The Dover Historian

Joanne Bouchier – the Martyr from Eythorne

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Lorraine

Burning of Protestant martyrs 1555 Canterbury. Canterbury Library

The young Joanne Bouchier (died 1550) stood on the pyre, her shorn head erect. Dr Scory (d1585), who later was appointed the Bishop of Rochester, asked her to repent. Joanne looked defiant but said nothing. The pyre was lit and as the flames leapt around her feet, she called out to Scory, ‘you lying rogue’. The crowd hushed, in order to her final gasps with which she told the Scory to go home, ‘ and read the scriptures…’ Joanne then died, her beliefs intact.

Dover & Environs 1828 – Eythorne underlined. Dover Library

Joanne Bouchier, Bocher, Burchen or Boucher – there are many different spellings, was probably of Flemish stock having fled persecution in their homeland and eventually resided in Eythorne. The village, pronounced Aythorne, lies to the north east of Dover. In Saxon days, it was called Hegythe Thorne and the parish was divided into two districts, Upper and Lower Eythorne, the first is sometimes referred to as Eythorne Green.

In 807 Cuthbert, King of Kent, with the consent of Coenulph, the King of Mercia, gave his minister Aethelnoth, three plough lands in the vicinity of the village in return for a considerable amount of money. The land then passed through several hands until the Conquest (1066) when it came into the possession of the Badelsmere family. Passing again through several hands, Eythorne came into the possession of Sir Thomas Browne (d1460), Chancellor of the Exchequer during the reign of Henry VI (1422-1461 + 1470-1471), who was executed for treason on 20 July 1460. In 1449, Sir Thomas had instituted a fair in perpetuity on the feast of St Peter ad Vincula (St Peter in Chains – celebrated on 1 August). The fair proved popular for centuries but then went into incline and became an annual running race but interest waned and the fair ceased.

Eythorne Baptist’s first Meeting House

During the 16th century, Protestantism was spreading rapidly throughout northern Europe. Martin Luther (1483-1546) proclaimed the doctorine of Justification by Faith and John Calvin (1509-1564) proclaimed the doctorine of Predestination. They and their contemporaries were distinguished men of learning and were highly influencial. At the time Charles V (1519-1558), was the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire that included the Low Countries and Protestants per se were being persecuted. By 1534 it was reported that there was a strong following in many countries including present-day Belgium, where Joanne’s family came from. It is highly likely that Joanne was the daughter of an affluent Protestant refugee who arrived in Canterbury and then moved to Eythorne. Although many were of of high birth, these refugees were described, in contemporary accounts, as cowherds, clothiers and weavers. They built cottages around the village of Upper Eythorne and one of these homes was Loom Cottage on the Coldred Road, demolished in 1901. It is believed that this was the residency of ‘good Master Humphrey,’ Joanne’s teacher.

Henry VIII Tapestry. Dover Town Council.

It was in 1540 that Joanne came to public notice, dispensing Tyndale’s (various spellings including Tindale) New Testament to the ladies of the court of Henry VIII (1509-1547). William Tyndale (c1494-1556) was an English academic and Protestant who translated the Bible into English. This contravened both the Roman Catholic Church and English laws and was punishable by death. In 1536, Tyndale was arrested in Brussels, convicted of heresy and executed by strangulation and burning. It is reported that his final words were, ‘Lord! Open the King of England’s eyes’. Two years later Henry VIII authorised the English translation of the Bible.

Joanne, it was said, was an arrestingly pretty girl with flaxen hair and considered ‘a great reader of scripture.’ She was a friend of Baptist, Anne Askew (1521-1546). Although Henry VIII had declared himself and England as Protestant, anyone who did not conform to his version – the Church of England – was seen as heretics and that was a treasonable offence. In 1543 Joanne was arrested and charged with heresy but for reasons unclear, Henry VIII stopped the proceedings. However, a case was brought against Anne Askew, who was subjected to torture by the rack (stretching the limbs), in the Tower of London. She was burnt at the stake on 16 July 1546.

Fresh charges were brought against Joanne and following her arrest, she was examined by the Archbishop of Canterbury – Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), Bishop Hugh Latimer (1487-1555) and other Church of England worthies. Joanne was excommunicated. They then examined the case against her. This rested on Joanne’s assertion that Christ’s nature was wholly divine, and that consequently he had no human body born of the Virgin, but merely a phantom one. This was heresy.

An account tells us that Joanne stood before them, pale but with a haughty countenance. Archbishop Cranmer asked her if she would renounce her errors of thought. In answer, Joanne told them that she would not and quoted the scriptures that backed her argument. She finished by saying, ‘I have had, forsooth, of what you call your conference, nor do I wish again to hear you expose to a woman the weakness of your arguments. In truth your speeches may have a show of worldly wisdom, and perchance, too much heat of human anger, but no coal of the Lord’s kindling hath touched a tongue between you.’

After a discussion, the ecclesiastical worthies pronounced the sentence of death by burning. Over this she protested, saying, ‘If you are men, if there is a human, let alone Christian feeling in your bosoms, stop the proceedings. I will not die. Nay stop or I will curse you with a curse, which shall cling to every soul among ye. God forgive me, I should rather pray for you, and that you may see the errors of your ways …’ This echoed the sentiments expressed by William Tyndale about Henry VIII. Archbishop Cranmer, suggested that Joanne should recant her beliefs, but young girl refused, saying, ‘My path lies straight before me and I will tread it. I see the end waiting for me, but now I tremble not. I am above ye, ye hypocrites, ye whited sepulchres. In our little meeting in quiet Eythorne where as a happy child I first drank in the good truth with good Master Humphrey did me expand unto us the how that ever true faith doth manifest itself by works…’

Edward VI ruled 1547-1553. Worcester Cathedral Cloisters

Before the sentence of death could be formally passed, it had to be approved by the boy king, Edward VI (1547-1553). At first, he declined to sign the warrant but Archbishop Cranmer pointed out that as King it was his duty to obey the due processes of the law. Joanne was then kept in close confinement at York House belonging to the Lord Chancellor Richard Rich (1496-1567). He had actively participated in the torture of Anne Askew. While at York House Joanne was frequently visited by Archbishop Cranmer and Bishop Nicholas Ridley (1500-1555) during which time they tried to persuade her to recant her beliefs. She was then taken to the Archbishop’s palace at Bekesbourne, near Canterbury, where again pressure was put on the young girl to recant. Eventually Joanne was returned to London and burnt at Smithfield on 2nd May 1550.

Following the execution, Edmund Becke published, ‘A Brefe Confutacion of this most detestable and Anabaptistrial opinion that Christ dyd not take hys flesh of the blessed Vyrgyn Mary nor any corporal substance of her body. For the maintenaunce whereof Jhone Bucher, otherwise called Jhon of Kent, most obstinately suffered and was burned in Smythfyelde, the ii. day of May Anno Domini M.D.L.’

On 8 March 1554, when Roman Catholic Mary I (1553-1558) was on the throne, the Privy Council ordered Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley to be taken to Bocardo Prison, Oxford to await trial for heresy. Latimer and Ridley’s trials followed shortly after and they were both burnt at the stake for their heretical adherence to the Church of England – set up by Henry VIII. Thomas Cranmer was imprisoned for two years during which time he recanted his adherence to the Church of England, declaring himself a Roman Catholic. On the day that he was burnt at the stake, he stated that he was a martyr to the principles of the English Reformation and died a member of the Church of England.

It is generally believed that the Master Humphrey, whom Joanne referred to when she was burnt at the stake, was an ancestor of John Knott, the first of four successive Baptist preachers in Eythorne from 1600-1780. They were all called John Knott and as persecution of Nonconformists was to continue until the Glorious Revolution of 1688, it is difficult to know about whom an arrest warrant was issued. This was for John Knott preacher and village blacksmith and it was said that he evaded capture by hiding in the village sawpit. His goods were seized and put up for sale but no one would buy them so they were eventually returned to John.

Eythorne Baptist Church built 1804

Baptist meetings continued in private homes in the village, such as Loom Cottage, until 1604 when the first Church was built nearby. Initially tiny, it was greatly enlarged during the ministry of John Giles (1792-1827), when people came from Dover and surrounding villages to hear his sermons. Peter Fector, Dover banker and businessman built Eythorne House on the Coldred Road and it was nearby where the Baptists had erected their Church. Annoyed by the congregation’s constant singing etc., Fector offered £500 of ‘lawful money of Great Britain,’ if they moved. He also offered to give up an acre of land at Langdown in Eythorne, on which they could build a new Church. The entry in the Eythorne Baptist Church minute book for 29 January 1804, states ‘That after mature deliberation, excepting two of three sisters, we unanimously agree to accept the offer.’ In the grounds of the new Church, the congregation had extensive stabling built for those who drove miles to hear Pastor Giles for his services would last for hours. In the new Church, lunch for the congregation was provided in the vestry.

Eythorne Baptist Church Young People’s Hall

Dr John Rippon (1751–1836) opened the Church, a roomy building. On the right side of the pulpit Lady Elizabeth Sophia Russell (d1901), the wife of Sir Edward Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Liverpool (1834-1920) had a marble tablet erected in memory of the four John Knott’s, from which she was descended. In 1863 the Eythorne Church was still the main Baptist centre in East Kent. That year a particularly famous preacher came to deliver the sermon and people flocked from far and wide to attend. In the vestry they prepared tea for a congregation of nine hundred and ninety worshippers. In 1937 the stables adjacent to the Church were demolished and the Young People’s Hall was built. John Husk, preacher and founder of Coombe Valley Transport, Dover, laid the foundation stone on 25 November that year. Of note, there is also a path from Eythorne to Frogham, some two miles away, is still referred to as Baptists Walk.

(The statements quoted above appertaining to Joanne Bouchier, are an interpretation from J Foxe, Acts and Monuments, 1563.)

Published:
Dover Mercury: 02 June 2005

British Destroyers and the Zulu, Nubian and Zubian

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Lorraine

World War I Destroyer – Alan Sencicle Collection

During the latter part of the 19th century a number of middle-ranking naval officers were expressing concern about the extent of tiny torpedo boats being built by some European countries. Little notice was taken but by the 1890s, many of these officers had been promoted and consideration was being given to the means of countering the perceived menace.

The torpedo boats they were concerned about were small and fast. Therefore, an equally fast or even faster vessel was needed with sufficient ammunition to blow the torpedo boats out of the water. In 1893 the first destroyers, initially called ‘torpedo boat catchers’ were built. With a displacement of 220-tons they had a speed of 27-knots and were armed with one 12-pounder, three, and later five, 6-pounders. For their own protection torpedo tubes were mounted that effectively made them a ‘super-torpedo boat’ or, as they were renamed – destroyers.

At this time the destroyers were little more than tin boxes crammed with machinery. Even in moderate weather, when travelling at speed, they were very uncomfortable. They were difficult to control and the sea washed over the low turtleback bows and the unprotected bridge. The Admiralty, in an effort to ameliorate these conditions increased the amount paid to the officers and men who manned them.

Dover Patrol, initially under the command of Rear Admiral Horace Hood (1870-1916) (inset) courtesy of Doyle Collection

Between 1905 and 1908, the Royal Navy ordered destroyers of the Tribal or F class, all of which saw active service during WWI, many as part of the Dover Patrol. All were of a similar in size, speed and armaments. They could make at least 33-knots (61 km/h), had two oil-fired boilers and the same defence weapons. In addition, as a class, they were the first British destroyers to have two masts; the aft was a light mainmast. To allow different approaches to be tried within the specific limits, the Royal Navy left the design details to the different shipyards. Thus, there were also significant variations between each ship.

Initially fifteen ships were ordered, but only the twelve were built and the first to be launched was the Cossack in February 1907. She was followed by the Ghurka, Mohawk, Afridi, Tartar, Saracen, Amazon, Nubian, Crusader, Maori, Viking and finally Zulu, commissioned in March 1910. More followed and at the outbreak of World War I (1914-1918), the newest British destroyers were vessels of nearly 1,000-tons, with a speed of 33-knots and an armament of three-4-inch guns and four torpedo tubes. Oil had superseded coal on all the destroyers.

Ship sinking stern first after being hit by a torpedo courtesy of the Doyle Collection

Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914 and the first German submarines appeared in the Channel around the middle of September 1914. They had been ordered to sink allied merchant vessels without giving notice. The Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy were sunk off Zeebrugge. All three had men on board from Dover. The first neutral vessel attacked was the Belridge, a Norwegian tank ship on 19 February 1915, which was quickly followed by other attacks on shipping. In response, the Admiralty sent eleven of the Tribal class destroyers one of, which was the Zulu, built, by Hawthorn Leslie shipyard, Newcastle. Not long afterwards, the Nubian, built by John I Thornycroft, Woolston, Hampshire shipyard and launched on 21 April 1909, joined the Dover Patrol.

Queen circa1905-10 besides Admiralty Pier. Dover Museum

The destroyers quickly proved their worth when on 4 March 1915, the Ghurka and Maori sank the U8 off Dover. Four officers and 25 of the crew were captured. They were marched through town much to the great excitement of the locals to the Castle before being taken to Chatham. By 1916 time, the loss of destroyers and the lack of replacements had reduced the total number to ten. On the night of 26 October that year the former cross-Channel ferry, Queen, deployed as a transport ship, was blown-up. The crew were picked up and brought back to Dover. Six boats that were part of the Channel Barrage – a huge net, with minefields on either side and strung across the Channel suspended from fishing boats and buoys – were lost.

St James Cemetery

The Dover built destroyer Flirt, under the command of Lieutenant Richard Kellett, was lost with of all but nine of her crew and the Nubian, Commander Montague Bernard, during the course of a fight off Folkestone, was struck by a torpedo. Sixteen members of her crew were killed and eleven bodies were landed at Dover. The Market Hall was used as a mortuary. Following an impressive funeral, nine of the men were buried in St. James cemetery.

In Parliament, the disasters of that night came under the spotlight and the blame was put on those who were doing their best to defend Dover with inadequate resources. As for the Nubian, badly damaged she was taken in tow but as the wind increased, the tow parted and adrift she went ashore at St. Margaret’s. Within a month, on 8 November, the Zulu struck a mine between Calais and Dunkerque blowing away her stern. The forward section remained afloat and was towed into Calais.

Destroyer Zulu commissioned March 1910

As both the Nubian and the Zulu were of the same class, it was decided to tow the stern of the Zulu and the bow and mid-section of the Nubian to Chatham and weld them together making a new ship! However, even though both ships were of the same Tribal class and had been built within laid down parameters, they had been designed and built by two different shipyards. This meant that they had different frames and a 3.5-inch (89-mm) difference in the beam. Despite these and other problems, the Zubian, as the ‘new’ ship was named, was commissioned on 7 June 1917. She immediately caused consternation to the German High Command as they could not work out which class she belonged. It was not until after Armistice did they learn the truth!

Serving with the Dover Patrol on 4 February 1918, the Zubian sank the mine-laying U-boat, UC-50, off the Essex coast. She was deployed in the Zeebrugge Raid on 23 April 1918 and the Ostend Raid in May. At the Admiralty Prize Court, held on 10 November 1919, an award of £145 was made to the master – Lieutenant Henry James Hartnoll – and crew of the Zubian for the destruction of the submarine. Two days later the Admiralty offered the destroyer for sale along with the Afridi, Cossack and Viking. At the time they were all lying at Immingham on the Humber Estuary. The Zubian was broken up on 9 December 1919 at Fryer Shipbreakers, Sunderland.

Fleet House, Marine Parade. HQ of the Admiral of the Fleet during World War I – Dover Library

During World War I some 300 destroyers were built or laid down between August 1914 and November 1918. A further 34 flotilla leaders – large destroyers – were also built. During that war, seventy-eight destroyers were sunk and about the same number badly damaged by enemy action, collision or weather conditions. Their deployment ranged from screening the Grand Fleet against submarine attack to taking Cabinet Ministers, military and naval officials across the Channel. They hunted U-boats in home waters and in the Mediterranean as well as conveying merchant shipping through danger zones. They were used to lay mines in the Battle of Heligoland Bight – the first naval battle of the First World War and fought on 28 August 1914. They also served as minesweepers and took part in every major naval action excepting the battles of Coronel (1 November 1914) off the coast of central Chile and the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914. Of those destroyers with two or more years of service that survived World War I and the subsequent sell off, many were still on the Naval active list at the outbreak of World War II (1939-1945).

Published:
Dover Mercury: 06 November 2008

Posted in British Destroyers and the Zulu, Nubian and Zubian, World War I | Comments Off

Dover Regatta – one of the oldest in the country

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Lorraine

During most summers, various organisations are involved in putting on the Dover Regatta. Run by the community for the community its history goes back to 1826 making the event one of the oldest of its type in Britain.

Dover Harbour c 1830

The years following the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) took their toll on the national economy. In Dover, industries that had prospered during the wars were in decline and there was little work. Traditionally Dover boatmen, who rowed people to and from cross-Channel ships that usually anchored in the bay, looked after their own. Particularly those boatmen who, due to old age or sickness, could no longer work. There was also the widows and children of deceased or sick boatmen. In the 1820s, there was little work so younger, fitter, men were no longer joining the trade and this meant that existing boatmen were forced to look for other ways to raise money. One way was the nefarious practice of forcing passengers to pay extra when they were midway between the ship and the shore – something that had earned them the reputation of Dover Sharks. However, on this occasion they decided to raise money by organising a series of races and invite soldiers from the garrison, the town’s gentry and affluent businessmen to take part.

His Royal Highness, the Lord High Admiral, William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV 1830-1837). internet

The various factions in the town obliged and the event was to take place in 1826 but bad weather precluded it going ahead. Albeit, publicity brought many people into the town and the following year the elite of Dover organised the regatta to raise money for the boatmen. This was patronised by His Royal Highness, the Lord High Admiral, William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV 1830-1837) and society folk from far and wide attended.

The date chosen was 27 August 1827 and although it had been stormy, the weather on the day was perfect and four races were held. The main event was for yachts and started from a point off North Pier Head, the west side of the entrance then harbour. The yachts sailed around a buoy placed off Castle Jetty and back, repeating the circuit to make the course 12 nautical miles. Dolphin owned and skippered by Captain Brown won the race. The first of the rowing races was for six-oared galleys and this was fiercely contested by boats from Sandgate and Folkestone with Comet from Folkestone winning. Fly of Dover won the second race and Mary, from Deal, won the third race. That evening a grand ball was held and it was reported that ‘an immense assemblage of beauty and fashion came from all parts of the coast and interior, balls and concerts were held at the Assembly Rooms, and at Batcheller’s spacious rooms at the King’s Library.’ (Times 30.08.1827) The Dover Regatta was born.

By 1833 fishing vessels were taking part in the Regatta and the match between the Dover boats was won by Albion, second was Arthur and third Isabella. However, the whole event was plagued with bad weather with Blue-Eyed Maid running ashore and wrecked. The Dover Amateur Rowing Club, now the oldest in Britain, was founded in 1846. To accommodate them and to attract more tourists to the town the Regatta committee introduced pleasure boating as a race. The Dover Rowing Club (DRC) took part and did so well that they dropped, ‘Amateur’ from their name!

In the years that followed, under the chairmanship of William H Payn (Mayor 1854 and Town Coroner 1860-1882), the Regatta went from strength to strength and was nationally considered a ‘first class’ event. This attracted James Godson, the Commodore of the Royal London Yacht Club, in 1855, to arrange for his club members to participate in the yacht races. That year, according to the write-up, there was also skiff races, a ‘duck’ hunt and in the evening, a grand ball attended by the rank and fashionable of the town and neighbourhood.

It was arranged that the 1861 the Regatta would be the same weekend as the installation of Lord Palmerston as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. That year, ship owner Joseph Churchward and cross-Channel ferry captain Luke Smithett, headed the Committee. Yachts from all around the kingdom were entered into the various races and there were races between four-oared regatta-built galleys. The overall winner of those races was Aerial from Dover. Skiffs, pleasure boats and fishing vessels raced and not only was there a grand ball in the evening but a magnificent firework display.

Sir Richard Dickeson Chairman of the Dover Regatta Committee and the Dover Rowing Club

In 1870, the Chairman of the Regatta Committee, Sir Richard Dickeson, (Mayor 1871, 1879, 1880, and 1882) and owner of a large emporium in Market Lane. He also joined the DRC and always ambitious, he was determined that the club would produce nationally competitive racing teams. Over the next 26-years he presented a new racing galley to the club every year as well as financially helping and encouraging Dover’s rowing crews. Besides buying the club’s first purpose-built regatta racing galley he had a new clubhouse at East Cliff. With this help, the club’s Senior Four were merited as being the most outstanding crew in Britain, a success that continued after Sir Richard’s death in 1900. However, tragedy struck in May 1888, when Alfred Took and Harry Finnis, both 19-years old and members of the DRC, lost their lives off the South Foreland in a light breeze. They were out practising for the Regatta and it was supposed that the boat had capsized.

Prince Arthur Duke of Connaught the first Commodore of the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club. Internet

At the time the Town Cup Yacht Race, presented by the Royal Thames Yacht Club with the winner receiving 50 guineas (£52.50p) was keenly contested. The race was to Boulogne and back and for the week around the Regatta weekend, Dover Harbour Board (DHB) wavered harbour dues. Following pressure by Sir Richard Dickeson, a meeting chaired by Percy Simpson Court, (Mayor 1875 and 1878) was held on 12 April 1872 to form a Dover yacht club. This was agreed and on 1 May, Prince Arthur (1850-1942), later Duke of Connaught, agreed to be the first Commodore. On 6 May, a Royal Warrant was granted allowing the club to be called the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club (RCPYC). The club took over what had been Warren’s Reading Rooms on Marine Parade, (now the site of Gateway Flats), and on 19 June 1875, the RCPYC ran its first race.

The Regatta that year was held on August Bank Holiday Monday and the town was crowded with visitors especially as the two railway companies that served Dover, South Eastern Railway and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, ran special excursion trains. To make the most of this Captain T W Dicey took the twin-hulled iron steamer the Castilia to Calais and back offering a special day excursion. Launched in 1874 for the Dover passage, the ship had two paddles between the hulls that were worked by two pairs of diagonal compound engines, one pair on each hull. However, she was slow – average speed 11-knots – so was withdrawn from service in October 1876.

Royal Cinque Ports yacht Club’s yachts in Granville Dock c 1900

It was not for another thirteen years that RCPYC joined the Dover Regatta on a regular basis, by which time Prince Arthur had gained from his mother, Queen Victoria (1837-1901), an Admiralty Warrant. This enabled members of the RCPYC, who registered their yachts, to apply for the privilege of flying the undefaced Blue Ensign. In 1907, George, Prince of Wales – later George V (1910-1936) presented the ‘Prince of Wales Cup’, for the Dover Regatta yacht race that eventually became part of the international ocean racing calendar. However, the Club distanced itself from town’s Regatta running their own separate regatta.

Arthur Harby the highly acclaimed Captain of the Dover Rowing Club. Courtesy of Maurice Sayers

Regardless, the town’s Regatta was still enjoying success and the committee introduced more events including swimming and water polo. The 1899 Regatta was attended by thousands of spectators who arrived in special excursion trains from London and cross Channel ships from France and Belgium. The entries to all races were excellent and the competition within the rowing events was particularly keen. The DRC captain was solicitor Arthur Harby of Stilwell and Harby, who along with his brother, Travers Harby, took the club’s Senior 4 to national acclaim. Arthur was tragically killed the following year by a fall from his horse and his brother Travers, who had been working in London, took over the Dover firm. Travers was elected captain of the DRC and under his direction, the club was a founding member of the Coast Amateur Rowing Association contributing, in 1913, towards the Duke of Westminster’s Olympic Fund.

Regatta 1920. Dover Museum

The Regatta was abandoned in 1914 due to the outbreak of World War I (1914-1918). In 1919, the RCPYC announced that they would revive their regatta that year. However, as the harbour was still under the rule of the Admiralty they had to make do with a ‘blank day ‘ in the Royal Temple Yacht Club, Ramsgate, calendar. The following two years the RCPYC regatta was abandoned due to heavy winds but the Town Regatta went ahead and was a success. In 1922, the weather was kind and the harbour events again were well patronised and supported by crowds including many from out of town. It was hoped by RCPYC that there would be a good turn out of offshore yachts, but they were disappointed. Over the next few years the Town Regatta went ahead even though the economy was in decline and although there was a fall in the number of stall holders the crowds turned out.

Seafront – mid 1930s courtesy of David G Atwood

In 1928 interest started to pick up with the introduction of an ‘Old English Water Pageant and Concert on Sea’. This was organised by the Mayor’s Social and Sports Committee, the president of which was the Mayor, Richard Barwick. In 1932, the manager of the Granville Restaurant, on the seafront, Fuller Hazelden, applied for extensions in the afternoon and the evening for 31 August – Regatta Day. It appears that he was involved in the organisation of the Regatta and as the decade progressed the number of participants and events increased and it lasted the whole weekend.

Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club, Marine Parade c 1930s on Regatta weekend

Although the RCPYC ran their own regatta earlier in the summer season, members participated in the Town Regatta, which the Dover Sailing Club (DSC) organised. The DRC ran and participated in the different types of rowing races. The annual breakwater swim became the centre of attention for ‘flutters’, as bets would be laid as to which swimmer would reach the shore first. There were also competitive aquatic sports and the Water Carnival. The Dover Sea Angling Club ran national fishing competitions. All the seafront buildings were festooned with flags and there were funfairs, spectator competitions and stalls packed with goodies from ice cream to toffee apples. Military bands played while walking up and down the seafront or in Granville Gardens. Crowds came to Dover on special excursion trains organised by Southern Railway and on the Saturday, there was a firework display from the Prince of Wales Pier.

The run up to World War II (1939-1945) cast a shadow over the Dover Regatta and the war itself put an end to it. Following the War, the DRC, DSC and the RCPYC had to start again with no premises and few resources. The RCPYC’s clubhouse was a bombsite and in 1947, a fire gutted what was left. Nonetheless, that year they ran their own regatta although only a few entered and the weather was ‘boisterous.’ In 1949, Dover Harbour Board offered the club their present quarters on Waterloo Crescent and Dover Corporation gave them £50 towards running a three-day Town Regatta held on 22-24 August that year. The events were organised by the RCPYC, the DRC and the DSC.

The Regatta was a great success especially as Bluebottle, belonging to the then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, came to Dover. The destroyer H.M.S. Bicester visited the port and was open to the public inspection on two afternoons In 1953 the DSC, with 100 members, decided to wind-up and the majority voted to join the RCPYC. This was reciprocated by the RCPYC who were determined to distance themselves from their pre-war stuffy image. Many eager young men who wanted to learn to sail ocean going yachts as well as dinghies joined (women were admitted later). In 1969, Dick Davidson and Alan Sencicle, of the RCPYC, were selected to represent England in the Southern Cross Yachting Series, Australia. Alan Sencicle went on to crew for the future Prime Minister, Edward Heath on Morning Cloud. In 1982 Nick and Tony Smither, who belonged to the dingy section of the RCPYC, became the World Hornet champions.

Although large yachts ceased to be part of the Town Regatta the dinghy racers were there and competitiveness increased. DRC went on to win all three County championships in 1956. In 1959, Roger Cuff joined the Club and with his enthusiasm and expertise, 122 crews entered the Dover Rowing Club’s 1976 annual regatta. The DRC built on their success and in 1981 won the Senior Fours Championship. In 1986, Roger was appointed Chairman of the DRC until his premature death in 1990. However, by that time the Town Regatta had ceased.

Seafront on Regatta weekend 2013. DHB

In 1998, the combined Dover Town Regatta was re-launched based on the successful pre-war formula. Supported by both the DRC and RCPYC as well as the Dover Lifeboat, Dover Water Sports Centre, Sea Cadets, Dover Model Motor Boat Club, Swimming Clubs and local firms such as George Hammond and pubs such as the Boar’s Head, Eaton Road. It quickly caught people’s imagination and on that weekend, the harbour was the venue for dinghies, rowing boats and swimmers all eager to participate in the various watersports. Dover Harbour Board, Dover District Council and Dover Town Council – in particular the Deputy Town Clerk, James Summerville – were actively involved. The following year DHB said that they were to invest £565,000 in developing the boat lift and pontoons in Granville Dock and it was hoped that yachts would race in future Dover Regattas.

Participants in the 2013 Regatta. DHB

From 2006, the two-day Regatta was overseen by the Dover Sea Sports Development Trust, which included representatives from the DHB, DRC, RCPYC and other organisations and interested parties. This was under the chairmanship of Nick Bailey, Gill Gough – Vice Chair, Andy Cooper – secretary and Stuart Bishop of the Sea Sports Centre. A considerable number of people from various organisations put in hours of time on a voluntary basis and the numbers of and types of races increased along with ancillary and promenade attractions. The Seafront was reminiscent of the days of yore, festooned especially for the occasion and everything for the annual event’s future augured well.

Tragically, in 2009 Alex Edmonds, age 41, and who was participating in a power boat race, was killed when two vessels, Sleepwalker and Harwich 2011 collided. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) concluded that the organisation had been insufficiently focused on safety and had not made adequate attempts to control the race or educate the crews about the risks involved. The Royal Yachting Association Council reaffirmed its ownership of safety so the MAIB therefore made no further safety recommendations. Following the accident and subsequent reports , the Dover Regatta committee decided not to include power boat racing in future Regattas.

At the time the country’s economy was in decline and this took its toll on the funding of the Regatta. Income came from two sources, donations/grants and stallholders. The latter fell into two categories, the ‘professionals’ who paid for the privilege of being there and the ‘charities’ that relied on grants. Due to the recession, income from both categories fell away. Regardless of the number of events and participants, fixed costs such as insurance, road closures, toilet facilities, first aiders etc. had to be paid for, and on 3 July 2012, the Dover Sea Sports Development Trust folded. The Town Regatta was cancelled and the various clubs involved ran their own individual events.

Pegasus, a local charity received a cheque for £2,000 and winners Makka Pakka team – Dover Regatta 2013. DHB

In 2013, DHB together with the Dover District Community Safety Partnership launched the Port of Dover Community Regatta incorporating the already popular DDC Community Safety Day. The Sea Sports Centre took charge of the marine-based events with the emphasis on family participation. The major sea sports event, sponsored by DHB was the Dover Port Dash, an eight-oar rowing challenge. The day was very successful and augured well for the future.

Port of Dover Community Regatta Saturday 26 July 2014

The 2014 Port of Dover Community Regatta was held on Saturday 30 July and the weather was warm, sunny with just a light breeze. Thousands of people came and it was opened by the Admiral of the Fleet and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Admiral the Lord Boyce. There were sea races including a 16 adult and four junior Port Dash, over 100 stalls selling both food, crafts, ceramics and plants.

Dover Greeters Denise Smith and Mary Griffin – Dover Regatta 2014

The Greeters were on hand to tell folk about Dover and advising on places to visit in the town. There was continual live music staged by wide range of groups. The different Kent emergency services demonstrated their skills that included lifeboats from Dover and Walmer staging dramatic sea rescues.

Dover Regatta 2014 – Dover Transport Museum raffled a Ford Model Y

Over 300 classic cars were on show with the Dover Transport Museum raffling a Ford Model Y at a £1 a ticket and a fifteen-minute air display by the celebrated Blades aerobatic display team. It was a fantastic day of celebration and a great success.

Posted in Dover Regatta - one of the oldest in the country, Dover Regatta - one of the oldest in the country, Societies, Culture and Entertainment, Tourism | Comments Off

Oil Mills – Part II

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Lorraine

Oil Mills – Pier District c1880

The Oil Mills, on Limekiln Street in the Pier District of Dover, made seed cake for cattle and oil mainly for domestic use. The factory backed onto the cliffs within which the old caves excavated for lime making had been considerably enlarged and used as part of the complex. However, with the building of the railway line from Priory Station, on Folkestone Road to the then Harbour Station by what are now Western Docks, by the London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) in 1861, the size of the factory was significantly reduced. The Oil Mills were put on the market and eventually acquired by the large Oil Seed Crushing Company, the chairman of which was R Hesketh Jones.

Shortly after, in January 1866, the 455-ton barque, Beautiful Star, carrying a cargo of cottonseed from Alexander to Dover was badly damaged in the Bay during heavy weather. A crewman was lost overboard and much of the cargo was a write off. Nonetheless, in August of that year, the company reported that after paying out 14% dividends, £6,638 had been added to the reserve fund. In 1869, they paid out 28 shillings (£1.40p) a share equivalent to 3% per annum and the ‘successful’ factory was providing work both directly and indirectly, for over 1,000 locals.

Granville Dock – c1890. Dover Library

However, the 19th centuries notorious economic booms and slumps ensured that the good times were not going to last. Trade started to deteriorate but the price oil seeds continued to rise so wages were cut. Then, in 1874, the mills were subjected to another devastating fire and the factory had again to be rebuilt. Trade quickly picked up and the following year ships from the East Indies, Argentina and Russia were unloading linseed and cotton seed in the newly opened Granville Dock. Four years later there was another slump resulting in wage cuts and lay-offs. This had a major knock-on effect throughout Dover. Not long after the economy picked up and although the Company was involved in an expensive lawsuit, they were able to pay dividends.

Oil Mills – Limekiln Street. Dover Museum

In 1888, the firm published a description on how they made seed cake. There were three identical sets of processor machines with powerful rollers into which the seeds were fed and the casings cracked. From the rollers, the cracked seeds were put into large pans and grounded by stones weighing five tons each. The result was a fine dark powder that was caught up in an endless band of cup elevators that deposited their contents into large vats, or more correctly ‘steam kettles’, which were 14-feet (4.2 metres) from the ground. The seeds were then heated and allowed to fall onto large circular iron tables where they were pressed using devices patented by the company.

Oil Mill Caves, Limekiln Street from Derek Leach’s Tunnel and Caves p89, Riverdale Press.

Once pressed, the seed casings were pressed into ‘cakes’ on which ‘Dover Invicta’ was stamped. The output that year was 90-tons every 24-hours and the cakes were mainly used for cattle feed. Most were sent by ship to London for distribution within the UK and for exporting to France, Germany, Sweden and the West Indies. The factory refine oil and to reduce the risk of fire, this was inside the caves at the back of the mill. In those days, refined linseed oil was used for painting and industrial purposes. Cotton oil had domestic uses particularly as a substitute for olive oil and rapeseed oil was used in soap, lubrication and candle making. During the refining process cottonseed oil produced stearine, used to make composite candles and pitch that was exported to the USA.

The company operated two large steam engines providing 350-horsepower, two smaller engines and five boilers. These were all housed in the caves that were estimated to have a storage capacity for 3,000-tons of coal. There was also a series of tanks capable of receiving 2,000 tons of oil and a reservoir with the capacity for 500,000 gallons of water. However, instability in the Company’s boardroom plus the high price of coal in Dover, brought about by coal dues that were paid to the council for coal passing through the town, combined to the mills closing in 1889. This had a devastating effect on the town’s economy.

Three years later, in 1892, the buildings were sold to businessmen Temple Hillyard Soanes and Frederick Garrard (1861-1944). Both were members of the Baltic Exchange and Frederick Garrard was the manager of the Produce Brokers’ Company and vice-chairman of the Oil Seeds Association. The latter was an oligopoly of four companies that ruled the trade and included the Oil Seed Crushing Company.

In 1894, the oligopoly was involved in a complex High Court case appertained to fraudulent misrepresentation made by Soanes, Garrard and a George Emanuel Scaramanga, amongst others. It would appear, from the law report, that oil seeds were not worth as much as they made out and serious losses were being incurred by buyers. Of interest, in 1916, Frederick Garrard was elected the chairman of the Baltic Exchange.

Admiralty harbour map Daily Telegraph 1909

While this was going on, the Mills were leased to S Pearson and Son Ltd who had won the Admiralty contract to build the harbour we see today. They renovated the Mills creating 25 rooms to accommodate 200 workers involved in building Admiralty Harbour. Work on the new harbour started on 5 April 1898 and the council granted a common lodging house licence for the Mills, renamed ‘Admiralty Harbour Dwellings’. The Admiralty Harbour was opened on 15 October 1909 by which time the use of the Oil Mills had changed. On 10 July 1906, fire had destroyed Wiggins Teape’s Crabble Paper Mill and while rebuilding was going on, the Oil Mills were rented and utilised by the company.

With the outbreak of World War I (1914-1918) in August 1914, the Mills were commandeered for use as an air-raid shelter. The ferro-concrete floors, which were sandbagged, were seen as ideal protection but folk felt safer in the caves. In consequence, the buildings were used by military and naval personnel as rest barracks. As for the caves, wooden benches were fixed along the walls and separate caves were set apart for men and women. Electric lighting was installed and volunteers with a detachment of soldiers kept order. At the end of the war, soldiers awaiting demobilisation were billeted at the Mills but on Saturday 4 January 1919, fed-up with waiting, they marched on the Town Hall demanding to be allowed to go home. Addressed by the Headquarters Officers they quietened down and the demobilisation hurried.

Limekiln Street 1935. New Council flats on right. Bob Hollingsbee Collection, Dover Museum

Throughout the inter-war period, the Mills and caves were put to a variety of uses, from the headquarters for Cambrian Coaches to a mushroom farm in the caves, run by a Mr Stevens. In 1927, Temple Hillyard Soanes and Frederick Garrard sold part of the complex to A.M. Kemp-Gee Ltd who paid for the holdings using a loan from Midland bank. Three years later Kemp-Gee defaulted and the Mills were put on the market again. Mr Stevens’ mushroom growing company bought part of the complex in 1934 and the remainder was purchased by Cumbria Motor Coach Co. for a garage. This they developed into a motor coach works until they were bought out by East Kent Road Car Company, when the site was let to other firms.

Oil Mills entrance on Limekiln Street commandered by Royal Navy. David Collyer

In 1937, with the threat of hostilities, the Council commandeered the Oil Mill caves but when the crisis ebbed, they handed them back. Mr Stevens received some compensation for the damage done to his mushroom growing business but not satisfied the case went to court. An out of court settlement was reached but later that year the Oil Mill caves were again requisitioned. World War II (1939-1945) began on 3 September 1939 and three days later the military issued a notice stating that the caves would not be used as a public shelter. The Mills and caves became a command post, Royal Navy hospital – flying a white ensign, transit camp and an air raid shelter for personnel from HMS Wasp based at Lord Warden Hotel (now House). The incumbents, including Mr Stevens, were forced to move out.

The Mills housed the town’s back up Air Raid Precautions (ARP) control station – a civil-defence organisation from 1924 to 1946. Nearby, on Friday 25 October 1940, ambulance man Victor Abbot was sitting in his vehicle awaiting orders when it was hit by a shell, instantly killing him. Although the Mills were not to be used by civilian personnel, the caves were and at the end of October 1940, they were provided with Elsan Closets. Accounts tell of the treats given by the Mills army caterers to the children who almost resided in the caves through out the war. A particularly favourite was ‘dosh’ a rich, dark, treacly toffee.

Although more than three thousand children were evacuated from Dover to the safety of rural Wales following the military Evacuation of Dunkirk (26 May-4 June 1940), not long after they started to drift back. Yet from the start of the Battle of Britain on 10 July 1940 the town was subjected to bombing and shelling that was not to let up until September 1944. In consequence, for safety reasons, many children spent their nights sleeping in the caves even though they were cold. On the night of 30 October 1941 William Benn, nearly five-years old, died from carbon monoxide poisoning from a coal fire in a bucket put in an Oil Mill cave to keep him and his siblings warm.

From the end of 1944, when the Germans had been driven from France, the Oil Mills became one of three transit camps in the town, dealing with well over 4,000,000 troops. They ceased to be used for this purpose in August 1947. Two years later a clothing manufacturing firm opened in the Mills renamed Commercial Buildings. The complex, over the next few years, housed a number of diverse industries from a foreign mail sorting office to a maker of fur fabrics.

The devastating fire at the Oil Mills. May 1965

On the night of 23 May 1965, the watchman called the fire brigade. Within 17 minutes of the call, over half the buildings were enveloped in flames and the night watchman was trapped on the second floor. To gain access the fire brigade had to force open the gates, which was guarded by a ferocious Alsatian dog! While the brigade rescued the trapped man and tackled the fire, Harbour Board police controlled the dog. By 05.00hrs, the whole of the main building was alight and 50 firemen were pumping 100 gallons of water every minute on to the flames shooting some 60-feet into the air – the smoke could be seen in both Folkestone and Deal.

The closure of the adjacent railway line was ordered – it remained closed for several days – and it took 40 hours to bring the blaze under control. The cause of the fire was never ascertained but the damage was estimated at £1million and at least three factories were put out of action. Following the catastrophe, fire officers John Walton and Allen (Sam) Cook undertook a survey of all the known underground sites in Dover and the maps, diagrams they made.

George Hammond Offices opened on Limekiln Street in 1972

Following the fire, George Hammond (Shipping) Ltd purchased the site, developing it for their head office and warehousing activities that opened in 1973. The origins of the company go back to 1767 when John Hammond started a shipping agency in Deal (1767-1922) and over the years had offices in Ramsgate (1838-1899) and in Margate (1848-1899) and coming to Dover in 1875 and amalgamating with Latham’s shipping company. Later, the company took the name George Hammond & Company retaining the name but becoming Limited in 1961.

The company was engaged in Ships Agency, looking after cargo vessels and calling mail liners together with salvage and rescue work. After World War II, the company started a Deep Sea Pilotage service in the English Channel and North Sea. In the 1960s, they expanded into stevedoring, specialising in fruit, timber and wood pulp cargoes, developed in warehousing, road transport, ro-ro clearances and from 1972 into petrol retailing and the building of the Dover Motel, Whitfield, jointly with Townsend/European Ferries. In 1992 the company was reconstituted as George Hammond PLC and in 2006 moved from Limekiln Street to the Aycliffe Business Centre.

Former Oil Mill caves Limekiln Street

The site of the old headquarters on Limekiln Street is now a petrol retail service station and the entrances to the Oil Mill caves can easily be seen from the pavement on Limekiln Street. Adjacent caves were subject to another fire in the early hours 17 March 1995, access for fire fighting equipment was almost impossible and the fire spread. It was almost 24 hours before the fire was brought under control. Parts of the tunnels are still used for storage and workshops. According to Derek Leach (Dover’s Caves and Tunnels Riverdale Publications 2011), altogether, there are 19 entrances leading to these caves and in places they are cavernous and 30-feet high.

Presented: 08.01.2014

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Oil Mills – Part I

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Lorraine

Former Oil Mill Caves on Limekiln Street

These days, all that remains of what was the Dover Patent Oil Mills, Limekiln Street, are caves in the cliffs below Western Heights. At one time, the Oil Mills were Dover’s main non-maritime industry. Limekiln Street, where they were situated, got its name from the chalk hewn from the cliffs that was burnt to make quicklime. It was the lime-makers who originally created the caves that, by the time this story starts, were used for smuggling.

During the Napoleonic Wars (1793 to 1815), Dover was a major victualling station for the army and navy so Peter Becker set up a steam corn mill in front of the caves. It was operated by only the second steam engine to be used in Dover and therefore a wonder of technology. The engine was powered by a specially built aquifer, the water being provided by the West Dover Waterworks, owned by Joseph Walker who was related to James Walker – the managing partner of Messrs Walker’s Dolphin Lane brewery. It was James Walker who, in 1808, had installed the first steam engine in Dover in his brewery.

Oil Mills, Limekiln Street and close to the docks. Museum

However, the enterprise was not a success and Becker defaulted on his mortgage. In June 1812, the mill was put up for auction at the Royal Oak Inn, Dover, by solicitors, Shipdem and Gravener. The mill was described as having spacious storehouses, caves and other suitable appendages as well as being close to the harbour. This, according to the advert, ‘affords great facility of shipping and unshipping goods at a very trifling expense of carriage.’ The mill had three pair of stones and wheat machinery. The solicitors, Shipdem and Gravener, had their office in Snargate Street and John Shipdem was Dover’s Town Clerk and Dover Harbour Board Register. He lived in the Round House, the site of the once iconic Dover Stage coach-hotel. The mill was bought by the Fector Bank and rented to the Pilcher corn milling family.

Following the Battle of Waterloo, which brought the Napoleonic Wars to an end, Dover’s corn milling industry went into sharp decline. Nonetheless, in 1816, the mill was bought by Joseph Walker, who converted it into the extraction of oil from seeds to make lighting fuel and oilcake for horses and cattle. At the time there was already several oil mills along the River Dour. The main seed used for oil refining was imported cottonseed from the Americas.

Oil Mills, Limekiln Street, next to Finnis Square – pre World War II. Dover Library

Robert Walker succeeded Joseph and the business proved profitable and he expanded the works westwards along Limekiln Street to Finnis Hill. As a man of means Robert had social standing and on 15 June 1837, at Eastry, his daughter, Elizabeth Mozier Walker (b1806), married solicitor and wealthy widow, Edward Knocker. He was the son of William Knocker who had been Dover’s Mayor four times between 1797 and 1832.

makers caves behind were also utilised. Although the mills were hit by the economic depression of the 1840s, Robert managed to keep his head above water and was employing a manager to run them on a day to day basis. In November 1847, he was elected Town Clerk but this was merely a stopgap measure for solicitor Thomas Baker Bass quickly succeeded him. law Edward Knocker later succeeded Bass, but by then, Elizabeth had died.

Because of the nature of the seeds that were processed, the season usually began in mid August and in 1853 large shipment arrived. Just before midnight on Sunday 14 August that year, the fires were lit for the large volume of work that was to begin the following day – Monday. Probably the result of spontaneous combustion there was a catastrophic fire and according to contemporary reports, everyone in the town came out to fight it. A later insurance account gives us an idea of the size and contents of the mills.

The manager was engineer James Robson and his house was within the oil mill yard. By this time the mills were four storeys high plus caves within the cliffs. They included a refinery, furnaces, boilers, tanks, vaults, smithies, kilns, offices, stables, smith’s shop, coal and coking caves, a weigh bridge and a tall chimney said to emerge ‘from a slope in the cliff and reaching nearly to its summit’ of the Western Heights.

One of the Oil Mill Caves from Derek Leach’s book Dover’s Caves and Tunnels p89 Riverdale Publications 2011

In the engine room, situated in a vault, 80 feet (24.4 metres) inside one of the caves, was a pair of 25 horsepower engines and a second pair of a similar power. They were connected by a shaft and were used for grinding the seed. The pumps were connected to the West Dover Waterworks, which was capable of supplying 1,000 gallons of water per minute. There was also hydraulic presses weighing 50-tons each and capable of 1,600-tons pressure – quite significant at that time.

The damage was estimated at £50,000 for the oil mills and a further £25,000 for damage or destruction to properties nearby. All the employees lost their jobs together with those either who worked for the other businesses destroyed by the fire or whose line of work directly depended on the oil mills, workers other businesses. None received compensation and for the workers there was little chance of alternative employment. The catastrophe hit Dover’s economy hard but from the insurance Robert managed to rebuild the oil mills. These were of a much larger scale and included fire prevention facilities that were the first in Dover.

Limekiln Street railway tunnel – the line significantly reduced the acreage of the oils mills

Meanwhile, an Act of 1853 had led to formation of the East Kent Railway, (EKR) and on 22 July 1861 the company, having successfully changed their name to the London Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR), opened the line from London to Dover Priory. They were also excavating the 684-yard (626-metre) tunnel from the Priory Station to the harbour where they had built the Harbour Station. The proposed Line cut through the land and caves owned by Robert for which he accepted compensation. He then sold the land east of the track to the Railway Company and on this site they eventually built their Bonded warehouse.

Oil Mills after the building of the railway line.

The size of the oil mills was reduced with the output of seed cakes about 45-tons every 24-hours. The business was put on the market and purchased by William Blewitt from Rainham, Essex. Not long after the mills came into the hands of the large Oil Seed Crushing Company, the chairman of which was R Hesketh Jones.

Presented: 08.01.2014

Posted in Businesses, Oil Mills - Part I | Comments Off

The Dover Historian

Joanne Bouchier – the Martyr from Eythorne

British Destroyers and the Zulu, Nubian and Zubian

Dover Regatta – one of the oldest in the country

Oil Mills – Part II

Oil Mills – Part I

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