Rear-Admiral Dennis Royle Farquharson Cambell CB, DSC

Most readers of this blog will know that Dennis Cambell, Captain of HMS Ark Royal in 1955/6 and inventor of the Angled Flight Deck, married Dorothy Downes. I was a pageboy at their wedding in 1933 – the picture shows I rather disapproved of the outfit I was asked to wear!

Their daughter Lalage Cambell writes: I have launched a new website commemorating my father, replacing the old, very tired website, and I am circulating the link to those cousins for whom I have email addresses in case of interest. It is very much under development and there are several pages that I would like to expand in time.  https://www.denniscambell.org.uk/

She would, I am sure, welcome your comments.

If you scroll down to the entry for October 2017 you will find a picture of their house and the blue plaque fixed over the door.

Cherry Conway-Hughes

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On July 9^th Cherry and I (Arthur Carden) much enjoyed meeting each other for the first time in five years when we went to the Globe Theatre together.  See picture on right.

We are both descended from Rev John Downes 1810-90, as follows:

    John Downes m Lucy Todd → Edith Downes m Rev John Houseman → Lucy Houseman m Percy Horton → Cyril Ivan Horton m Helen Dorothy Willink → Rosemary Horton m Rodney Rowley → Cherry Rowley m Christopher Conway-Hughes.

    John Downes m Lucy Todd → Theodosia Downes m Rev Thomas Badcock → Lucy Theodosia Downes m Eustace Carden → Arthur Carden

Five generations for Cherry, only three for me, partly because Edith was Thomas’ eldest daughter and Theodosia his youngest.  Is that “fifth cousins twice removed”?

I am astonished to find that that I have not previously mentioned Cherry’s book in this blog.  The front cover appears on the left.  This book, of at least fifty pages, contains hundreds of photographs (many in colour), family trees and delightful descriptions written by her grandmother Dorothy Horton and many others.  I have taken the above descents from her book. I am sure she will be glad to lend or give a copy to any readers of this blog.  Just apply to cherryconwayhughes@gmail.com.  She, and I, would love to hear from any of you in any case.

Badcocks at Fleckney

Theodosia Downes married Rev Thomas Badcock in 1890 when he was Rector of Walgrave. In 1856 he had married Emily Ford Smith when he was Vicar of Fleckney near Leicester but she died in 1880.  In 1878 Henry Badcock, a son by his first marriage, emigrated to Florida and in 1904 founded the Badcock Corporation, now a multi-million dollar furniture retailer. Following a visit by Arthur and his niece Shane in February 2019, several USA Badcocks decided to visit England for Arthur's 90th birthday.

On 27th June they and a number of English cousins visited Fleckney, where the current Vicar celebrated a special Eucharist service for them. They then attended a luncheon given by Arthur, and visited the Library and the old vicarage built for Thomas. The Badcock Corporation gave £1,000 each to Fleckney Church, Fleckney Library and Walgrave church.

(caption to be added to picture)

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ARTHUR’S NINETIETH BIRTHDAY

ARTHUR’S NINETIETH BIRTHDAY

I will be 90 on 28th June 2019.  Apologies for not inviting you to a party.    I will be having tea 3pm – 5pm in the Great Court Restaurant on the third floor at the British Museum on Sunday June 30th.  If anyone decides to join me I would be delighted, but please do not feel any pressure to come.

Please let me know if you are likely to come, to help with planning, but you are welcome just to turn up!                

                     Arthur Carden (carden@one-name.org)

Digital copy of Downes Pedigrees

Family members will be glad to hear that a digitised copy of Downes Pedigrees by Colonel Leonard Downes, dated 1909, is available from me or from Lalage Cambell. It will also soon be available for study or download by Society of Genealogists members at www.sog.org.uk. The digital copy was kindly created by Lalage Cambell, who writes: I have not done a very good job, I fear, as some of the pages are a little wonky but the great thing is that, unlike a scan, it is actually searchable – which  I think will be really useful. 

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New book about Fonthill

By, clicking ‘2012’ under ‘Archive’ on the right and then scrolling down, you will reach a post about a visit to Fonthill to attend a lecture by Professor Caroline Dakers, have luncheon with  Alistair Morrison (Lord Margadale) , and then visit the current mansion, Fonthill House. As you will recall, Rev John Downes (1810-1890), from whom most of us are descended, had a sister Jane who married John Todd.  John Todd’s father was ‘Sunshine Todd’ (picture on right) whose business passed to James Morrison, who married Mary Ann Todd and became the richest commoner of that era.

     Caroline Dakers has compiled a new book called Fonthill Recovered of which Ian Aldous has loaned me a copy, full of information about all the mansions at Fonthill and their owners. My mother dined as a child with the Morrisons at Fonthill, and remembered that the plates were made of gold!                                                                          

     Ian and I had visited the recent wonderful exhibition at Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill, where many pictures were on loan from the Morrison archive at Sudeley Castle.

     I would be very happy to correspond about all this with anyone reading this post.

Robert Houseman afloat

Robert Houseman writes:

We’ve been retired for two years now, and are enjoying life on our boat. We bought her two years ago after we sold the house, and now spend the winters in a marina in Newbury, and the summers cruising around the waterways of the UK - "living the life" as it’s now common to say !! Photo of the boat attached

Please could you note our current postal address of 29 Greenacre Place, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 7GY (07887 535872) - we use our son’s address as our postal address, and then collect any mail from him.

MARK FLETCHER

The photograph alongside was received at Christmas 2018 from Mark Fletcher, great grandson of Peverell Hichens and Constance ‘Connie’ Downes, who lives in Australia. He says: My father Robin turned 90 on 3 December and I've attached a photo of 3 generations of Fletcher blokes, Ben is now 14, grown up a lot since we were in the UK in 2010. I’m hoping to get the UK soon.