Herbert Sadd (1864-1945)
Herbert Sadd was born on 29th February 1864 in Barford but he and his younger brother Marshall Sadd, grew up in the Bell Inn, Marlingford, a few miles west of Norwich.
Their parents, Georgiana (nee Hipperson) and John Sadd, were both originally from Hingham. They married in 1858 and by 1861 were living in Barford.
In the late 1869s they became the licensees at the Marlingford Bell, which Georgiana’s parents had kept from at least 1851. Georgiana’s parents then moved to Wramplingham, where their grandson Herbert was staying with them when the 1871 census was taken. As with many publicans at the time, John had another trade – bricklaying – and Herbert followed his father into the same trade, which took him to Norwich in 1891 and then as far as London to work on the construction of the Blackwall Tunnel (1892-1897).
Georgiana and John stayed at the Marlingford Bell for over twenty years (according to licensing records, until 1896) although in the 1891 census John was boarding in Norwich and by 1901 they were definitely living separately, with John in Norwich as a bricklayer. Georgiana (known as ‘Big Mother’) stayed in Marlingford, and in the 1901 census was listed as housekeeper to Frederick Blyth, the blacksmith who had lodged with the family since at least 1871.
Herbert seems to have spent a lot of time in London until at least 1903, when he married Alice Ann Bales in the borough of Kensington. By 1904 they were settled back in Norfolk, where all their five children were born.
From local newspapers we get two contrasting vignettes of his life in this period. Firstly, in 1906, the family employed a parish nurse to live in with them following the birth of their son Jack and she tragically hanged herself in the shed where Herbert kept his ladders and work tools. Then we get just a tiny glimpse of his musical life from the Downham Market Gazette on 5 June 1909:
LITTLE MELTON. The anniversary celebrations of Court Pride of Bawburgh took place on Monday. In the morning the members assembled in the club room at the ‘Rose and Crown Inn, marching from thence round the neighbourhood in full regalia, headed by Mr. H. Sadd’s Marlingford Band. In the afternoon Host Drake provided a capital dinner, to which over 70 sat down. Dr. Deacon (court surgeon) presided. Afterwards toasts and songs provided entertainment [ … ] In the evening a successful ball was held.”
It seems likely that Herbert Sadd’s band would also have played for the ‘ball’ in the evening as his repertoire was known to include dance tunes. The ‘Court Pride of Bawburgh’ was a branch of the Ancient Order of Foresters’ Friendly Society – these localised health insurance schemes also provided regular opportunities for socialising and music-making.
By 1911 the family was living in Mount Temple, Marlingford where he spent the rest of his life until his death on 6th January 1945.
His younger brother Marshall Sadd was also named by Billy Bennington as being another dulcimer player.
There are no recordings of Herbert Sadd’s playing, but Billy Bennington knew of Herbert and Marshall Sadd, and evidently heard Herbert play, as he played a tune he referred to as Herbert Sadd’s Schottische
‘No matter where you went, you’d hear old Herbert Sadd playing that, “Come on my hearties” he’d say ..’
Here is Billy playing Herbert Sadd’s Schottische (and talking at the end).
This track is from the album The Barford Angel album, recorded and produced by John Howson on the Veteran label and is available as a physical album or download from the Veteran website. The Veteran label is under new management (2025) and the content is being transferred to the new system – if you can’t find the album online, just contact them directly.
The tune is in fact called the Mountain Belle Schottische and was first published as a piano piece in 1854, written by Charles Kinkel, remaining popular across Britain, Ireland and the USA for many more decades. Another Norfolk musician, George Watson from Swanton Abbot (thought to be a fiddler) also knew it and had copied out into his manuscript book, and it was in the repertoire of another dulcimer player, Bill Fell from Birmingham, who plucked the dulcimer rather than using beaters.
Herbert Sadd’s dulcimer
Herbert’s dulcimer was still in the family in 2005, and is an outstanding example of Mark Widdows’ beautiful craftsmanship. If the quality of the instrument is anything to go by, it is likely that Herbert was a good player.
Frank’s dulcimer is one of five known to have been made some time before 1889 by Norwich maker Mark Widdows (and is referred to here as Widdows no. 2) – there is more about Mark Widdows
More photos and information about Herbert Sadd’s dulcimer.
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