The story of Caleb Sturge and his eccentric behaviour is well-known amongst family members as a result of Elizabeth Sturge’s recording his tale in her book, “The Sturges and Early Quakerism.” However there are other details of his life to be found in the ancient records preserved in public archives. These give support to the character of the man although they fail to say what finally became of him.

We know that Caleb was born in 1682 and that he was a son of Joseph Sturge II and his wife Barbara (Williams) Sturge. Judging from the fact that his father makes Caleb the sole executor to his will, dated 1711, it is likely that, at that time, there was no inkling of the problems to come. The will states that:

“I give and bequeath to my son Caleb Sturge all my upper living lying att Gaunts Earthcott called and commonly known by the name of Louens living for a during all the terms of all the three lives upon condition that is to say that he shall have nothing to do with the entail all my legases and funeral expenses shall be paid with the profit and rents of it by me under named and if my sun doo dey before he doo marry then the estate to fall to my three grandchildren equally…”

Whether it was his reputed laziness or other habits which first led him to be considered different it is hard to say. Of course, the famous tale concerns his not wishing to make the effort of sawing wood for his fire and, instead, cutting a hole in the back of his grate and pushing the un-cut logs in from the outside, gradually advancing the tree trunks as they burned down in the hearth.

Caleb was been born a birthright Quaker but his deteriorating behaviour was to be a cause of concern to Friends over a lengthy period. Members of his Meeting were recorded as having “advised, entreated and admonished him for his good, yet he persisteth and goes on the same.” That Friends attempted to assist him and change his ways over a period of many years suggests that they may have recognised a particular need for their care. Possibly the cause of his behaviour would be understood today as a form of mental illness. However, their patience with Caleb was to finally run out in 1720. Citing that “he have of late lived a very disorderly life and conversation and very disagreeable to what we make profession of” he was disowned by the Society of Friends. Yet we know that he was still to benefit from the will of his Quaker cousin Nathan Sturge, who died in 1732, leaving him the sum of five pounds.

Living at Gaunts Earthcott, Caleb farmed land owned by the Corporation of Bristol, which had purchased the manor from King Henry VIII. This ancient map of the manor shows him living alongside, Thomas and Joseph Sturge and his relation “Christopher Younge.”

Caption: The map of the manorial estate

Thus, from records that still exist, we know the exact location of his home and may learn something more of him. The business of the estate was conducted at the regular manorial courts, for which the records survive. These show Caleb having applied to the Corporation, as the Lords of the Manor, for permission to cut timber to repair his home, which had perhaps deteriorated due to his behaviour.

That Caleb’s home was in a poor state of repair is probably confirmed by the fact that, despite its existence on the old map, of all the houses that originally stood around the commoners’ green at Gaunts Earthcott, Caleb’s is the only one that has not survived to this day. The ancient field lines remain unchanged, even on a modern map, and show that the building had stood beside a small pond. The shallow dip of the pond in the corner of the field is visible but no trace of Caleb’s house is to be found.

CALEB 2 Caption: Index to the estate map, identifying Caleb’s lands.

One wonders what became of Caleb? By the terms of his father’s will, had he not married the land would have reverted to other members of the family on his death. There is no evidence of his having married, nor do we know where he is buried. Born a Quaker, he would not have been baptised and would thus be excluded from resting in the consecrated ground of a churchyard and, no longer a Friend, was not likely to have been interred in their burial ground.

There is one final puzzle concerning this odd member of our family and that is the existence, not so very far from his home but just outside of the manorial lands, of a site known officially as “Caleb’s Folly.” The site is marked on older maps but neither the Bristol nor the Gloucestershire Record Office can give any explanation as to how this name came about.

About thirty years ago, accompanied by my cousin Michael J. Sturge, I set out to visit the site, which stood within the fields of Grange Farm at Winterbourne; (OS Grid Reference: 632 832 on the ST58 First series 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey map.) The farmer, Mr Ron Withers, explained that a ruinous remnant had once existed at that place but he had demolished it, putting the rubble into the cellars, so all that now remained was beneath the floor of his cow byre. He kindly allowed us to drive across the fields to reach the site and even gave his permission to dig out the mess that now filled the cellar, but that second offer we quickly declined!

Farmer Withers had two theories as to how Caleb’s Folly had come by its name. The first was the isolated location of the building which, in those days, could only be reached by a public footpath that led across the fields, just to that site and nowhere else. Thus he thought that the poor access might have attracted the name, although the existence of a legally defined footpath suggests that there must once have been good reason to go there.

The second theory for the name was the local tradition that the building had been erected to obtain a view of ships sailing on the River Severn. Cousin Michael estimated that such a structure would have had to reach a minimum height of at least 50 metres to give any view of the water, and even higher, at about 61 metres, if a full view of the river was required.

With a line of hills interrupting the view in that direction, to commence building a structure of that size and for that purpose could certainly have been sufficient for it to be referred to as a folly. The site is so close to Gaunts Earthcott and the home of Caleb Sturge that is tempting to think of his association with the building but there is absolutely no evidence for this.

What is certain is the fact that the name remains within the family, as there is a Caleb Sturge living in the United States, like ourselves descended from Thomas Sturge of Gaunts Earthcott, but happily lacking in the eccentricity that caused his ancient namesake so many problems.

Peter M. Sturge