A contribution to our website from the Grimshaws who emigrated to Australia in 1957

Excerpts from emails and pictures have been put together for this item (7/01)

My Nan, Margaret Chapman (nee Hawkins) & her daughter Della Grimshaw (nee Chapman) have asked me to forward the following photos to your site. I hope you will be able to use them.

Thanks very much. Elizabeth Grimshaw

I have some additional information for your 250 photographic section. In the collection of pictures about Mill Street there is one of Minnie Thorner accepting milk at her front door. The milkman is my Great Great Grandfather Joe Hawkins and the person on the float is his son Eric Hawkins. Also in the pictures taken at shadrack showing Bishop's riding school the caption says that Frank died in the mid 30's. This must be incorrect it probably should be the mid 50's. My family (Ray and Margaret Chapman -nee Hawkins) lived in Townsend farm which is opposite the Bishop's farmhouse and I can remember hearing of the tractor accident out Annings Lane ( I believe that he was making silage at the time). I was born in 1946 and we left the village for Australia in 1957 so the accident has to be in this time frame. I would put it approximately 52 or 53. . I understand that my daughter Louise Grimshaw has also written to you, it is a source of enjoyment to all of us in Perth West Australia to see just how the site is progressing. I am sorry that we didn't hear about it sooner. I hope to hear from you,

Regards, Della Grimshaw

In your farming section you mention that there were originally 10 farms in the village and that there are now only three. Wouldn't it be nice to expand this a little and explain what happened to all the others. Surely the three remaining farms haven't absorbed all the fields previously taken up by the other seven. The three remaining farms are all east of the village. What happened to Manor farm whose fields were mainly to the west and north? What about the cliff fields of Kerleys farm, what happened to Derryman's farm up Shipton Lane and the land attached to Bishops farm at Shadrack? I know that our farm, Townsend, ceased to exist when my grandfather, Douglas Hawkins died, but what became of the land farmed by his brother Edgar of Shadrack Dairy farm? Surely the land must be used in some way now? It can't all have been turned into caravan parks and retirement homes can it? I look forward to hearing from you,

Yours faithfully Della Grimshaw

Harry's son Martin who wrote the introduction to the Northover portion of your Burton site is my second cousin, so I feel that perhaps I have a small connection to the story as well. Joe Hawkins was my Great Great Grandfather, his father was Richard Hawkins a baker originally living in Common Lane and later in Mill Street. In case the information on the photos themselves is not full enough I will just recap for you.

The Burton Spook is probably taken around 1914.

The Sailor (my grandfather) is Douglas Hawkins. (World War 1)

Douglas was given Townsend to farm when he returned from the navy and Edgar was already farming Shadrack Dairy Farm for his father. Joe and his wife Isabel also had two daughters Margery who married Will Lovelace and Winnie who had a son Harry. Margery and Will Moved to Bridport and Winnie to Bristol. When Joe died the two farms were permanently separated. On Edgar's death Shadrack continued to be farmed jointly by his two sons Dennis and Robert (Bob) who have both recently died.

Douglas Hawkins had two daughters Margaret (my mother) who married Ray Chapman and Greta (my Aunt) who married Bill Heal. When Douglas died my grandmother was to ill to keep up the farm and the family only retained the Townsend farm house, cottage, yard, out buildings, garden and orchard. On her death my mother and father moved into the farm house and Greta and Bill into the cottage nextdoor (they later moved to Barr Lane).

As you already know the village was owned by Pitt-Rivers so all farms, land and cottages were rented until the big sale in 1958. Our family along with many others bought our house in the village auction. Shortly after this my family migrated to Australia and after a few years sold Townsend Farm and I believe that it has now been made into flats.

The 1910-11 Football team contains Conrad Hawkins, 2nd right killed in action 1917, and Douglas Hawkins seated right front. Robert Howarth in the centre of the middle row.

Dicker Thorner with the dog and Tommy Swaffield on Burton Beach

The two children are myself (Della Chapman) and David Tizzard taken in 1948 at Townsend

The children are Heather Youngs as the nurse, Denise Copp just visible over my shoulder and me (Della Chapman) as Elizabeth the First winning 1st prize in the Coronation parade in 1953 or 54. Incidentally we still have the costume and my two children have used it for years in their "dress ups".

Joe Hawkins in the trap and Fred Mullins outside his shop in main street. Joe Hawkins pictured delivering milk with a milk float in the village farmed Townsend Farm and Shadrack Dairy Farm. He had three sons, Douglas, Conrad and Edgar. Conrad was killed in the First World War.

Just a comment on the new photos you have posted on the site. The cows passing White house are most likely to be Douglas Hawkins cows as they would have been the only ones to be going through that part of the village My mother and father are busily looking at the people in the other photos and think they have identified several. In the guess where this picture is section - is the hole in the wall the drain hole in the wall between Bishops (Shadrack) farm and Girt house? If it is I remember their dog Jimmie trying to get a marrow bone through the opening. It took him a while but he realised in the end that he had to turn the bone side on to get it through. He used to hate the church bells, howled every Sunday. We lived opposite of course. I hope this provides some background information for you If or should I say when you next see my Aunt Greta please give her my love.

Regards Della Grimshaw (Chapman/Hawkins)

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