Little Witchingham – St. Faith’s Church (Robert Bateman Grave)

The churchyard of Little Witchingham church doesn’t have many gravestones remaining, the whereabouts of the older ones is unknown to me….

This gravestone, located near to the church’s porch, commemorates the life of Robert Bateman, born in 1802 and he was buried on 15 March 1868. He was an agricultural labourer, married to Sarah Bateman, and he had many children, including Susan, John, James, Mary, Martha, Ruth and Elizabeth. He was born in Swannington and later moved to a property in Little Witchingham.

Unfortunately, that’s about the limit of what I could find out about him, or indeed, any of his family. With the exception that John Bateman pleaded guilty to be drunk and riotous outside Great Witchingham church in 1881. It seems a shame that this seems to be all that’s been recorded in the local press about the family, which was no doubt hard working.