“My Dear Fred” – a letter from 1888.
The ‘ghosts’ of past Ewelme inhabitants continue to pop up in the form of unusual requests to the archive and from the most unlikely sources. We have many requests for information on long dead relatives, but the latest enquiry is a ‘first’. It was passed on to us from the Parish Clerk who received an exploratory email from an English-born philatelist living in Florida. The sender, Barry West, had acquired several Victorian stamped envelopes containing the original letters. One, dated April 26th 1888, was addressed to
Mr Frederick Dunston Esq., Ewelme, Wallingford, Berks
The letter has a one penny stamp with a London WC postmark and is unremarkable in content, but it has opened up a hive of frenetic investigation. The letter was probably from Dunston’s sister-in-law Alice L Dunston and the text discloses that ‘Fred’ had that day visited but she had forgotten to ask him for two book-plates with the Dunston [heraldic] crest, one for herself and another for a cousin. She hoped ‘Fred’ had a good journey home, sent love to ‘Florrie’ (Dunston’s wife), and put a postscript that Robin [likely his brother Robert] had eaten no dinner but a cup of tea and slice of bread as he had “been ‘knocked up’ since Frederick had left, or maybe he had eaten too much cream at lunch.” Alice concluded by stating that “Robin was copying statistics from his California book, as if his life depended on it.”
Barry was intrigued to know some details of this gentleman and his family. An initial examination of the Church Records showed a burial and four baptisms of Dunston children between 1882 and 1886. A request was then sent out to Ewelme researchers on the Archive database and within 24 hours, thanks to the modern methods of Internet genealogical research and particularly the enthusiasm of Rachel Winfield and Ray Quartermain (in Holland), a plethora of detail had been submitted for emailing to Florida.
Briefly, Frederick Warburton Dunston was born in December 1850 at Donhead St Mary, a Wiltshire village near Shaftesbury, to Thomas, a clergyman, and his wife Emma Roscoe, who married in 1849. The 1861 census shows Frederick and his 8 year old brother Robert, living with their then widowed mother at Donhead. Frederick went up to Oxford and then took a career in Law, being variously described as a ‘Solicitor’ and ‘Barrister’. He married in 1878 the 22 year old Louisa Florence Camilla Gwatkin and in 1881 they were living in Cuddington, Surrey with their first daughter Louisa. A son, Thomas Frederick Gwatkin Warburton was born in Kensington in April 1882 but baptised at Ewelme church in July 1882. Unfortunately, the baby died and was buried in Ewelme on 27th December 1882 (there is no surviving memorial stone). A second son, who had the unenviable task of shouldering the same names as his dead sibling, was baptised in August 1883. Other children baptised in Ewelme were Robert, in December 1884, and in July 1886 a daughter, Emma. The family left Ewelme circa 1889 and returned to Donhead St Mary to live at Burlton House where three more children were born. By the 1901 census Frederick had obviously prospered in his Law career, as in addition to his wife and children (ranging in age from 5 to 22), there were four servants recorded. Frederick died in 1915.
However, it was from a GOOGLE put in by Barry that the extent of the Dunston legacy and explanation of the relevance of the book-plates was revealed. In 1981 Miss Emma Dunston, the daughter baptised in Ewelme in 1886, died at the great age of 95. She was still living at Burlton House and the entry describes her as “the last surviving member of an extraordinary family of book collectors, botanists, mycologists and photographers.” Emma’s Will bequeathed the “Dunston Collection” (originated by Frederick) of approximately 8,000 books to the University of Oxford, the alma mater of her father and brothers.
An outstanding question remains - where did the Dunston’s live whilst in Ewelme? It is most unfortunate that their residency falls between the two censuses of 1881 and 1891. Alice felt no need to designate a house name, so the Dunston’s and the property must have been well-known. A suggestion has been made that they could have lived at what is now called High House in the High Street. Then called Monogram House, it had been the home of George Eyre, a prominent local Lawyer. Although Eyre did not die until 1885, his address was then given as ‘Watlington’, so Frederick may have taken over the ageing and childless Eyre’s practice in 1882 and moved into his house. We are hoping that an examination of High House documents may give an answer, but if not, should any reader have seen the name Dunston in their house Deeds please let us know.
So engrossed has Barry become with the Dunston story that he and his wife plan to fly to England this year to visit Ewelme and Donhead St Mary, and he has generously offered to donate the letter to the Ewelme Archive. It would be most gratifying to take Barry to the front door of the Dunston’s former home and have him complete the circle by ‘posting’ the letter - 119 years after the original delivery!
Carol Sawbridge – for the Ewelme Historical Archive
Village book - "Glimpses of an Oxfordshire Village" - As the stock is now down to single figures we are instigating the reprinting of the book. This will be an expensive exercise with no sponsorship this time, but as there is a steady sale of approximately 50 books per annum, the Committee has agreed it is necessary. Also, once our Historical Archive page on the website is up and running we anticipate a demand from further afield.
Village Video - we have approached a Henley firm to transfer the VHS video - "Ewelme A Hundred Years of Change" to the more modern medium of DVD. This should be available shortly. There is a considerable stock of VHS videos still available for £5 per copy available from Derry's Den, Benson; 8, The Cloisters and Carol Sawbridge.
Audio-CD - of Rector Martin Garner’s talk on the occasion of the Ewelme Exhibition Fund Scholars’ Day - thanks to Neil Blake we are now in full production. This 40-minute professionally recorded audio-CD of the Rev'd Martin Garner’s informative talk to the Scholars on 17 June 2006 comes with an attractive photographic label in a jewel box for the sum of £5. The cost of sending a CD to an address in the UK is £5.99 including postage and packing.
Requests and cheques payable to The Ewelme Society to - Carol Sawbridge, South Barn, Off Chaucer Court, Ewelme. Telephone 01491 833154.
Carol Sawbridge