Samuel Phoenix

Biography 1839-1911

He was baptised 7/4/1839.

Samuel Phoenix is reported in The Norwich Mercury of 7/12/1895 as having had the following exchange with the Rev. J.S. Treglown concerning the payment of rent on fields owned by the Rix Charity.

When Rev. Treglown says that “one member only” advised Phoenix not to pay the rent, it is clear from further exchanges that this was Mr J. W. Hart.

Census returns

1871     
Low Common	        PHOENIX	Samuel		Head		Mar	32	M	Farmer			Deopham, Norfolk
			PHOENIX	Martha		Wife		Mar	24	F				Wymondham, Norfolk

1881
Low Common	        Samuel PHOENIX		Head	        M       42	M	Farmer Of 9 Acres	Deopham, Norfolk	
			Martha PHOENIX		Wife	        M       33	F	Farmers Wife		Wymondham, Norfolk	
			Martha PHOENIX		Daur	 	         9	F	Scholar			Wymondham, Norfolk	
			Arthur PHOENIX		Son	 	         8	M	Scholar			Wymondham, Norfolk	
			Harlan PHOENIX		Son	 	         6	M	Scholar			Wymondham, Norfolk	

1891
Low Common	        PHOENIX	Samuel		Head		Mar	52	M	Farmer			Deopham Norfolk
			PHOENIX	Martha		Wife		Mar	43	F				Wymondham Norfolk
			PHOENIX	Arthur		Son		Single	18	M	Agricultural Labourer	Deopham Norfolk
			PHOENIX	Harlan		Son		Single	16	M	Agricultural Labourer	Deopham Norfolk
			PHOENIX	Louisa		Daughter		 8	F	Scholar			Deopham Norfolk
1901
Low Common	        PHOENIX	Samuel		Head	        M	62	M	Farmer 	Own account 	Deopham Norfolk
			PHOENIX	Martha		Wife	        M	53	F				Wymondham Norfolk

Sale of Land

The EDP of June 30th 1909 advertised:

THE COMMON, DEOPHAM.
Near the Church.
VALUABLE ACCOMMODATION LANDS.
SALTER, SIMPSON, & SONS are favoured with instructions to Sell by Auction, at the Royal Hotel, Attleborough,
ON THURSDAY, JULY 8th, 1909,
at Four o’clock in the Afternoon, in One Lot, FOUR Valuable ENCLOSURES of ACCOMMODATION ARABLE and PASTURE LAND, containing 11a. 2r. 37p. (more or less), situate adjoining the Old Lane from Deopham to Hackford, occupied by Mr. Samuel Phoenix. Possession will be given at Michaelmas next. Tenure, Freehold.
Particulars and Conditions of Sale may be had on application to the Auctioneers. Attleborough, Norfolk, and Bury St. Edmund’s, Suffolk; or from I. 0. TAYLOR & SON, Norwich. Vendor’s Solicitors.

Gravestone

Legacy

His youngest daughter, Louisa Ann, married Charles Abbs at Deopham Church in 1910 and moved to West Runton where they had three children.
The EDP of 27/10/72 recorded Louisa Ann’s death:

The second child of Louisa and Charles was Stanley Phoenix Abbs. He was born in 1916 and married Muriel Eggleton in 1934 at Erpingham.
Stanley was the subject of a BBC documentary titled “Gary Lineker: My Grandad’s War” recorded in 2019. He had joined the Royal Army Medical Core in 1940 and was involved in the raging battles that occurred in Italy in 1943.
Click below to view this programme on You Tube:

Stanley’s 2nd child was Margaret Patricia Abbs and was born just before the start of the war. She married Barry Lineker in 1959 and on 30 November 1960, Gary Winston Lineker was born in Leicester. He was given the middle name of Winston as this was the same date Winston Churchill was born.

The family tree:-

Many thanks to Phil Long for his research into Samuel Phoenix’s legacy.

Date	Change
19/2/24	Gravestone & location
27/11/22	Published