William and Alfred ROBINS - prior thread update (General)

by jhopkins , Thursday, May 09, 2013, 05:16 (4218 days ago)

I started a thread about my Uncle Bill - William Robins - some two months ago, http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=40281 asking for information about any connections he may have to the Robins family in the Forest. I mentioned his connections to Gloucester.

A number of you responded on issues such as his genealogy, his brother Alfred, connections with Dymock and whether that was within the forest.

I have just received an email from my brother attaching a newspaper clipping he has found in his archives - undated, and only "The Ind" with an eagle logo can be seen as a reference. It contains a photo of The Cathedral in the Forest - AllSaints in Newlands, and an annotation in handwriting: "This is the Forest of Dean church where Bill and his brother re-hung the bells, and where my grandparents' births and christening were noted.". My brother thinks it was sent by an English friend.

My brother writes: "As you will see from the handwritten note Uncle and his brother (Alfred?) re-hung the bells in the cathedral which is probably true as Uncle told me of many jobs he helped his brother with. You may have seen the clock in the main street of Gloucester which is a tourist attraction. Alfred looked after the clock and Uncle often helped him. I understand that Alfred worked on the bells in many churches and looked after town clocks as well as much smaller timepieces. This is where Uncle learned his skills as a watch and clock maker."

Uncle Bill made his living as a welder, mainly on ships, but he had this other horological talent. Nice to know he had some familiarity with the Forest. I wish I had known before he died, not after...