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Septimus Clarke, Clara Ann Selina's father, was born 16.01.1814 in Somerton Suffolk. Son of Robert Clarke and Sarah. The only Census he appears in is the 1841, he was aged 25 an Agr Lab and living with his wife Susan also aged 25. The couple were living in the same house as Samuel Brett 65, Susan's father (Agr Lab), John Brett aged 12 and Samuel jnr aged 5 yrs, in Lower Street Sudbury. Sarah Clarke aged 65 was also living along the road with Simon, Samuel and Joseph, Septimus's brothers, all Agr Labs. John Clarke aged 75 and wife Martha were also in the street, presumably all the same family.
There were eight children in all: Abraham, John, Mary, Simon, Robert, Samuel, Joseph and Septimus

Septimus died in 1877 aged 63 yrs in Sudbury.
Susan lived until she was 87 and died in 1902.

The Clarkes all lived in and around the Somerton and Rede areas.
Benjamin Clarke ran the Butchers shop in Hartest - still in the family today

The names Susan and Joseph carry on into the Childs and Goldsmith families today.

By the turn of the century Agricultural Labourers were second class citizens because as long as there had been an unfailing supply of cheap food from the Empire, successive governments had been content to leave them to rot. Farm workers wages were low, both farms and cottages were delapitated and village life was mean and narrow, with the women having a great struggle to bring up large families on too little money in primitive homes.

Read the pdf on the front page of this section for the full story.

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