Sunday 28 October 2007

Occasional Ramsgate Writings By Donald G Long


It gives me great pleasure to publish Don Long’s new book this week.

Introduction

Love the town in which you dwell, as you do, too – don’t I love Paris and London, though I am a child of the pine woods and of the beach at Ramsgate
Vincent Van Gogh

Indeed many of you love the town in which you live. I love Ramsgate – to me a very special place, with buildings to delight the eye – residents of great interest – and some important events, which have helped to shape the history and character of our town and the country.

This series of articles will I hope interest and inform you the reader, and that you will enjoy reading them as I did writing them.
Don Long

The articles are

HERESON AND HOLLICONDANE
A Tale of Long Ago

MOUNT ALBION HOUSE, RAMSGATE

SIR MOSES MONTEF10RE (1784-1885) EAST CLIFF LODGE AND RAMSGATE

THE FOUNDING OF THE MONTEFIORE SYNAGOGUE, RAMSGATE, 1833

ST PAUL'S CHURCH
KING STREET, RAMSGATE

THE SAN CLU HOTEL, RAMSGATE

HERESON SCHOOL, RAMSGATE
1909-1959

CHATHAM HOUSE COLLEGE
1797-1917

23 comments:

  1. Hi I am the webmaster for Saint Pauls church Margate, and found the article great. Thanks for all of the work you have put in I know how difficult it can be

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  2. Very enjoyable read.Looking forward to next part as i was at the school between 1970 and 1975.Several of the teachers in the 1950's photograph were still teaching in the 70's.

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  3. Don

    I was fascinated to read the articles on Old Ramsgate. As a one time choirboy at Holy Trinity and pupil of the primary school, I remember Ramsgate in the 50s and 60s well.

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  4. i was a pupil of the school in the late 60s early 70s.at that time mr sheperd was headmaster.the school was run by strict rules and punishment.

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  5. I love Ramsgate & at the moment I am trying to find out the history of the town

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  6. I am researching the life of Augustus Frederick d'Este, son of Lady Augusta Murray for my website (see URL). According to "Occasional Ramsgate Writings By Donald G Long", He was "given the name of `D'Este', which related to an Italian noble strain in their parents' joint ancestry". I had assumed he and his sister's names were derived from Villa d'Este, Lake Como, Cernobbio where they were born. Comments please to: TerenceWilson@aspects.net

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  7. I believe the "John Marshall" of your article was Captain John Marshall of Ramsgate (1748-1819). He wrote of the house & Mill:-
    "My business at London being finished, I went home to my wife & family at Ramsgate. After being there some time, I was advised to leave the sea, & endeavour to get a living on shore. My friends persuaded me to build a windmill for grinding corn, & thought that I would get a good livelihood. I took some time to consider of this, &, at length, acceded to their advice. As I was quite a stranger to the business, I thought it would be better to have a partner who would understand it better than myself; accordingly I found a man to my satisfaction; & built a good large mill with three pairs of stones, & everything that was necessary to set him a-going.

    We had scarcely got to work before wheat began to rise from 40 shillings up to ten pounds per quarter; which made it all the worse for us, as we had but little money to go on with. My partner wishing to give up the business, I took the mill to myself, striving to get on as well as I could, I had build a house close to my mill, that I might be handy to my work; this took up the most part of my money, that I should have had in the business; I was therefore obliged to mortgage the mill for £800. I laboured on for five years, but finding I was losing something considerable, yearly; I thought it would be for the best to sell the mill: which I accordingly did, at the loss of £200. I next set upon a bake house; thinking to bring my son up to some trade, whereby he might get his living, after my death, for I had nothing to leave him. We carried on the business for two years, & were doing well; by this time my son was able, with the help of a good foreman, to carry on the business, but never liked it, as it did not agree with him. In the meantime, I had an offer to go as commander of a ship to Jamaica; which I accepted & took charge of her. In the meantime I had sold my home to the Duchess of Sussex."
    I wonder if anyone out there has any further info on Captain John & his family?

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  8. I was fascinated to see the article on the old San Clu Hotel which brought back many happy memories for me. My late father was appearing in summer season at the local theatre and, fed up with theatrical digs, my mother booked myself and younger brother into the San Clu for a change. This was back in the late 1950's and we returned there every summer for several years. I remember the Robsons, their son Simon and the rather stern looking Head Waiter who I think was named Ron. Such happy days.

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  9. Re: Hollicondane's origins look on old maps to see many different spellings but none lend credence to your story. More once again to the past when Danes invaded!

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  10. Yvonne,

    Do you have a reference to the article by Capt. John Marshall that you quoted ?

    [I'm trying to trace the early history of Mount Albion House.]

    cheers
    Gerald

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  11. Across both sides of the Atlantic, my cousin and I are trying to find out about brothers Patrick and George Peek who were 13 and 11 respectively and at the school in 1911, so they could well be in the cadet photo.
    Patrick Peek became the employer of my Great Uncle and Aunt; he was very wealthy, never married and looked after aunt uncle and their daughter financially after his death. He took them all to emigrate to South Africa. We would love to find out more about him; he commissioned a lifeboat to be made in his will, which has just been renovated last year; 'The Chieftain. We wondered if he had a sea connection in the family? Perhaps George Peek's descendants are out there? We would be most grateful for any help.

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  12. I found the article about the San Clu hotel interesting. I was an apprentice chef there in the late 1960's. I remember Mrs Robson and her son John very well and also Simon who would be about the same age as me. Compared to modern kitchens the San Clu was very old fashioned, I also remember having to prepare the vegetables especially the two galvanised dustbins of potatoes daily before being allowed to do anything else! I also remember Ron the head waiter who's looks were much sterner than he actually was, he was a really nice guy and many a good time was had in his company.

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  13. Hollicandane was originally Hollowcombe Dane, which actually just means a small valley. Dane is probably taken from the old English dene which is a gap or valley.

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  14. I was at an auction of household goods in Lincolnshire a few years ago and purchased a couple of silver plated trophies on a whim.
    One of these is engraved as follows :-

    Chatham House College
    One mile scratch race
    1890
    A.L.GRAY

    If anyone has an interest or knows more can reach me on rogal_esq@hotmail.com

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  15. I wonder if any of the College Records for the 1880's are extant? I am researching William Alfred Evan CALL who was a pupil here in 1881 (census) He was the illegitimate son of a Cornish Baronet and I would like to find out more about his French antecedents.
    He became a very good church organist who gave many recitals in Cornwall, moved on to Chepstow as a Church organist and branched out as a photographer who produced literally thousands of postcard views centred on his studio in Chepstow and later in Monmouth. In later life he run a puppet theatre at his Monmouth studio and gave performances all over the country. He died in 1965. Does anyone have more information.

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  16. Re last comment. William Call was at Chatham House in 1891 (not 1881) as i said. A Senior moment, I'm afraid!

    Pat M

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  17. Re above comment. William Call was at Chatham HOuse in 1891 (not 1881) as I said. A Senior moment, I'm afraid!

    Pat M

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  18. Looking for any info (photos, paperwork) for a SIDNEY SLADE b 3 Feb 1881 who attended Chatham House School according to the 1891 census.
    Susan

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  19. Looking for any info (photos, paperwork) for a SIDNEY SLADE b 3 Feb 1881 who attended Chatham House School according to the 1891 census.
    Susan

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  20. Super photo of Chatham House College Cadets. The badges appear to be the local Kent Battalion but it is hard to see whether they are the dragon of the Buffs or the Silver white horse of the West Kents.

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  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  22. Following on from the article covering St Pauls Church King St Ramsgate i Just found out my Grandfather on my mothers side was Baptised in this church in Jun 1903 so I found this to be very informative.

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Comments, since I started writing this blog in 2007 the way the internet works has changed a lot, comments and dialogue here were once viable in an open and anonymous sense. Now if you comment here I will only allow the comment if it seems to make sense and be related to what the post is about. I link the majority of my posts to the main local Facebook groups and to my Facebook account, “Michael Child” I guess the main Ramsgate Facebook group is We Love Ramsgate. For the most part the comments and dialogue related to the posts here goes on there. As for the rest of it, well this blog handles images better than Facebook, which is why I don’t post directly to my Facebook account, although if I take a lot of photos I am so lazy that I paste them directly from my camera card to my bookshop website and put a link on this blog.