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Hi

I am living at Oaklands Park and have recently come across a large stack of photographs and various documents and letters from the DOWDING family, between c.1860 and 1909. If you are a relative of this family and for one thing could shed some light on why they might be here, or secondly would like to have these amazing items, please let me know.

Thank you

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I have no idea wher Oaklands Parks is but, I assume it is in Gloucestershire or the Forest. Perhaps if you contacted the Gloucester Family History Society they may be able to connect you with a researcher. Secondly, there is a One Name Study guild and you can find them on line as well, perhaps they have a registered one name study for that surname and can assist you.

Glen

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I have some DOWDING ancestors from the Forest of Dean. A James and Mary Dowding who, at the time of their daughter's marriage in 1836, were at Newland. Do you think any of the photos may relate to this couple?

Cheryl

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Hi, I wouldn't really know if the photos would relate to them to be honest. There is a lot more in the cellar I haven't looked through yet - I only began tonight.

Oaklands Park is a stately home now in Newnham, but originally part of Awre. It was the home of the Crawshay iron masters. Sadly I haven't managed to find a picture of the place in its heyday yet!

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Henry G Dowding and his family lived at Hagloe House, near Blakeney, having moved there from Cowles Farm, Elton around 1912. Henry's son, Gerald Dowding, lived at Fieldhouse Farm Awre. One of Henry's grandsons lives in Cinderford and might well be able to identify photographs if they are members of his family. I might be able to put you in touch with him.

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Douglas William Dowding lived at Field House Farm not Gerald i am Douglas William's son my name is Anthony John Dowding we were raised there.

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OAKLANDS PARK, a mansion set in parkland, was built just north-east of Oaklands Farm in the early 19th century. Sir James Jelf. formerly a Gloucester banker and a partner in the nearby Bullo Pill tramroad, (fn. 81) apparently built it; he was living there in 1818 (fn. 82) and in the 1820s, when he ran a marble works at Bullo Pill. (fn. 83) In 1830 Oaklands was offered for sale together with 26 a. of wood and a farm of 100 a. (fn. 84) but Jelf still owned the house and its park in 1839. (fn. 85) About 1850 the house, park, and adjoining land, including Oaklands farm, were bought by the ironmaster Henry Crawshay, (fn. 86) who was living at Oaklands Park by 1856. (fn. 87) He died in 1879 and his widow Liza Eliza owned Oaklands Park until her death in 1895. (fn. 88) In 1899 it was sold to William Gwynne-Evans of Fordham (Essex), (fn. 89) whose family owned it until 1976.

The house and park were bought then by the Camphill Village Trust, a charity for the care of mentally retarded adults; in 1989 the occupants were employed in craft work and in the large kitchen garden attached to the house. (fn. 90) The original house, built by 1818, survives as a low wing at the north end of the present house; it was refitted c. 1830. (fn. 91) Some adjacent outbuildings and the lodge on the main road at the parish boundary are contemporary with it. About 1850 Henry Crawshay built a large new house in Renaissance style. It has a main block of two tall storeys with principal fronts to the north-east and south-east and a service block, of the same height but incorporating three storeys, to the west. There were terraced gardens to the south and south-west and a winter garden, unroofed by 1989, (fn. 92) and stable block on the west.

From: 'Awre', A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 5: Bledisloe Hundred, St. Briavels Hundred, The Forest of Dean (1996), pp. 14-46. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23250 Date accessed: 11 February 2010.

OAKLANDS PARK is a busy rural community on the edge of the Forest of Dean.
http://www.cvt.org.uk/oaklands

Some inhabitants :-
1881
Lisa Crawshay abt 1815 Carmarthenshire, Wales Head Awre, Gloucestershire
Constance M. Crawshay abt 1853 Oaklands Park, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Awre, Gloucestershire
Catherine H. Creogh abt 1852 Oaklands Park, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Awre, Gloucestershire
Eva J. Talbot abt 1856 Oaklands Park, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Awre, Gloucestershire
Arthur A. Talbot Oaklands Park, Gloucestershire, England Grandson Awre, Gloucestershire

1901
Jas Gill Pavey abt 1861 Yarcombe, Devon, England Head Awre, Gloucestershire
Lucy Pavey abt 1863 Bovey Tracey, Devon, England Wife Awre, Gloucestershire
Frederick Pavey abt 1890 Gittisham, Devon, England Son Awre, Gloucestershire
Eliza Bessy Pavey abt 1891 Gittisham, Devon, England Daughter Awre, Gloucestershire
Arthur Jas Pavey abt 1893 Gittisham, Devon, England Son Awre, Gloucestershire
Walter Gill Pavey abt 1895 Gittisham, Devon, England Son Awre, Gloucestershire

Year: 1910
Month: [N] Dec
Day: 5
Parents_Surname: GWYNNE EVANS
Child_Forenames: John
Fathers_Forenames: William
Mothers_Forenames: Blanche Sophia
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Oaklands Park Newnham
Occupation: Gentleman
Officiating_Minister: John C.E.Besant
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes: [John C.E.Besant underlined]
Register_Reference: 851113
Page_Number: 276
Parish_Chapel: Lydney

1911
PAVEY LUCY F 1863 48 Devonport Devonshire

1911
PAVEY JAMES GILL M 1861 50 Westbury on Severn Gloucestershire

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

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James Gill Pavey was the head gardener at Oaklands, he and his family moved there in 1899 from Gittisham in Devon. When he retired he and his wife went to live in Newport Monmouthshire, they are both buried there.

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DOWDING families were Farmers from Blaisden , so possibly linked to Oaklands Farm.

Do you names from the letters / documents ?

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

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I came across Crawshay's during researches into my family history in FoD. I don't think Dowding's were relatives but the farmers associated with the estate farm as suggested previously.

Founder of Crawshay fortunes was Richard, 1739-1810, originally from Yorkshire. He dealt in iron in London and then was a director or partner at the Cyfarthfa Ironworks at Merthyr Tydfil, eventually taking it over. It cast cannon for the army and or the navy during the American War of Independence.

There's plenty on the Crawshay family in Wikipaedia, also see William I and William II Crawshay. I think they came to FoD in 1830's or 1840's and to Oaklands Park. They had the capital to invest in deep mining, coal and iron. Winding engines etc. The family grave is in Awre churchyard, deteriorated and overgrown with grass and weeds. They may have been around until the 1920's.

They were not popular employers with miners. I remember reading an ex-miner saying that no one shed any tears when they left the FoD.

Hope this whets the appetite, despite this being sketchy in the extreme, there's lots of information out there on the Net. It's not to do with my family so not really interested.

Roger

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Hello

I have Dowding ancestors in Weston-under-Penyard from mid 1700s, several other parishes in the Forest of Dean and later Newlands. Several generations were stone masons.
Would be interested to know if photos might relate to them. When the railway came to the area a lot of them worked for that in various jobs.

Liz

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Hey thanks for all the replies.

Yes I would imagine the photos are of the Dowding family as they were in a box with all the documents etc.

I have been investigating the other cellar rooms these last nights but most have been emptied.

Will post some pictures of the photos and the documents when I can get my hands on a digital camera!

Interesting to hear one of the inhabitants was a Gwynne, as that's also my surname.

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I am the great granddaughter of James Gill Pavey. He was the head gardener of Oaklands Park. He went there in 1899, and retired in the 1930s I think, died 1947 is buried in Newport Monmouthshire with his wife Lucy. His father James Pavey, and son Francis Jesse Pavey are buried in Awre churchyard.
What do you want to know about? I have a picture of the staff with her ladyship(I think), on the steps of the Orangery. My grandfather, and his parents James and Lucy are on it.
My grandfather grew up there, went to school at Blakeney, trained as a gardener, before becoming a chauffeur. His brothers also. He had fond memories of being there, called his own house Oaklands.

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Hello my name is Robin, I am currently living at oaklands park and am training there as a gardener in the walled garden. I would be very interested to see this old photograph! as there exists at present in oaklands park very little records of how it was, and who worked there before it was bought by the camphill trust. I am fascinated about learning who ran the garden, and also what the Orangey used to look like, since the Orangey is now an empty shell used for hanging washing in. James Gill Pavey might be glad to know that the garden is still running very productively, and that its all in good shape!

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I am a great-granddaughter of Mary Ann DEAN nee GILL,1840-1925, sister to the Eliza GILL who married James PAVEY at Yarcombe 1860, who were the parents of James Gill PAVEY.

The GILL girls were daughters of James GILL, Coachman of the 'Defiance' on the Ilminster stage of the Exeter/London route and each commemorated their father in using Gill as a middle Christian name for a child. The PAVEYs continued the practice for, at least, a further generation.

The DEANs were Gamekeepers at Chillington Hall, Brewood, Staffs., but they too were linked to Newport, Monmouthshire, via daughters, and spent a period there after retirement.

I'd love to share research and perhaps compare photos of PAVEYs with 'my' DEANs born mid-19th Century?

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Hi Judith

I have just found out that James Gill Pavey is my great great grandfather! I would love to see the photo of him at Oaklands? especially as I am getting my wedding flowers from Oaklands and just found out the family link!

Look forward to hearing from you!

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did you find any answers to your photos?
I did see Chris Newall had replyed, saying he would put you in touch with my uncle who lives in cinderford, My Dad lives in newent

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I am the great grandaughter of Henry Dowding and would love to see the said items.
I will be staying in Cinderford on Thursday Sept 9th. Is there any chance we could visit Oaklands Park?

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