Rowhedgers East Donyland Rowhedge

Rowhedgers

The following photo apparently shows Pamela Brown's father (and other family members?) who lived in Rowhedge, with Mrs. Emma Simons, nee Cranfield

MR. AND MRS. GOODRUM

Note from Dorothy Cranfield Lloyd, nee Simons

“Teddy Goodrum, who lived at Southerwood House next door to Capt. William Wadley Cranfield, was Lord Dunraven’s valet and went with him to the Boer War. He brought back two sapphires and a diamond which he had made into a ring for his wife and she gave it to me for a 21st birthday present. I had a bar brooch with the Valkyrie’s flag in yellow and blue, but lost it in Germany. Teddy Goodrum died not long after the Armistice. He took me to the Co-op in Regent Street with my little wooden horse on wheels and on the way back he felt ill and leaned on the railings at the top of Regent Street. He died of a heart attack a day or two after. When we were in the Co-op someone dashed in shouting “The war is over!” and it upset him. I still have his deckchair which travelled to America when Valkyrie II and Valkyrie III raced for the America’s Cup.”

www.ellisisland.org

Ship; TEUTONIC

Date of arrival; 29 August 1895

Port of embarkation; Liverpool

Manifest page; 0811

Lord Dunraven, age 54, Male, Gentleman, Citizen of England. Last residence; London. Intended destination; New York, Transient. 15 pieces of baggage.

Lady Rachel W. Guin (sic), age 24, Female, Spinster, Citizen of England. Last residence; London. Intended destination; New York, Transient. 7 pieces of baggage.

Lady Aileen W. Guin (sic), age 21, Female, Spinster, Citizen of England. Last residence; London. Intended destination; New York, Transient. 7 pieces of baggage.

In the baggage column - “and 2 dogs”

Edward Goodwin (sic), age 45, Male, Valet, Citizen of England. Last residence; London. Intended destination; New York, Transient.

Alice Burton, age 26, Female, Maid, Citizen of England. Last residence; London. Intended destination; New York, Transient. [No baggage mentioned]

Mr. G.L. Watson, age 49, Male, Boat Builder, Citizen of Scotland. Last residence; Glasgow. Intended destination; New York, Transient.

Lord Dunraven’s family name was Wyndham Quin.

G.L. Watson was the genius who designed Britannia, Valkyrie II, Valkyrie III and numerous other successful racing yachts and beautiful steam yachts.

“Teddy” Goodrum Ellen Jane Southerwood Goodrum - 1924

Lord Dunraven, in his memoirs, “PAST TIMES & PASTIMES,” recalled that during the Boer War “I got very sick indeed with dysentery at Salisbury, and came very near leaving my bones there. As soon as I could move I was jolted across to Bulawayo in a coach... and was invalided to Cape Town... and I was well looked after by my soldier servant. He was my yacht steward, and enlisted in the 18th Battalion, though very reluctantly. “They can never make a horse soldier of me,” he said: “I have used the sea all my life.” However, he came as my servant. How the sea does stick to men! Goodrum took little interest in the war or in the country: but, on reaching Cape Town in the early morning, he rushed into my compartment and awoke me with, “Get up! get up! We have come to a place; here’s ships.”

In 1893 Teddy Goodrum, while steward on the steam yacht Walrus, was convicted of the attempted smuggling of tobacco and alcohol. Fined £14. 9s. 9d.

Rowhedge Churchyard - Monumental Inscription : -

To the beloved memory of my dear husband

Edward Harris Goodrum who died 8 December 1918 aged 68 years. “Jesus able to save”

Ellen Jane Southerwood, widow of the above who died 27 January 1935 aged 84. “She rests in His love”

Tom Hurst, David Huggins, Peter Simons by the Anchor, May 1990

Gertrude Pearson of Quay House, Rowhedge 1960

Captain & Mrs. Muir of Grasmere

Captain Andrew Muir was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1871. He went to sea aged 14 and spent time in London where he met his future wife Emma Barrett whose family lived in West Street, Rowhedge. In 1901 Andrew got his Master's certificate for foreign-going ships and captained steamships in Canada. Based in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia his cargoes were coal, grain etc down to Cuba and around the great lakes. For twenty five years or so his wife accompanied him and they lived on board the ships he skippered.

Undated article (probably from the Essex Telegraph) which is very similar to a syndicated article in The Globe (Toronto) of 31 August 1907. “A ROWHEDGE CAPTAIN & THE QUEBEC BRIDGE DISASTER - In connection with the great Quebec (Canada) Bridge Disaster, the collapse of which caused 80 deaths, & a financial loss of about a million & half pounds, it is interesting to note the experience of Capt. A.D. MUIR, of Church Rd, Rowhedge, who has many friends in that & the adjoining villages. Captain Muir is in command of the steamer “Glenmount”, trading between Sydney C.B., & the Great Lakes of Canada, & his ship appears to have had a very narrow escape. A Halifax (Canada) paper says: “The steamer “Glenmount”, Capt. Muir, en route from Montreal to Sydney, was close to the bridge when it collapsed. Pilot David Perreault, who was piloting the steamer, had just passed the bridge when it fell with a tremendous report. Then there was a great upheaval of the water in the river, some of it breaking over the stern of the vessel for about ten minutes. It was impossible to see anything in the direction of the bridge, owing to the spray & clouds of dust from the fallen structure. When Capt. Muir saw what had occurred, he ordered the steamer to be put about and went over as near as possible to the bridge piers. He then lowered his boats in the hope of picking up some of the unfortunate men who were carried down by the structure, although the boats cruised around for some time, they did not pick anybody up. Mr. Perreault said the noise made by the falling of the bridge was awe-inspiring.”

Mr. Joell of Rowhedge was Capt. Muir's Chief Engineer for several years.

As he neared retirement Capt. Muir bought some land in Rowhedge on which he intended to build a house. The land was lent for village events and seemingly had allotments. The house, Grasmere, had several features which were of north American design and unusual for the area. Screen doors and windows to keep the bugs out, a large back porch/loggia and one room had a marble floor (for entertaining) and there was a large cellar. Grasmere had an indoor water closet and its own well.

The Muirs were very active locally and often had garden parties which were much enjoyed by the local children.

To this day engineering students in Canada are taught about the bridge failure which happened again a few years later. Engineering graduates are presented with a ring made from the salvaged metal from the bridge.