The Dunkley Family & their Staff. Written by Snowball Ltd 2012

Transcription

1 The Dunkley Family & their Staff Written by Snowball Ltd

2 Introduction Many visitors to the farm house have asked me over the years I wonder who lived here, and I was unable to answer that question. Well after months of trawling the county archives, we present part one, the Dunkley family... the family ancestry goes back 26 generations, but we find our story in the late Victorian age as George, the son of a local publican marries jane, the daughter of a farmer and goes on to help build one of the most famous towns in England Stephen Briggs

3 The Dunkley Family In its 300 year history, many families leased Holly House, later known as Church Farm. It has spent much of its existence uninhabited. Several farmers leased it, but did not live on the premises. They all ran several farms. A significant tenant was John H Vessey. He was a wealthy land owner and a friend of the Earl of Scarborough. In the early 1870s, he leased the farm, perhaps as a second home or work base, while he was surveying the area for the new railway. One of the very well documented families to live at Church Farm, were the Dunkley family, in the 1890s. They are believed to be the family shown in some of the portraits in the farmhouse dining room (Right). As well as living at Church Farm, George Garner Dunkley had lived with his grandparents at Burn Farm, next to what are now, the Wainfleet Road playing fields. He moved out of the family home and for a while lived in Ashton Villa, on what is now the corner of Old Wainfleet Road and Church Road South. It is likely that being builders, the family added many of the Victorian extensions to the farmhouse, almost doubling it in size, and adding a tiled roof, a wider staircase and new kitchen and washhouse. Jane Minta Dunkley At some point many houses for workers were built on the surrounding land, the census shows these went up between 1881 and Holly House had been isolated in the early Victorian era, but when the Dunkley family moved in, the area had become a thriving community of farm workers and traders. What is now The Village was listed at one point as 23 Wainfleet Road. Maps show, there was a second property north of the Farm house, and the 1881 census says there was a Shepherds cottage on North Land inhabited by a Master shepherd, David Howard, his wife Sarah and their son William. John, Annie and Betsy Cater lived in Palm tree house. These were the Dairy staff. After John s death the Cater sisters ran the dairy under several farmers, well into the next century. Skegness Herald has many articles about George Dunkley, and he appears to have been very popular with his workers. Every Christmas he would send a huge log to them, and invite less well off people to his home for a meal. It is hard to believe, that on Christmas day 1887, no less than 70 guests ate at the farm house! He is quoted as being a man of the people, wealthy but generous. It is very confusing as some census records call the road we know so well as Wainfleet road others call it Church Road. What we do know, is that recently Grantham Drive sliced through the area, and Lincoln Road has divided Church Road 3

4 into North and South. The Northern end of Church Road had no houses on it, and leads as it does today, to St Clements Church. The main A52 Wainfleet road as we know it, ended not far from the playing fields. And Old Wainfleet road is all that remains of what remains of the original! The Family ran an enormous brick works next to Church Farm, this would have supplied material for the development of the town. The Earl of Scarborough, had grand plans and subsequently the population of Skegness boomed from under 300, to nearly 2000 in just a few years. George also established the Gas and Coke Company, and was a director of the pier company. George Garner Dunkley, *Florence is not thought to have lived with the family at Church Farm. She lived with her Father on Sunningdale drive, after her Mother died in In between she worked as a teacher before marring Arthur Hardy at the Turn of the century. Tragically she was widowed twice, and lost her Son, also called George, in The family had two servants, Amelia Hawson and Rhodes Smith. The trend appears to have been one male and one female servant. They were kept apart with a wall between their quarters, the female staff above the Kitchen, the male presumably slept in the attic. George Dunkley, established himself as a very successful building contractor. His company built many Skegness landmarks including the Lumley and Lion Hotels, and most of the facilities on the pier. Competition was fierce, with ten builders in the area, and he missed out badly on Frederica terrace which later became The Parade and Jolly Fisherman Hotels. He is thought to have built substantial parts of Lumley Road, as well as dealing in older properties at auction. St Matthews s church on Lumley Avenue stands as a proud example of the Dunkley business craftsmanship. Having been put together quickly, so within a few years it was in poor condition. This was most embarrassing, as the church had been built as an alternative to the ancient and small one at St Clements. George secured the contract and over the years rebuilt the nave, *chancel, and added a small tower. A spire had been planned. The ceiling had been falling upon the congregation. This in turn was fixed. Head of fund raising was none other than Jane Minta Dunkley who hosted 15,000 people in 1898, to a fund raiser. Their daughter, thought to be Mary, played the organ. This was before the days of TV, radio or modern advertising! *Nearly a hundred years later, this author would pray and receive communion upon the very same chancel! 4

5 George Garner Dunkley had a sale room on Lumley Road and ran the business for 30 years after his father s death. Despite his age, George Garner was called up for Army service in 1915, and served in France for four years. His experience in the building trade made The Royal Engineers a logical choice; he was subsequently promoted to Sergeant. George Garner Dunkley s Army record (National archives) One of the Dunkley Daughters circa 1895 Around the turn of the 20 th century, the senior Dunkley s moved into their family business, the Sea View Hotel, on Grand Parade. This had been owned by two generations. They finally settled into a smart new home, at 6 Sunningdale Drive. Upon the death of Jane Minta in 1911, George Dunkley married Johanna Mary Capon in She lived with George until he died in She inherited much of the family fortune and lived in the family home until her death in George Garner established himself as a senior figure of the town, sitting on the Council, being an Alderman, and keeping himself very busy. St Johns ambulance and The Conservative association were his passions. Generous Thanks to: The Village Archives Mrs Angela Gooch Skegness Library archives Miles Hedison Web Design 5