Rectory Researched

At the turn of the century Rev. W.R. Harrison lived in the Rectory and he was an extremely scholarly gent. He wrote a very detailed history of Shelfanger, which is very interesting but unfortunately he says very little about the house in which he lived. I have found a few snippets though:- On August 31st 1906 he writes "Went today to see Mr. Ellis at Palgrave. He told me he is about 93 years of age. Perfectly in possession of all his faculties. Lives with Miss Barker, niece to him and his wife. He and his wife lived in Shelfanger Rectory for 15 years, and he farmed the glebeland. After a time Mr Morris came to live with them, they occupied the kitchen and the dining room. There was no door opposite the staircase, (that is, what is now the middle and then the only staircase.) The door of the dining room that now leads into the front passage, then led straight out into the garden………"

He describes some land given to the Parish by Roger Dade on January 15th 1596. It mentions "land of the Rectory of Shelfanger, on the part of the South. This is bellrope Close (The name of a field). It is commonly said to have been given to the Rectory on condition of the Rector finding bellropes."

He says there was "probably a previous parsonage house on the site of the present Rectory".

William Bagley was made Rector of Shelfanger in 1618. WRH says "I am inclined to believe he lived here as curate in charge before he became Rector. The old part of the present Rectory may well date back to those days."

Later he again says " The old part of the present Rectory may well be 300 years old". This was in 1910, so it would now be roughly 390 years old. Rev. Harrison was a brilliant man, so, one can put the date of some parts of the Old Rectory as approx 1600, built on the site of a previous parsonage.