Caston
Encyclopedia
Caston is a village
and civil parish
in the English county of Norfolk
.
It covers an area of 6.37 km² (2.5 sq mi) and had a population of 459 in 174 households as of the
2001 census
For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district
of Breckland
.
of Welsh
descent, who died in 1573. Gilman's son Robert, born in 1559, later removed to Hingham, Norfolk
, about five miles distant. HIs son Edward Gilman subsequently became caught up in the Puritan
movement that swept parts of Norfolk, and moved to Hingham, Massachusetts
, arriving in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
on August 10, 1638. Puritan sympathies apparently traveled in the family: Edward Gilman's sister Bridget, married to Edward Lincoln, had a son Thomas Lincoln, who himself left County Norfolk for Massachusetts in 1633 accompanied by Mary Gilman Jacob, another of Edward Gilman's sisters. Thomas Lincoln's brother Samuel followed him to Massachusetts in 1637, settling in Hingham alongside his brother. Samuel Lincoln
became the great-great-great-great-grandfather of U.S.
President Abraham Lincoln
.
The Gilman family subsequently moved to Exeter, New Hampshire
, where they became noted businessmen
, statesmen
and American patriots
. The family branch which remained in England subsequently produced two mayors of Norwich
: Charles Suckling Gilman and his son, Sir Charles Rackham Gilman, who were both instrumental in the development of the insurance industry of Norwich and became philanthropists. Charles Rackham Gilman served as the first Chairman of Conservators of Mousehold Heath
, which was donated to the City Council during Gilman's mayoralty. Gilman Road in Norwich is named for the family. Also descended from the Caston Gilmans was the prominent Norfolk barrister Samuel Heyhoe Le Neve Gilman, the grandson of a Hingham brewer
and who practiced law at Hingham.
The remains of an elaborately carved cross believed to date from the 15th century are mounted atop a pillar on the Caston village green. The cross was smashed by Puritans during the Interregnum
. Nearby is the Caston Windmill
, a grade II* listed building built in 1864.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the English county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
.
It covers an area of 6.37 km² (2.5 sq mi) and had a population of 459 in 174 households as of the
2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Breckland
Breckland (district)
Breckland District is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in East Dereham.Breckland District derives its name from the Breckland landscape region, a gorse covered sandy heath of south Norfolk and north Suffolk...
.
History
Caston was the residence of Edward Gilman, a prosperous yeomanYeoman
Yeoman refers chiefly to a free man owning his own farm, especially from the Elizabethan era to the 17th century. Work requiring a great deal of effort or labor, such as would be done by a yeoman farmer, came to be described as "yeoman's work"...
of Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
descent, who died in 1573. Gilman's son Robert, born in 1559, later removed to Hingham, Norfolk
Hingham, Norfolk
Hingham is a market town and civil parish in the Forehoe district in the heart of rural Norfolk, in England. The civil parish covers an area of and had a population of 2,078 in 944 households as of the 2001 census. Grand architecture surrounds the market place and village green...
, about five miles distant. HIs son Edward Gilman subsequently became caught up in the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
movement that swept parts of Norfolk, and moved to Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
, arriving in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
on August 10, 1638. Puritan sympathies apparently traveled in the family: Edward Gilman's sister Bridget, married to Edward Lincoln, had a son Thomas Lincoln, who himself left County Norfolk for Massachusetts in 1633 accompanied by Mary Gilman Jacob, another of Edward Gilman's sisters. Thomas Lincoln's brother Samuel followed him to Massachusetts in 1637, settling in Hingham alongside his brother. Samuel Lincoln
Samuel Lincoln
Samuel Lincoln , was progenitor of many notable United States political figures, including his great-great-great-great-grandson, President Abraham Lincoln, Maine governor Enoch Lincoln, and Levi Lincoln, Sr...
became the great-great-great-great-grandfather of U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
The Gilman family subsequently moved to Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
, where they became noted businessmen
Winthrop Sargent Gilman
Winthrop Sargent Gilman was head of the banking house of Gilman, Son & Co. in New York City.-Biography:He was born in Marietta, Ohio to merchant Benjamin Ives Gilman and Hannah Gilman...
, statesmen
John Taylor Gilman
John Taylor Gilman was a farmer, shipbuilder, and statesman from Exeter, New Hampshire. He represented New Hampshire in the Continental Congress in 1782-1783 and was Governor of New Hampshire for 14 years, from 1794 to 1805, and from 1813 to 1816.Gilman was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, to a...
and American patriots
Nicholas Gilman
Nicholas Gilman, Jr. was a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, a delegate to the Continental Congress, and a signer of the U.S. Constitution, representing New Hampshire. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives during the first four...
. The family branch which remained in England subsequently produced two mayors of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
: Charles Suckling Gilman and his son, Sir Charles Rackham Gilman, who were both instrumental in the development of the insurance industry of Norwich and became philanthropists. Charles Rackham Gilman served as the first Chairman of Conservators of Mousehold Heath
Mousehold Heath
Mousehold Heath is an area of heathland and woodland which lies in north east Norwich, England and a designated Local Nature Reserve . It is now mostly covered by broad-leaf semi-natural woodland, although some areas of heath remain and are actively managed....
, which was donated to the City Council during Gilman's mayoralty. Gilman Road in Norwich is named for the family. Also descended from the Caston Gilmans was the prominent Norfolk barrister Samuel Heyhoe Le Neve Gilman, the grandson of a Hingham brewer
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
and who practiced law at Hingham.
The remains of an elaborately carved cross believed to date from the 15th century are mounted atop a pillar on the Caston village green. The cross was smashed by Puritans during the Interregnum
English Interregnum
The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War...
. Nearby is the Caston Windmill
Caston Windmill
Caston Tower Windmill is a grade II* listed tower mill at Caston, Norfolk, England which is under restoration. The mill is also a scheduled monument.-History:...
, a grade II* listed building built in 1864.