banham? Was I at school with Cecil Savory? I presume that my mother, Rose Barnes, taught you at Caston school? John Barnes

This is the same Beris Savory who lived in Stow Bedon and yes, I was the bell ringer of years ago and yes, Mrs Barns was my teacher.

If someone knows the answer to this they may write to you direct Lisa - I only know of the village sign which you see at the top of this web site and details of this are elsewhere on this site.

In response to the enquiry, Caston has no village badge or coat of arms or similar feature. I am not aware that it ever had one. The village sign dates from 1970. Recently John Causton has written 'Causton, Caston and Cason Heraldry and Genealogy in which are shown some of the de Caston family shields were in the church windows in the mid eighteenth century. These have long disappeared. These were family shields, not village badges or similar.

If anyone reading this has any information to help Adam, just click on his name and you can write to him direct.

Just click on David's name to write to him direct.

Hello Jean,
While I did not know your uncle personally, I am aware that he was well known and loved within this village and will be much missed. Please accept our condolences for your sad loss and let's hope that one day you will make the visit.

Louis, Thanks for getting in touch. There's a very good chance that it did all begin here. We're very close to where Abraham Lincoln's ancestors lived so maybe your ancestors and his were neighbours - you never know.

Hello Tony

I have a Samuel Gooch born Caston 1896. He was the son of George Gooch who was first baptised as George Farrer and may have been the grandson of my Samuel who was born 1766.

I don't know what happened to Samuel 1896 after the 1901 census. I have my Gooch line back to 1670 in Norton, Suffolk

I do not know of any connection to a Fincham family but it may have been after 1901

Sylvia

Sylvia
Thank you so much for getting in touch. I can't say I know of The Ark - is it the name of a house here in Caston?
You don't actually say where you are living now - could it be York possibly? - do let us know.

There is a picture of the Ark in John Barnes Book. It was on the bend of The Street behind Ludkins bakery and opposite Trickers bakery. Attatched to it was a carpenter's shop which has been demolished. I believe this to be the house where my grandfather was born in 1879.

My Gooch family also lived in Willow Farm and Samuel Gooch was awarded land under the inclosures act 1812

Sylvia

The Ark is now called Delmar. I lived in The Ark (named by my Dad) from 1952 to 1963.

Thanks for that Jane I will add it to my family history. You wouldn't have any pictures would you?

Sorry I've taken so long to reply.

Sylvia

Thank you for your comments Mikey.
We are, and always have been a family pub and have bent over backwards to try and accommodate everybody's needs. Children under 16 are welcome on the pub premises until 9pm, if they are accompanied by a parent. This is not only partly a legal requirement, but the wishes of the majority of our customers and the timing decided upon was a reasonable compromise on our part. A lot of pubs in the area are far more restrictive in their rules with regard to children. To clarify the term "pub premises", this includes all bar areas, outside areas and car park.
I am well aware of the lack of amenities in the village for children, but a pub, after 9pm, is surely not the best environment for them. After a conversation with the booking person, I have been advised that the Village Hall is available on Tuesday and Friday evenings if someone would like to organise a youth club. If anyone wishes to get something going for the village children, it would be a good idea for them to contact the relevant people. Maybe you could help to find volunteers willing to assist?
I'm not quite sure what you mean by "despicable rules". If you are referring to under 18's not being able to use gaming machines, once again this is a legal requirement. Also, if not being able to buy or consume alcohol on the premises, if you are under 18, or not providing proof of age ID for the purchase of alcohol, are what you are referring to, I have no further comment.
With regard to the service, we have always attempted to be polite, courteous and friendly in our dealings with customers. Any problems you may have are best discussed amicably and in person to try to resolve any misconceptions or grievances you may have.
We are well aware of the pub's function in the village and are trying to cater for all sections of the community but there have to be certain criteria adhered to.

Well, I hardly know what to say - a better testimonial we couldn't have asked for and thank you so much for posting your message.

Thanks for your message Rob. I'll send your words on to the parish council for their comment at the next meeting. If you're able to spare the time, why not come along - Monday Oct 2nd 7:30 at the village hall.

I agree with Rob 100%. A play area would give the children and teenagers somewhere to go and have fun as there is nothing at all at this moment in time. Good message Rob.

I also agree with Mr Summers that there should be a childrens' play area as the kids are either being told to move on due to vandalism, often caused by non-village children, or by having the police called by people (remain namless) that have plenty of unused land that could be used to make a football field or such like. We just need a facility where the children can play in safety!

I totally agree. I have lived in the village for 25 years and this has been a constant problem and as a former Clerk to the Parish Council have spent many hours sourcing grants, locations, enthusiasm. They are not forthcoming, with a location being the main obstacle. We have had numerous meetings over the years where opinions have been made but no-one is really willing to make a positive commitment again due to there being no suitable location. If you can find a location (good luck!) then I am sure it would be a fantastic asset to the village. My boys have now flown the nest, but I would still like to see the children having an area for themselves. The kids in this village are good on the whole and deserve their own space.

Thanks for writing in Tony - do you know where in Northacre your family lived?

Yes, My Fincham family lived next door to the Black Horse. In John Barnes book it was known as Fincham House but once known locally as "The Two Chestnuts".
A small piece of history can be read on one of my web sites of my Grandmother & family and their time at Caston.
This can be found at www.455thaaa-rabbs-tribute.freeola.net/
click on "Why Me"

I remember my first taste of Vimto in the Dukes Head.

The Norfolk Reserves picture contains Horace,William,& Joseph Fincham, Their brother Elisha was killed in France WW1.
Some yrs ago whilst working on a cottage in Stow Bedon, I came across a small piece of wood and was just about to throw it on the skip when I noticed some writing - it was signed Horace Fincham 1908. Horace was a local carpenter and worked for Peek-Vout. Horace was my grandfather...
Sorry to take up so much space...

Don't worry about the space Tony. Great hearing from you along with the history which I'm sure will be read with interest by many and I've now included a link to your Merton site on our Useful Links page.

Steve,
You're right, that is quite a co-incidence that will be very interesting to other visitors to the site - thank you for sharing it.

Ref the message from Steve,Charles Lake was my grt/grt/Grandfather his wife was Hannah Barnard From Besthorpe.This really is a small world. Charles died in 1840 at the age of 28 and is buried as Steven said in Caston Churchyard.His father my namesake Thomas Lake is also buried in the same place.
Kind Regards
Thomas Lake

Thomas Please email me at stevemcgarry@btinternet.com I have some info to share with you.

John,
Many thanks for your note. Your books have been an invaluable source without which the site would not have been possible.

Well thanks Mac (I know this man, he was my American boss for some years) good to hear from you and right now we're hotter than Florida.

(Sad to say that I now believe that Mac must have passed on as I'm no longer able to contact him - Aug 2008 Ed.)

Val,
There are a number of families here who have been in the area for many generations - one of them may just be able to add some more information - I do hope so and if they add their reply here I will publish it.

Susan, great to hear from you and be assured you will receive a warm welcome to this lovely village. Do let us know when you arrive.

Thanks Pat & Mick and if you have any suggestions or opinions for the Caston Blog, do please send them in.

It's always delightful to hear from visitors to the site - sadly many people read and enjoy but then don't contact.

The information you require is 'A History of Caston' by John Barnes. He has copies available and you can reach him by email john4bells@waitrose.com and I know he will be very interested to hear from you. Do please check the Useful Information page where you'll also find links to other sites that might be of interest.

Just one thing, might I ask where you are. I'd very much like to include your area location on the feedback.

Thanks for your response. I actually live in Spartanburg,
South Carolina, and I do know from the work of my late great-aunt, Viola Caston Floyd, that my family did originate in Caston Parish. I remember a Robert de Caston as one of the earliest mentioned relatives, but I don't know exactly who it was in our family to immigrate to America. I am a high school composition and literature teacher and will be teaching
British literature for the first time this fall. I'm currently working on my plans for the school year and came across your website as I was researching historic information. I was curious to see the earliest mention of the parish or anyone connected to the family as I was looking at sites about the Hundred Rolls and the Domesday Book. I saw that Caston was listed as Catestuna in the Domesday Book. Anyhow, I don't know very much information about my family's connections to Caston other than the obvious and a few minor details. I am interested in purchasing the book from Mr. Barnes as a birthday present for my father and have already emailed him about ordering arrangements. Thanks so much for your help!

Thanks Lesley - we're delighted you like the site and the ability to get your views published. Feel free to contribute at any time.

We'll be sorry to see you go as well Chris but you can always keep in touch by visiting the web site from time to time.

Thank you Jennie - we'll look forward to welcoming you to our village.

Well, thank you Mark - we look forward to welcoming you to Caston again very soon.

Thank you Bridget, We've made a note under the photograph.

Thank you Lynne, glad you enjoyed it - please come back frequently as we add, change and improve.

Thank you - we hope to expand the site further as time goes on.