Lorraine
Lorraine Sencicle has lived in Dover for most of her life. Now a grandmother, she is married to Alan and has two grown-up daughters, Lynn Candace and Annelies, both of whom, like their father, attended Dover schools.
Lorraine is a trained nurse and a graduate from the University of Kent where she taught her degree subject, Economics. She became interested in local history in the 1980s, when fighting Dover District Council over the development of local open spaces and historical sites.
Since that time, Lorraine has continued opposing developments she sees as inappropriate at the same time as promoting Dover’s valuable local asset, its history. Besides an academically acclaimed book,Banking on Dover and the commercially successful book, Haunted Dover. Since 2004 Lorraine has been the regular contributor of the All Our Yesterdays page in the Dover Mercury and is now a regular contributor to The Way We Were Pages in the Dover Express.
Doverhistorian.com team: Candy – technical assistant, Lorraine – editor, Alan – assistant editor
The Dover Historian 
As a former Dukie I enjoyed the piece about the Duke of York’s Royal Military School, most enjoyable.
Hi Lorraine I am wondering if there is an alternative way to contact you rather than publicly on here. Synopsis: brick wall well and truly hit during research. Janette Harris
If you include a contact e-mail address I may be able to reply. Lorraine
thanks Lorraine! I wonder if you could help me put to bed a ‘highly unlikely’ rumour that my ancestor Joseph Patten (1850-1816) was made Governor of Dover Castle for brave swimming under fire during the war with France to gauge French military positions?! It’s highly unlikely given that his daughter married a carpenter and he himself was listed in 1792 in the Dover directory as a ‘foreman’ in the Dover ordnance office. But I can’t find a list of the castle governors during his lifetime to definitely rule it out.
Hello Louise
I have now moved away from Dover having given all my research documents to Dover Museum and Dover Transport Museum, therefore I have to rely on my memory augmented with a few books and articles that I have kept. One of these is john Bavington Jones Annals of Dover published in 1916. According to Bavington Jones William Pitt was the Constable of Dover Castle 1792-1806. He was followed by Robert Banks Jenkinson – Earl of Liverpool 30 January 1806-1829, Although the Earl was heavily involved in the town and port of Dover, Bavington Jones does not mention a Joseph Patten nor does he mentioned him in Annals. I have also checked Bavington Jones other opus, Perambulation of the Town, Port, and Fortress of Dover (1907), but no luck. I suggest the Dover Museum as your best source for further research. Lorraine
Lorraine – does this help? Will of Joseph Patten, Gentleman of Dover, Kent | The National Archives
Hi Lorraine
We had some willow pattern china donated to the charity shop I volunteer in and it has the name TURNPENNY BROS LTD .This was a new one for me so researched it and found your very informative article. It gives the the pieces I have a good story and I found it very interesting re the back ground Thankyou for the history of the family. Our shop is the Isabel Hospice Shop ,Waltham Cross herts.
Hi Lorraine!
I noticed you published an article about shipbuilding in the 1700s – I’m doing research on ship design in that era and was hoping you’d be willing to connect with me – if so please feel free to reach out to me direct here and I’ve left my email here for you as well.
Hope to talk to you soon!
Mackenzie
e-mail address blocked
Fabulous to see these photos..lots of love, Martin Turner ❤️