Fascinated by a striking horse monument on his grave in Norwich’s Earlham Cemetery led author Judith Havens to research the life of John Abel - and her findings were the subject of an absorbing talk to Heritage Society members at the Fairland Hall.

Abel, who died at the age of 80 in 1883, had a wife Eliza, 38 years his junior whom he had married after his first wife Frances died in 1859. He was the son of Jeremiah Abel, who at one time had been imprisoned for a serious smuggling offence, and was baptized in St Peter’s Church, Ringland.

In the days before the railway Abel became a successful horse-dealer and supplied horses for riding, coaches, cabs, hackney carriages as well as for racing, among his customers being Lord Suffield of Gunton Hall, William Frederick Windham, former squire of Felbrigg Hall, and Sir Edward Stracey of Rackheath Hall. He went on to breed, race and show horses. Once he brought a case against another dealer named Jollye for defamation of character over an incident at Wymondham Fair and, entering into the moneylending business, he took people to court who failed to repay him.

In 1839 he became tenant of the Rising Sun Inn in Chapelfield, then in 1852 he acquired the Kensington Gardens, which later became Old Lakenham Hall situated near the River Yare at Old Lakenham but since demolished. He was able to purchase the Rising Sun in 1863 and made it the family home, renaming it Camperdown House after his favourite racehorse. He also went in for farming crops and animals on land which roughly covered the area now known as Norwich’s Golden Triangle.

He was a gentleman farmer who employed stewards. From humble beginnings he had become a successful horse-dealer, horse-breeder, publican, farmer and moneylender. Originally not able to write, his wives may have helped in running his businesses and the fact that he was charismatic and had become well off may have helped him to attract the much younger Eliza.

In her extensive research the speaker had consulted sources ranging from the Probate Registry and the British Library Newspaper Archive to the Public Record Office and the General Registry Office. Researching Abel’s family tree had revealed that one of his two sons, also named John, had died in 1854 on a ship in the Baltic whilst serving in the Crimean War and one of his direct descendants is Geoffrey Palmer, the actor.

Bruce Blackney was in the chair and Richard Cockerill gave the vote of thanks.