1834 - 1840 Rev WILLIAM WALLIS.
1840-1841 Mr WILLIAM DOUBLEDAY KING. Col THOMAS FENN ADDISON.
-1842 Mr ROBERT RANSOM.
-1843 Mr NATHANIEL BARNARDISTON.
-1845 Mr JOHN KING.
-1846 Dr ARTHUR SKRIMSHIRE.
-1847 Dr CHARLES MURRAY.
-1848 Mr SAMUEL HIGGS.
-1849 Mr CALODON DUPRE ALEXANDER.
1850-1852 Mr DAVID BADHAM.
1852-1858 Rev EDWARD BULL.
1858-1876 Rev EDWIN SIDNEY.
-1877 Mr JAMES St GEORGE BURKE.
1878-1916 Col NATHANIEL BARNARDISTON.
1916-1919 Maj Gen NATHANIEL W BARNARDISTON.
1919-1932 Mr ALFRED F HITCHCOCK
1932-1936 Mrs NATHANIEL BARNARDISTON.
1936-1943 Mr HAROLD DEANE.
1943-1953 Mr BENJAMIN BARR.
1953-1963 Mr ERNEST EADY.
1963-1971 Mr EDWARD E EADY.
1971-1981 Mr PETER M CLAYTON.
1981-1982 Mr DOUGLAS E KEY.
1982-1984 Mr LESLIE C FRANCIS.
1984-1985 Mr SIDNEY HYDE.
1984-1989 Mr JOHN E B WARDMAN.
1989-1999 Mr J H MARTIN WALKER.
1999- Mr JAMES TRAVIS.
PRESIDENT 1834-1840 Rev William Wallis
Born: 26 2 1797 s/o Joseph & Mary at Colchester. Bapt: 2 5 1797 Lion Walk Meeting House-Independent. Married: 1826 to Elizabeth ?? Born 1796 Gt Bentley Essex. (Found no marriages for Friars Street Chapel) Died: - ??
(Family had moved from Sudbury post 1837 - post 1861 Full Minister. 1861 pre 1871). Was the founding father of the Mechanics 1841 Living In Friars Street, Sudbury. Institute in Sudbury. Independent Minister of the Friars Street He had been in contact with the Bury St | Congregational Chapel. Edmunds Mechanics Institute founded (Two houses before Quay Lane) 1824/25, having lectured there. 3 Sons 3 Daughters. 1824 - 1837 Assistant Minister.
PRESIDENT 1840-1841 William Doubleday King
Born: 11 6 1801 s/o John King & Hannah nee Doubleday, Sudbury. Married: 13 7 1830 To Susannah Grubb at Stoke Newington, London. Born 11 8 1806 d/o John & Sarah nee Lynes at Clonmel Tipperary Ireland. Died: 15 12 1870 Sudbury.
Younger brother to John King. Market Hill Sudbury, Barclays & Bevan Helped finance the building of the gas London 1846. Started the Museum of works in 1836. Natural History with the Mechanics and Director of the Sudbury Gas and Coke Literary Institute. Company Party to an agreement to install 1847 was its first curator. gas street lighting in Sudbury in 1840. The Mechanics Institute had provided Living at the Red House Friars Green off Sudbury with its first Library and now had Bullocks Lane. Agent for The Phoenix & provided the first Museum in Sudbury. Provident Insurance, The Suffolk Amicable Another first was Hannah Grubb mother in Insurance, Palladium Insurance. law to William D King as the first Agent for Alexanders & Co Bankers Barnets lady member. and Hoare & Co Bankers London. Later Oakes & Bevan, Moor & Bevan
PRESIDENT - 1842 Colonel Thomas Fenn Addison
Born: 14 2 1773 s/o John & Mary. Bapt: 16 4 1773 Friars Street Chapel Sudbury. Married: 1841 census wife Anna b 1816 (late or a second marriage four young children). Died: -
1851 Census Listed as a widower. With two sons Thomas born 1836 and Charles Born 1839.
Military career.
4 May 1800 Lieutenant Thomas Fenn Addison 94th Regt known as the “Scotch Regt” In the North American Wars. At Nova Scotia 1st Dragoon Guards
17 February 1802 Lieutenant Thomas Fenn Addison 1st Dragoon Guards at Staff Head Quarters To Sir John Sherbrooke, Soldier/Govenor/ Administrator of the Northern frontiers. (This was in the time that the French had Quebec and the relations with the new American states were not good. A strong measure of military diplomacy was required to maintain Britain’s interests).
In Nova Scotia there is a school named after Thomas Fenn Addison.
Lived at Chilton Lodge.
An Army career man. A retired Major General.
Connections with The Fenn Addison Bank in Sudbury 1820-1830
Archive details with Lloyds bank archives. 1844 Listed as a Justice of the Peace
A road named after the family off Northern Rd.
National archives have the reference to access the details. In Lloyds TSB archives details GB/NNAF/C 96601. In Lloyds TSB archives. Tel 020 7489 3946.
Princess House, 1 Suffolk Lane, London, EC4R OHX.
PRESIDENT - 1843 Robert Ransom
Born: 25 4 1823 s/o Robert (Solicitor) & Sarah at Sudbury
Bapt: 8 10 1823 St Peters Sudbury
Married: Emma Jane Pratt 15 8 1849 at St Peters Sudbury. ( born 1828 Daughter of Benjamin Pratt, Gent) (died 4 3 1899)
Died: 19 10 1895 Sudbury
1841 Living with parents and 2 brothers and 1 sister. After marriage lived in All Saints part of Friars Street, four houses before Quay Lane. near Rev Wallis. To this day the house is called Ransoms.
Family four sons three daughters.
An active committee man. Did a lot of solicitor’s work for the Institute free of charge. Introduced members who could help the Institute in many ways
His firm of Solicitors still in business in 1937.
Solicitor of 16 Friars Street. Master Extra in Chancery. Insurance agent for Atlas Insurance
1864 An Alderman.
1873 Town Clerk and Clerk to the Municipal Charities Clerk to the burial board. A staunch Liberal, ardently opposed to the Tory councillors.
Mayor of Sudbury 1835 & 1838.
Father of William Bayley Ransom.
A life long member of the Institute Club. Ending up as a Trustee and a Vice President. Died in 1951 aged 91.
PRESIDENT - 1844 Nathaniel Clark Barnardiston
Born: 5 11 1799 at Long Melford s/o Nathaniel and Elizabeth Bapt.
Married:1 3 1826 to Sophia Eyres. Died: 9 8 1883 At The Ryes Lt Henney.
A modern agriculturalist pioneering new farming methods. A Justice of the Peace for Suffolk & Essex.
Related to General Sir George Digby- Barker and Lady May of Clare Priory, which was the Barnardiston home in the 18th century.
One of the main movers in getting the Corn Exchange built.
1840 Thomas Goldsmith sells the old coffee house to a group listed as “The Sudbury Market House Company” headed by Nathaniel Clark Barnardiston with William Wright, William Back, Joseph Hale, James Dalton and Michael Aidham This purchase was to become the new Corn Exchange. Following the purchase there were stables, a yard and brew house adjacent all at the rear of the Coffee House but belonging to the Swan Inn next door and an Edmund Stedman owned one parcel of land that was purchased who was also member of the Literary Institute. He declined the Presidency in 1845 These three portions were purchased to enlarge the site of the new Corn Exchange, at the rear.
Also the President of the Sudbury Horticultural Society whose history goes back to 1804 Head of the family that saw three further Barnardistons as Presidents of the Institute Club:
1 - Son Nathaniel Barnardiston.
2 - Grandson Major General Nathaniel Walter Barnardiston.
3 - Mrs Nathaniel Barnardiston (widow of Major/General Nathaniel Walter Barnardiston).
Total number of years there has been a member of the Barnardiston family as a President is 46 years.
PRESIDENT - 1845 John King
Born: 21 10 1787 s/o John King & Hannah nee Doubleday. Married: 1861 census declared Un Married aged 73 Living in Friars Street.
Died: 31 3 1863.
Being declared unmarried in a census return indicates a bachelor.
In the trade directories John is listed as a bankers and Insurance agent working from Holgate which is opposite the Chaucer estate in Melford Rd Worked with his younger brother William Doubleday, as an agent for Oakes & Bevan.
Older brother to William Doubleday King President 1840.
Was instrumental in getting Institute accommodation in North Street School in 1837. Maybe it was the North Street School where the Girling Street Car park is,
Helped his brother William D King a great deal in starting the Natural History Museum which was part of the Mechanics and Literary Institute.
PRESIDENT - 1846 Arthur Skrimshire
Born: 1814 Peterborough s/o Fennwick and Charlotte.
Married: Emily Eaton b Sudbury 1812. Died:
1841 - Living with the Smith family in Sepulchre Street (now Gainsborough Street). Un married by 1848 he was married to Emily a Sudbury girl and had a son Arthur b 1846. Sometimes referred to as Doctor. Maybe not in the medical field. Graduate of Edinburgh university reading Medicine. Found no occupation in Sudbury, if he ever graduated in medicine. 1851 - Living with his family in the main part of Friars Street
(Listed as the Borough Magistrate, as a paid magistrate or the Borough solicitor) 1849 - Mayor of Sudbury.
1855 - A Justice of the Peace. Also an Alderman.
1861 - Living with his family at Peterborough as a Clergyman.
1871 - Vicar of Longthorpe, Peterborough. Also wife Emily.
1881 - No trace nationally.
Arthur had arrived in Sudbury a single man. Married had one son and then returned to Peterborough. Did not do much in the Institute before or after his Presidency Clearly an educated man but did not seem to have completed or followed his medical University training.
Entered the Church post leaving Sudbury.
Found no further trace of Arthur and his wife Emily after 1871.
1881 His son Arthur Skrimshire b 1846 Sudbury Now the Vicar of Longthorpe, Peterborough.
PRESIDENT - 1847 Dr Charles Murray
Born: 1796 Scotland.
Married: Christina Anderson at St Gregorys Sudbury on 24 August 1824, (b 10 7 1796 Sudbury d/o Robert and Helena Bentley)
Died:
Family one son Charles b 1828.
Living in Sepulchre Street (now Gainsborough Street) Member of the College of Surgeons.
Had a Doctors practice in Sudbury.
Did not do much in the Institute pre to the Presidency was a committee man for little while afterwards. This was during the Institutes financial crisis and Samuel Higgs over shadowed all.
In 1852 He resigned his membership, and moved to Shepton Mallet, Somerset. Left the medical profession and went into land and property with his son Charles born 1828 in Sudbury.
PRESIDENT - 1848 Samuel Higgs
Born: 1817 s/o William and Elizabeth nee Strange, at Upton Gloucester. Married: 1840/1842 Maria Hibble Sudbury (b 2 1 1811 d/o Thomas and Margaret)
Died: 25 7 1884 Sudbury.
Had two sons and three daughters. Living North Street Sudbury, two doors from the White Horse towards East Street Second Home The Moat Top end of Wells Hall Rd Gt Cornard.
In the later years of his life he resided at the Moat Farm, settling down to his farming interests. At this time he was a widower. Post Office Directory 1865 listed as the Governor of the Court of Guardians 1855 an Alderman again in 1883 an Alderman Mayor of Sudbury 1860, 1861, 1862, 1864, 1865, 1867 & 1868.
On his election as the Mayor of Sudbury in 1860 some unknown author wrote a 64 verse poem on Samuel Higgs.
The celebration feast was afterwards in the Corn Exchange.
With his connections with the River. Stour Navigation he arranged barge trips to Bures in the Summer months.
1879 Samuel Higgs a Justice of the In 1849 Agent for the Norfolk and East Sudbury a year and Samuel hired a train Anglian Coal Distribution Company. and advertised a trip to see the newly Samuel Higgs Had the franchise for all completed railway viaduct at Chappel coal off loaded at the Quay which was a feat of undreamt splendour, (this was before the railways became 1,066 feet long, 32 arches, seven million competitive in coal transportation) bricks and two years to build. Samuel’s Also ran his own coal business. train was crowded and he made a good A major customer was the New Gas profit for the Institute. It was run again works. Samuel Higgs had a wool staplers the following year at a profit. Rail trips < industry in North Street. He owned a continued to Maningtree and Harwich small bunting company, making flags for with a boat trip up the River Orwell. the navy. Also had a maltings. A wealthy man.
Before, during and after his Presidency Samuel Higgs did a great deal of work for the Institute. During the Institute’s financial crisis of 1840, he saw ways of raising capitol to keep the Institute solvent. He headed a committee to raise capital, chase up outstanding subscriptions and in this field he had a good measure of success.
With his connections with the River Stour Navigation he arranged barge trips to Bures in the summer months. In 1849 the railway had only been in Sudbury for a year and Samuel hired a train and advertised a trip to see the newly completed railway viaduct at Chappel which was a feat of undreampt splendor.1,066 feet long, 32 arches, seven million bricks and two years to build. Samuel's train was crowded and he made a good profit for the Institute. It was run again the following year at a profit. Rail trips continued to Manningtree and Harwich with a boat trip up the River Orwell. This was done for three summers. In the winter season additional lectures were arranged, some given gratuitously to encourage an increase in the membership and retain existing members. Membership had increased to over 150. Rooms were let to other clubs and commercial business such as insurance. Samuel Higgs was an outstanding member, committee man and President. What he did, he did well.
PRESIDENT - 1849 Calodon Dupre Alexander
Born: 1818 Hanover Square London.
Married: Caroline circa 1845 (b 1823 in the East Indies).
Died:
Gentry living at the Aubries, Bulmer.
Farmed 600 acres employing 19 men and 12 boys.
Family son Calodon, Mary, Louisa and Janet daughters all born at Bulmer.
1881 census living at Calcot House, Tilehurst, Berkshire.
Running a brewery business.
At Needham Market the present Barclays Bank was previously an Alexander Bank when it started in 1754. Run by Quaker families. Barclays took this over in the mid 19th century. Sudbury Barclays as we know it was not built until the 1870's. Maybe Alexanders Bank was Friars Street or elsewhere on the Market Hill. Not mentioned a great deal in any committees before or after his Presidency. The Institute still in financial crisis. Again Samuel Higgs still the driving force.