The Journals of Andrew Downes

Tim le Grice told me recently that he has loaned all the 23 volumes previously at Trereife to the National Museum of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth.  They were collected in December 2012 from Trereife by Dr Duncan Redford of the Museum and will form part of the exhibition "The Grand Fleet" to take place in 2014, the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.  The Museum will make digitised copies of all of the journals, and the latter will be available in due course to family members and others.

Copies of my book with extracts from the journals and a biography of Andrew Downes are available from me.

OENONE and JAN VIRET

Two items worth recording, I think.

Jan Viret wrote as follows about a year ago in response to my query as to when Elizabeth Downes died.

After the Wrens, in time she became a nannie and remained a very good friend of the family and the two boys she looked after in Little Bardfield.  I don't know exactly the time scale, but she could have been with them for twenty years or so, but remained close to them until she died.  I think it was after this she tested her vocation at East Grinstead, which probably only lasted a couple of months (so quite inappropriate to define her by this - a bit different from dropping out of uni , but maybe similar)  I am sure there were gaps and she probably did other things that I don't know about.

After this she returned to Essex, lived in the almshouse, did nurse training and nursed until she retired.  She was a wonderful cook and gardener. and had many friends.  Ben and I used to visit often from Purley - she was so much a part of Canford, and both Ben and Hermione were very fond of her.

She died in 2008.

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I have just received a Christmas Card from Oenone Cox, in which she says:

             I wonder if you met up again with Enid's daughter Noel (?) Mary in your early researches into Downes family connections, tho' I think she and Bob and possibly Judy all joined your family in a camping holiday organised by your mother in Cornwall in your extreme youth - she died very recently, after suffering from Parkinsons for some years, so has really jumped the queue for our lot.


(I will comment on the above items when I have got my Downes stuff out of store)

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FONTHILL, 28 May 2012

I organised a visit to Fonthill on May 28th 2012 which followed a lecture by Professor Caroline Dakers based on her recent book, “A Genius for Money, Business, Art and the Morrisons, ” given at the Summerlease Gallery at East Knoyle, nearby.

Lord Margadale

After the lecture we all met at The Beckford Arms at Fonthill Gifford, where we were joined by Alistair Morrison (Lord Margadale), who had been kind enough to invite us all to visit his home, Fonthill House, after lunch. Later several of us were taken by John D'Arcy to visit the Morrison archives.

The following participated (exactly 16, the maximum table capacity at the Beckford Arms!)

        Alistair Morrison (Lord Margadale)

     * John D’Arcy (Fonthill archivist)

     * Caroline Dakers (speaker at Summerleaze)

        Arthur Carden

        Atty Carden

        Michael Carden

        Antony Hichens

        Sczerina Hichens

        Lamorna Lee

        Lalage Cambell

     * Mary Shand (Lady Stirling)

        Mark Carden

        Ian Aldous

        Danny Aldous
     * Gary Winslip

All except those maked with an asterisk are family members.

The original Fonthill House was replaced by John Morrison, the first Lord Margadale,
in 1972, with this smaller house in classical style. Photo: Mary Stirling.

Atty (Arthur's wife) and Michael (his brother),
chatting on the entrace drive to Fonthill House.  Photo: Mary Stirling.

Alastair Morrison speaking to Danny Aldous and Arthur Carden. Photo: Mary Stirling.

Can anyone supply some more photographs?

All those interested are strongly advised to visit

http://www.fonthill.co.uk/the-estate/fonthill-history

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THE DOWNES-MORRISON CONNECTION

I wrote the following for those attending the visit to Fonthill.

THE DOWNES – MORRISON CONNECTION

It may be useful to remind those coming on 28^th May of the Downes-Morrison connection.  One has to go back to Arthur Downes and Joseph Todd, who by coincidence both came to London in about 1780 (on the same day it is believed) as young men in their late teens.  They had not met before that, but soon met in London and became firm friends.

Arthur had an important East India trade in Old Change, owning a fleet of ships. But his most remunerative venture was when in conjunction with Sir Robert Peel he improved and developed the manufacture of roller-printed calico, worn by all women of the nineteenth century as ‘print dresses.’

Joseph (“Old Sunshine”) Todd set up a small business in Fore Street which developed into a huge affair, the nucleus of a trade with all parts of the world.  He adopted the maxim of “small profits and quick returns” and after taking his son-in-law, James Morrison, into partnership prospered even more.  James had joined the firm as an apprentice and was soon to become the richest commoner in the country, his wealth even exceeding that of the Rothschilds.

The friendship between Arthur and Joseph led to two Todd-Downes marriages as will be seen from the diagram below.

The Todd, Downes and Morrison families remained close for several generations – My mother  remembered dining at Fonthill with the Morrisons as a child in about 1899 (presumably in the Pavillion before it was demolished) and Andrew Downes, the ill-starred naval officer, grandson of Arthur Downes, often went shooting at Malham Tarn with Walter Morrison, grandson of Joseph Todd.

Today is an opportunity to renew that friendship.

ARTHUR DOWNES

Portrait at Southampton University

JOSEPH TODD

Portrait in the possession of Owain Phillips

       ARTHUR DOWNES                                                      JOSEPH TODD

                   │                                                                                      │

              ┌──────┴──────┐                          ┌──────────┬───┴────────┐

              │                                    │                           │                           │                                  │

Rev. JOHN DOWNES   JANE DOWNES = JOHN TODD  MARY ANN TODD         LUCY TODD

      (1810-1890)               (1806-1898)       │                            m. JAMES               m. (see left column)

              │                                                       │                           MORRISON                    Rev. JOHN

              │                                                       │                                  │                                DOWNES

        Downes                                                 │                                  │

 Badcock, Hichens                                  Todd                          Morrison

  Carden, Cambell                          Pownall, Aldous               Margadale

                                              

AEC.  28 May 2012

A POSSIBLE MINIATURE OF LUCY TODD

Miniature (in box) at Fonthill archive, photographed by Antony Hichens, May 2012.  The following is written on a slip of paper in the box, in Richard Gatty’s handwriting, according to the archivist, John D’Arcy. –

Neither wife nor daughter of James Morrison. Very possibly of LUCY TODD, a half-sister of Mrs. James Morrison who married the Rev. John DOWNES