Sherman genealogy

I’ve gathered a lot of information on the Sherman family, with tentative lines going back to John la Shearman in 1345. I say tentative because one of the challenging spots is Henry Sherman of Dedham (1524-1590). We lack “proof” of his lineage but have strong circumstantial evidence for his parents and ancestors going back to Yaxley, Suffolk.
What we do know is he was a weaver of woolen cloth, from (presumably) a line of wool weavers or “shearmen”. For a while, maybe 60-80 years, his family lived and worked in Southfields in Dedham at what is now called “the Master Weavers house”. From the 1300s to 1800s this property passed through several families of weavers who bought the raw wool from farmers and were part of the major industry making rough, raw wool bay (or baize) cloth to the finer, softer says (or serge) wool.
The property of Southfields was privately renovated over a period of 30 odd years to become a Type I (highest ranking) historic building by the British government. I’m glad this and the Sherman Hall are both in good working order. Even happier that I noticed they were close enough for us to visit!Leia mais