Winteringham Local History and Genealogy

The Latest News and Emails sent to Winteringham.info

The Great Winteringham Missing Photos Mystery!
Could YOU have a family photograph by a world-famous photographer?
When Charles Dodgson - better known as Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll - visited Winteringham in 1863 he took at least six photographs, including at least one of children at the National School - probably individuals or a small group.  He probably sent copies of these to the vicar’s wife to give to the children.  Dodgson’s own copies have gone missing many years ago, but have any survived in Winteringham?  If you have an old photograph that might fit the bill, please let us know, and we’ll put you in touch with Edward Wakeling, THE expert on the photography of Charles Dodgson!

We’ve blown up the corner of the Lewis Carroll picture of Winteringham Church so that we can get a better view of the unnamed trio on the left hand side of the photo from September 1863.  After discussions with Carroll expert Edward Wakeling, our feelings are that they are (from left to right) Mr H Mitchell, Curate, Mrs Louisa Read, and Reverend Read himself.  The cottage in the background is Meggitt Cottage, now no longer standing.

Hello Winteringham
What an impressive website!  I found it by doing a Google search on the name of my great uncle - Herbert Unsworth. A man with the same name turns up in the 1919 Kelly's directory as the station master. I know my great uncle was a station master in the north of England for many years during and after the Great War so there is a strong possibility it is the same man.
My question is does anyone have any suggestions as to where I should look to find out more about this man to confirm he is my great uncle.
Best Regards
Gary Hopwood
Hamilton, New Zealand

Hello everybody involved in this exceptional website,
Many Congratulations and Thanks for all your diligent efforts.
 
I used to work for a major Communications Company and really missed the free access to the internet which we enjoyed at work, until I had chance to purchase a cheap laptop last month. I am up and running like a demon and can't pass a day without accessing your website.
I am  now retired and have taken up my Family's History roots again.The family names I have ancestors in Winteringham are;-
 
Henry Spencer 1854 (not found death yet)
Henry Spencer 1811-1866 who married Sarah (Rhud,Read or Reed) in 1846.
Henry's Father,William Spencer, born1771 who married Grace Waddingham in 1792.
 Grace's maiden name was Tackhill, so I am venturing up that tree now.
 When I arrange the tree in some sort of order I will send a copy (handwritten I'm afraid) plus other details that I may come  across.
Once again "Well Done"
Yours
Ann Murphy

Do you have any Sutton Information?

My name is Elizabeth "Bonnie" Erskine and I am researching the Lincolnshire Suttons and Hollands for a project, my Internet search pulled your very informative web site. I was wondering if might know of any one with information that goes back to as early as 1450.
  
I'm researching several characters prominent (and no so prominent) in
the Tudor era for a non-fiction study of the Howard and Holland families. A good deal of the data/information I've unearthed relates to the Lancashire Hollands, not much on the Lincolnshire branch of the family (Thomas Holland (or Holand) born about 1456 and how they are related to the Suttons and Greys). Thomas married into the Sutton family; however, all the information i can find on her lists her as "Miss Sutton" of Lincolnshire.
  
Any information or direction would be more than welcome!

Chris Snowdon writes ....

First of all thanks and congratulations for such a wonderful web site.

I spent boyhood holidays in Winteringham at my Grandmother's house in Low Burgage, next to The Maltkiln. My Grandmother, Gertrude Harrison, was the daughter of Elias William Field and she took over the Ferry Boat from her mother. My Grandfather was Ralph Harrison - Parish Clerk as one of your sites reminded me. Your mystery picture reminded me, graphically, of an event which took place one summer holiday in the mid to late 50's. We had gone down to The Haven, as usual, and arrived at the old staithes towards the mouth of The Haven. Two or three men subsequently arrived, in a van, and began cutting up the metal which formed the staithes with oxy-acetylene torches - which were powered from bottles similar to the one pictured.
 
We stood back to watch them but the wooden parts of the staithes began to catch fire. The men asked us to fetch some water to douse the flames and offered to pay us a penny (it may have been thruppence but there again it may have been a ha'penny) for each container of water we brought.  Fortunately we had jam jars as we had been fishing for tiddlers. The day's catch was quickly abandoned for more lucrative use. We convinced ourselves that we were about to make a fortune and had just about finished our plans on how to spend it when the men decided that we could supply them with water faster than they could supply us with money - so our trade finished with our pockets only a shilling or so heavier.  I realise that it probably isn't your mystery picture as the staithes were higher up from the waterside but thanks for the memory.
 
Another character brought to mind from those times is Herbert Porkess. Herbert had been gassed in the first world war and, I think, lived rough at one time. My Grandfather arranged for him to get a house at Whitton but Whitton didn't have a public house so Herbert would walk from Whitton several times a week. along the railway line, call in my grandparents house for a bite to eat and a chat (I could hardly understand his broad Lincs accent coming from Teesside myself) and thence to The Bay Horse or The Ferry Boat where the Winteringham drinkers would ensure he never went short of a drink. He always made it back to Whitton.  My Father once set off to walk to Whitton to visit Herbert via the railway line but, unfortunately, he took the wrong turning and was heading well on his way to Scunthorpe before realising his mistake and returning to Winteringham - sorely in need of a drink at The Bay Horse.
 
Herbert is mentioned on Tom Smith's excellent Whitton site as being registered as an elector in 1951. The is also a Porkess mentioned on your site - a bricklayer, presumably Herbert's father.
 
Thanks once again for your fine efforts,  Chris Snowdon,

Dear Sir/Madam,

I'm the current match secretary of Brocklesby Park cricket club and though we have scorebooks going back to 1948, we don't know that much of the club's pre-war history.  As we seem to have played Winteringham quite regularly in the late 1970's and possibly before, I wondered if you had an record of the two clubs playing each other before 1948 and even better scorecards.

Congratulations on such an interesting website, I might be in touch again about the railway station, incidentally is there any railway structures still remaining in the village?

Regards

Richard Bedwell

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