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Famous Locals 
Christopher Bush
Christopher Bush was born in Great Hockham in 1885.  One of nine children, he won a place to Thetford Grammar School and went on to study modern languages at King’s College, Cambridge.  He served in both world wars, finishing his military career with the rank of Major.
 
He wrote over 60 detective novels under his own name, all of which featrured the character Ludovic Travers, but he was perhaps best known for the 6 novels he wrote about Breckland life, under the pen name of Michael Home.  The first being “God and The Rabbit”, first published in 1934, which was very popular in the USA. 
 
This local classic portrays Great Hockham, called “Heathley”, at the turn of the 19th century in all its isolation and poverty.  It tells the story of a local boy who makes good, a theme that Michael Home pursued in several of his novels.  The story of the author’s boyhood and his vivid reminiscences of Breckland life are recorded in the 3 autobiographical novels “Autumn Fields”, “Spring Sowing” and “Winter Harvest”.
 
Christopher Bush died in 1973 in Bury St. Edmunds having had over 70 books published.  He is buried near Colchester.
 
For more information on Norfolk's writers go to the Literary Norfolk web site.

 Tinker Joe

Joseph Ashton (better known locally as Tinker Joe) became a legend in his own lifetime, because of his very great age.


Born in Kettering he was apprenticed as a chimney sweep at a very early age, before running away from home and joining a band of gipsies.  At some point he settled in Great Hockham where he spent the bulk of his very long life.


As a tinker he became a familiar figure, setting off with his pony and cart each day and it was this way of life that he would take to his grave, emblems of a kettle, a stew pan and a bowl being engraved on his coffin.


He died on October 8th 1881 and according to his tombstone (which is easily found on the left of the path through the graveyard of Holy Trinity Church) he was 112 when he died. 

 

Rumours abound that he could have been older than 112 (some say 116) and the Vicar of Hockham, the Reverand John Spurgin clearly believed this whilst Joe was still alive (read his letter to the newspaper here), but whatever his age he remains to this day one of the oldest recorded people in the county.