1/4 Dunwich Town Trust Archives passed to Dunwich Museum Archive store
The archives listed are for secure storage in controlled condi ons. The Trust wishes to retain ownership of all the documents and items but would like them to be accessed into the collec on.
A note about the history of the papers. Two boxes of archive material rela ng to DTT & DPC were collected from Michael Clarke on 19/4/2012 by A.Abell, then Chairman. MC had received these from Major P.F. Rodwell when he took over as Clerk in 1996 following Major Rodwell’s resigna on. MC said that he had received them in a n box full of archives but the contents had been much damaged by water and many papers had to be destroyed. The n box was returned to Rodwell at the la er’s request. It is understand that there had been a fire at Rodwell & Co, Solicitors which may explain the water damage. Unfortunately MC kept no record of what he had to destroy. A third box was passed to the Chairman in May 2013. Most of the archives listed below were in these three boxes.
Contents of BOX 1 (‘Will Box’ 21”x16”x4.5”):
1. ‘Dunwich Town Trust and Pension Charity Plan of Trust Lands’ OS Map (revised 1903) 6ins to mile, marked to show lands and tenancies – colour coded. Believed to have been drawn up c 1910 as Webb family noted as DTT tenants lived at Coastguard Co ages from 1907 for 10 years ( ‘The Li le Freemen of Dunwich’ O. Pickard, p222-3). Map was conserved in 2013, details of this, instruc ons on how to fold the map and a DIGITAL COPY are included.
2. Book of accounts of Dunwich Town Trust, Dunwich Pension Charity and Educa on Founda on from 1889 to 1966 Conserved in 2013.
3. Large pictorial record of events of 2012 made for DTT Open Day that year. Pictures include: Barne Co ages, mortuary steps and fence, picket fence, car park fencing, base to memorial seat.
4. Blue hard folder ‘Dunwich Trust Plans’ containing sundry old maps and plans (separated by acid free ssue): - 6in OS map, revised 1903 – area North of Dunwich to Southwold pier, marked in red to show: i) ‘the approximate boundary as agreed with Farrars, 22 august 1900’ ii) ‘the approximate limit of the Board of Agriculture Award’.
- very old large scale map, in three parts, ‘Village of Dunwich’, on back is wri en ‘Dunwich Town Trust Ordnance Plan to be returned to Mr Rix, Secretary, Beccles’. Covers land north of Dunwich village, with coloured lines to mark boundaries: red edged in Southern end, green edged for northern end. BUT no key, no gridlines, no scale given. (has a note, believe wri en by Michael Clark ‘part map around 1900 showing shingle bank and N shore from Dunwich.’ + photocopy of the above.
- map (1884 ed, 1:2500) labelled ‘Thompsons Excava ons’; this map is similar to, but north of, those July 2014 2/4 above though doesn’t a ach to them. It goes up to the SouthPier and has handwri en comment ‘Plan shewing boundary between Mr Barnes land and the Trust land as agreed with Messers Farrars 22 August 1900 to be returned to Mr S.W. Rix’. (the excava ons seem to relate to a ‘x’ on the map on Walberswick land).
- copy of OS 1982, 1:1200 with 2 areas delineated in red (seem to be Corpora on Marshes and the Car Park) but no key or comments and the delineated areas are not named.
5. ‘Dunwich Town Trust & Pension Charity Minutes’ A brown, leather bound minutes book with topics covered indexed in A-Z sec on at front. Period covered: 22/10/32 to 7/7/55. Chairman was Mr F.W.C. Chartres throughout with occasional excep on (e.g. 28/4/34 & 25/9/34) when Michael E. St J. Barne was in the chair. (Mr Edwin J Clark was elected Chairman on 7/7/55). Clerk was Mr R.J. Bird of Chamberlains Co, Lowesto , for most/all of the period covered by the minute book.
6. Minute Book, Dunwich Town Trust & Dunwich Pension Charity, 1955-67 (believe Mr Bird was Clerk throughout – named 31/10/63 + 27/8/65). Black hard backed book, papers filed not bound and very fragile; topics covered indexed in A-Z sec on at front. Dates of mee ngs (mostly 1 or 2 a year) + some notable events: - 22/9/55: Mr Edwin J Clark in Chair (remained Chairman un l his death Jan 1967) - 12/7/55: re ownership of foreshore ‘ there would appear to be no objec on to the trustees closing the foreshore if they so desire other than prac cal difficul es .... it was agreed that the trustees would erect their own boards to indicate that the foreshore was private property and if le er nuisance was not abated the foreshore would be closed’. - 25/11/56: applica on for planning permission had been granted for the erec on of a bungalow on OS Field 80 adjoining Sandy Lane, it was believed that Mr Fairs had sold this land but the Clerk responded that the trustees held the tle deeds as mortgagees and that no sale had taken place. Col Barne proposed a resolu on objec ng to any proposals to develop Dunwich as a bungalow town. - 13/2/58: sale (of land men oned above) by Mr Fairs to Mrs Boyd nearing comple on, Trustees present executed the conveyance. - 24/10/58: ‘ The Premises Commi ee raised the ques on of the ownership of the mortuary shed and the clerk advised the trustees that this was now owned by Mr Fairs. - 24/10/58: re re-purchase of the Mortuary.(+- 30/4/59; 29/10/59; 28/4/60; 2/2/61; 15/3/61; 27/4/61; 8/2/62; 29/3//62; 10/5/62;/11/10/62); 8/8/63 – le er from Walberswick PC re spikes which had reappeared on the beach 31/10/63, 27/10/64, 27/8/65 – Mr Bird named in apologees 28/10/65; 26/5/66; 1/12/66; 18/1/67; 11/5/67 – Col M.E.St.J.Barne, of So erley, elected Chairman; 13/6/67 – extraordinary mee ng, Mr Bird resigned as clerk 26/10/67 – Major Rodwell of Halesworth took over as clerk (last minutes in this book).
July 2014 3/4 7. ‘Rota’ of trustees appointed in original hard back folder, in three parts: i) 1889-1923 (67 entries) ii) 1925-1948 (47 entries*) iii) 1945-1967 (43 entries*) includes several duplicate entries of trustees who served several terms.
8. Maps: - ‘St James Hospital, Maison Dieu Dunwich. Ordnance Plans of land at Dunwich, Ellough, Hevingham, Peasenhall’ maps clipped together, on Dunwich one 2 handwri en notes ‘Occupiers 1898’ + list of names, ‘Occupiers 1910’ + list of names (with key to colour coded areas occupied) and note ‘John Rix, Beccles’. - Dunwich, 6ins, 1890 ed. Area shaded red (no key but shaded area is NOT DTT/PC land, may show the Barne Estate). - small folder marked ‘Extract from Tithe Maps and appor onments in Ellough, Dunwich, Peasenhall and Heveningham of land belonging to the DPC’; inside are hand-drawn maps on tracing paper with a handwri en note ‘this plan is not to be put on the lease’. - small plan of land – hand drawn (? land belonging to/used by the Admiralty). - hand drawn plan of proposed addi onal land to go to the admiralty. - 1977 A.E.Spear & Sons, Chartered Surveyors; plan of The Ship Inn (?Copy of the correspondence between Dunwich Town Trust and the Board of Trade re ownership of the Foreshore,1920 – 1915 Original correspondence is in Suffolk Record Office EE6: Acc. No. 6485 (amongst papers deposited by the Right Rev Kenneth Riches, Chairman of Dunwich Town Trust 20 October 1982)
9. Copy of Conveyance, dated 15th August 1932, of the Burial Ground to The Ecclesias cal Commissioners for England Received from Rev Richard Ginn 2013. Suffolk Records Office holds copy EE6: Acc. No. 6485
10. re some drainage project). -three, unmarked, 6ins to 1 mile OS sheets, 1890: Suffolk Sheet XLSW (covers Reedland Marshes and Dunwich); Suffolk Sheet LINW (covers Cliff House to the Sluice); western end of parish.
11.Two rent books Contain the names of individuals and the payments they made for period from 1944 to 1967
Please note that the outer covers of items 4, 6 and 7 seem to be highly hygroscopic and became damp while stored in the Reading Room.
July 2014 4/4 Contents of BOX 2 (15”x10”x9”):
Individual files, each with one year of papers re Dunwich Town Trust and Dunwich Pension Charity received from Michael Clark, who had been them from Major Rodwell, Clerk between 1967 and 1995:
Correspondence and papers 1967 to March 1979
Contents of BOX 3 (15”x10”x9”):
As above. Correspondence and papers April 1979 to Dec 1089
Contents of BOX 4 (15”x10”x9”):
As above: Correspondence and papers: Jan 1990 to Dec 1994 + 1. CD copy of Cer fied copy of award and map re dispute of boundaries between Dunwich Town Trust and Walberswick Common Lands Trust From Suffolk Record Office who hold original papers
2. Copy of the correspondence between Dunwich Town Trust and the Board of Trade re ownership of the Foreshore,1920 – 1915 Original correspondence is in Suffolk Record Office EE6: Acc. No. 6485 (amongst papers deposited by the Right Rev Kenneth Riches, Chairman of Dunwich Town Trust 20 October 1982)
3. Copy of Conveyance, dated 15th August 1932, of the Burial Ground to The Ecclesias cal Commissioners for England Received from Rev Richard Ginn 2013. Suffolk Records Office holds copy EE6: Acc. No. 6485 as above
4. Copy of Charter of Edward IV3 Held in Suffolk Record Office.
5. Dunwich Pension Charity and Town Trust Minutes 1967 -95. Dark burgundy hard backed book with pages held in ring binder fashion.
July 2014