I would dearly like to know more about people reading this website? What is your interest? I am particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has a family connection to the Fairfax-Cholmeley’s or the Estate.
Who are you?
I would dearly like to know more about people reading this website? What is your interest? I am particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has a family connection to the Fairfax-Cholmeley’s or the Estate.
The Last Squire of Brandsby: Agricultural & Social Reformer 
Hi Patsy
I’ve been using the latest lockdown to delve deeper into my family history, in the course of which I came across your very interesting site regarding Brandsby. My 5x gt grandfather, Thomas Maskill, was a farmer in Brandsby at the end of the 18th century (his wife was a Wiley, though I haven’t researched any connection to Samuel Wiley yet). Their son Robert Maskill farmed at Brandsby and also had the Cholmeley Arms for a while. I was interested to read of the moral code enforced by the landowners which saw girls with illegitimate children banished from the village; this appears to have been the fate of my 3x gt grandmother Jane Maskill, who ended up having her baby in Craike. Her brother John Maskill is referred to in HCFC’s text as a slovenly farmer at Warren House in 1890! In his defence, he was nearly 70 at that time.
Best wishes
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Hi.
I’ve been researching a Thomas Horsley shotgun that I bought. After a little digging into the records I believe it belonged to Francis Cholmeley. If you have a photo of the gentleman I would really love to see!
Matt
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Hello Matthew, do you have any dates for Francis Cholmeley? this was a common name down the cholmeley family, so i need an idea of dates to be able to identify him. Thanks.
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He bought the gun in 1872 if that helps at all?
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Hello Matthew, That would have been Francis Cholmeley (1850-1876). He inherited the estate at the age of 6 years old in 1856.
He was only active as Squire from 1871. When he came into his majority to 1876, he set to work on the estate improving farm buildings and built two cottages at High Side, in the village. He set his sign in the form of a plaque on all his buildings. They can still be seen in places today.
He died in Malta in 1876 and the estate then went to Captain Thomas Cholmeley. Captain Thomas is the first one of the Squires for whom we have a photo, I afraid there is no photo of Francis Cholmeley as far as I know, I don’t know what he was doing in Malta!
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Fancy inheriting all that at such a young age. I wonder if my gun was passed down to the Captain at all? I don’t suppose you happen to have any photos of him shooting etc do you?
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Hello
I do not have a direct connection with Brandsby or the Cholmeley family but many of my ancestors came from other villages nearby, especially Newton on Ouse. I came to the Cholmeleys by finding that several Cholmeley girls from Brandsby Hall attended the Bar Convent school in York, an institution that also involved some of my ancestors and relations. When I looked further, I found a lot more fascinating information, some of it on your excellent website. I am putting my findings onto the website wikitree, where it is freely accessible to anybody who is interested. The information about the Cholmeleys I have put on wikitree so far starts with the marriage of Francis Cholmeley to Mary Berkeley (born Ferrers from Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire). See: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Cholmeley-89 So far I have got up to the 1861 census. In the last few days, I discovered the connection of the Cholmeley family with the Strickland family of Sizergh Hall near Kendal Westmorland and Loughglinn Co. Roscommon Ireland. The Stricklands were already put on wikitree by other people, but with very little information about their connection with the Cholmeleys and Brandsby. In 1814 Ann Cholmeley daughter of Francis Cholmeley and Teresa Englefield married Jarrard Edward Strickland from Sizergh and went to live at Loughglinn (see: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Cholmeley-95). They had a number of children, including Annie Strickland, who married her cousin Henry Philip Cholmeley and went to live at Brandsby. By 1861, her father in law and her husband had died, leaving Annie as head of the household at Brandsby Hall. Several other members of Annie’s Strickland family were also at Brandsby Hall at the time of the 1861 census (See: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Strickland-7146). I have just noticed that somebody else has put on wikitree the information that Annie’s brother, Walter Strickland married Maria Aloysia Bonici-Mompalao. There is also a wikitree category: Brandsby, which includes a number of Cholmeleys. See: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Brandsby%2C_Yorkshire
Martin C. Styan
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Thankyou very much for your comments and this information Martin. I did not know the Ann Cholmeley had married into the Strickland family, I shall look at this further. However, this is not the only connection to the Stricklands; Hugh Fairfax-Cholmeley is a direct descendant from the Stricklands, because his mother was Rosalie St. Quentin Stickland, daughter of a second son of the Strickland direct line. She married Captain Thomas Cholmeley, who at the time was not expected to inherit, but inherited on the early death of his nephew Francis Cholmeley in 1875.
I will comment further when I have looked at some of the info you have given me above.
I would be very interested to know more about your family name (s) and your connections with the Barr Convent.
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Further reply Martin: Thankyou for the entries you have put on wiki tree, most interesting. I don’t know who your family is, but if you are interested in the Stricklands, there is an excellent family tree on Ancestry.co.uk done by the archivist at the Cotesbach (originally part of the Stickland estate) Educational Trust*. This traces the Sricklands back to William Strickland in the 16th century, who was responsible for bringing turkeys to England, hence the crest of the Stricklands is a turkey. He made a lot of money and built Boynton Hall, not sure how the Sizeburgh Stricklands relate to Boynton ones, but there are a number of connections between the family and the Cholmeleys. Besides Rosalie, mother of the last Squire of Brandsby, William Strickland (1753-1834) married Henrietta Cholmeley (1760-1827).
I was interested to know about Annie managing the household in Brandsby, that must have been during the minority of the last Francis Cholmeley to be squire who died in 1875 at about 27 years, leaving his uncle Thomas Cholmeley to inherit the estate. I have been trying to find out some more about this young Francis Cholmeley, to find out what his approach was to estate management during his brief stint as Squire.
The Eleanor Cholmeley you noted as one of the children of Ann (Cholmeley) Strickland was an artist and lived in Minster Yard in York. Ann, herself, was taught drawing and painting by Cotman, along with her sisters, during his visits to Brandsby.
There is a large painting of an Ann Cholmeley, still hanging over the staircase in Brandsby Hall, despite the many, many changes of hands the Hall has been through, could be Ann or Annie.
I would be interested to know more about the family or families you are connected with.
*The Cotesbach Ed Trust contains the papers of the Marriott family, into which the Stricklands married. There is a lot of info about the Stricklands there, they are just in the process of putting their catalogue up on line at present.
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Hello Patsy
I intended to write again sooner, but have been busy with other things. The Styans were a farming family in the middle part of Yorkshire, especially at Whixley and Newton on Ouse, a few miles south-west of Brandsby. I appear on wikitree at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Styan-40 I grew up in Scarborough, but now I live in Bratislava, Slovakia. My father’s sister Margaret Styan attended the Bar Convent school in the 1930s. However, we have a rather more substantial connection around 200 – 250 years ago, involving people named Caley, Eastwood, Knight and others related by marriage. A number of girls from these families went to the Bar Convent as pupils and several stayed to become nuns. The Caleys originated in Holderness around Burton Constable, but one of them succeeded in marrying the heiress to Grimoldby Grange near Louth in Lincolnshire. This couple had a very large number of children and sent the girls to the Bar Convent. Two of the girls became nuns and one of the boys became a priest, but enough of the others got married and had children. There must be rather a lot of their descendants around today, and in various countries. These people do not quite make it into Burke, but they appear in several publications of the Catholic Record Society and other places. They can be found on wikitree at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Caley-342 by clicking on “descendants”. I have still not created profiles for all the Caley children.
In the last days, I have looked up and added to wikitree, more about the Cholmeleys of Brandsby and their relations. I looked into the Fairfaxes of Gilling. I found on findmypast substantial newspaper articles about the sisters Harriet Fairfax / Cholmeley (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Fairfax-618) and Lavinia Fairfax / Barnes (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Fairfax-620). I have added them to the profiles on wikitree. The 19th century Fairfaxes of Gilling were descended from 18th century people named Pigott. Some of them were already put on wikitree by somebody else. According to Burke, one of the Pigotts married a Fairfax and the Pigott who inherited Gilling changed his name to Fairfax. I have also got up to Thomas Charles Cholmeley and his wife and children (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Cholmeley-107). I was able to connect Rosalie St. Quentin Strickland (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Strickland-7165) with other family members already on wikitree. These Stricklands seem to be separate from the others, I mentioned in my first comment. If they are connected, it is probably several centuries earlier. Do you know how Rosalie’s family came to be living near Naples? I have also looked into Roger Edward Cholmeley, his emigration to New Zealand, and Alice Mary Aldworth, who he married in New Zealand. She came from a well off Berkshire family, which had also moved to New Zealand. Information about their graves has been put on findagrave, for example: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132782753/robert-aldworth for Alice’s father.
There is plenty more still to do. I also plan to look into the Constables of Everingham and Burton Constable.
Martin C. Styan
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So sorry it took me so long to approve your comment, I got a password problem didn’t have time to sort it out. Thankyou for all the interesting information, it will remain here in your comment for reference for anyone interested.
Rosalie St Quentin’s father was a second (Strickland) son, hence did not inherit main estate. He decided to go and live in Naples as it was much cheaper to live a good style life there than in England. Naples was then very fashionable, it still being during the reign of the last King of Naples and Sicily and Court life was quite good. Hugh FC wrote a very amusing account of his recollections of the place and his mother’s life which is on this website in the Journal Blog, under Memories of Italy. url here: https://fairfaxcholmeley.com/2018/10/15/italian-roots/#more-800
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Hi Patsy,
I had no idea until today – when I stumbled across your site – of the pioneering role played by Hugh in the development of rural telephony.
I am working with a friend, Mike Fletcher, on his website – https://telephone-exchanges.org.uk – which aims to locate and record surviving (and former) telephone exchanges before they all disappear. In the process, I’m trying to include significant historical details – and the part played by the first Brandsby exchange is very important.
Have you a photograph of the old Brandsby post office, the site of the manual exchange which hosted Hugh’s ground-breaking rural party lines? If so, we would love to include it in our site, together with a summary of its importance, and, of course, a link to your own research.
Many thanks for a fascinating site.
John.
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Hi, I’m from Sweden and have come across the name of Francis Cholmeley.
My genealogy search is about am Englishman named Richard Dann who in 1842 settled south of Gothenburg. Richard bought a manor house called Tjoleholm where he was an important agricultural reformer. He imported cattle, sheep, horses from England , also new kinds of barley and wheat. Richard Dann was born in Hackney 1808 and died in Sweden 1857.
Francis Cholmeley and Richard Dann travelled together in the 1830:ies. Gothenburg journals informed of foreigners coming to the town. In October 1835 Francis Chomely and Richard Dann comes from Norway. In June 1836 they come from England and are back again from Norway in October. It says they fished and hunted in Sweden and Norway.
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Dear Ingela, This is fascinating! I think this Francis Cholmeley must have been the one born 1797 and died 1854 (squire from 1808). There were a lot of Francis Cholmeleys, succeeding each other as squire. This Francis was extremely interested in the development of his estate as a younger man. His father had been reknown as an agricultural reformer (aslo Francis cholmeley). Soon after coming in to his estate this Francis took up writing about the improvements his father and grandfather had made to to the estate and also about his own works. However, he stopped writing his account soon after he matried and he was known to have travelled a lot and been very fond of social life, so I dont have mush information about any agricultural improvements he may have made.
I would be very interested to know more about Richard Dann, and what age he was. this Francis did also have a son called Francis, so its just possible that it could have been the son, but he died one year after his father in 1855 and I do not have his date of birth to hand. I have no information about him at all. Francis (1797-1854) appears to havve been quite a character, if you find any more information about him I would be interested to know.
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Hi,
I just wanted to reply to the question “who are you?”
The manor where Richard Dann (1808-1857) lived in Sweden is called Tjoloholm. It was rebuilt after his time and then again around 1900 by another Englishman : http://www.tjoloholm.sehttp://www.tjoloholm.se. There is no mention of Dann in the internet page.
Old Swedish newspaper can be found on the internet. As I wrote, strangers who come to the city are noted. I looked for information about Dann and when he first came to Sweden. On September 20, 1834, the notice is: Registered travelers: … âThe English officer Dann, from Norway, stays with the widowed Mrs. Todâ. (She had Gothenburgâs first hotel). From June to the beginning of October 1834, a terrible cholera epidemic raged in Gothenburg. One in ten residents died during the epidemic. So,, there must have been a terrible atmosphere in the city he came to. Several new epidemics then occurred during the years 1834â1866, but not as severe as the first.
1836 June 15 âGentlemen R.Dann, R. Hutscheson and C. Cholmeley, stay at Todâs hotel.” (The spelling in the papers is not accurate, And I don´t know who the third man was. But possibly the Cholmeley ought to have been F, not C) GÃTEBORGS HANDELS- OCH SJÃFARTSTIDNING 1836-06-15 | Svenska tidningarhttps://tidningar.kb.se/3mfv04ff1jw40pg/part/1/page/4?q=cholmeley
On October 13 , Dann returns: âEnglish subjects Mr. Francis Cholmeley, F. G. Lagesen, and R. Dann from Norway, at Todâs hotel.â GÃTHEBORGS TIDNINGAR 1836-10-13 | Svenska tidningarhttps://tidningar.kb.se/dnr8twwrb7z98bwz/part/1/page/3?q=cholmelcy
In 1842 there is an entry in a newspaper: “= Tjoloholmâs manor house , situated in the vicinity of Kungsbacka, have a while ago been sold to an Englishman, Mr. Richard Dann, for 80000 âmoneyâ. Mr Dann has during some years visited Sweden and Norway in order to fish and huntâ[cid:adafe817-6323-4355-abc6-3a223ec49d02]
In the romantic period tourist travels to Scandinavia seem to have started. Salmon fishing was very popular. During the Napoleonic wars Gothenburg had been an important port for England avoiding The Continental Blockade. As the industrial manufacturing grew, Iron and timber was exported from Gothenburg, and many English and Scottish families settled here.
Dann farmed Tjoloholm and a couple of âunderlayingâ farms. I have tried to follow him thou newspapers. Farm auctions, markets, ship cargos etc. He imported horses, cattle (short horn) and Cheviot and Leicester sheep from England, horses from Norway and pigs from Denmark. Chevalier barley for beer-making, wheat, oats and vegetable plants, fruit trees ⦠Also, English farm tools are imported and spread to the Swedish farmers. He wins many prices for his animals and farming. He is put forward by the government as an example. He also gives stuffed birds and fish to the newly opened natural museum in Gothenburg.
Dann never married, but he had four children by two women. He acknowledged the children, and they inherited him. Dann died in 1857.
I only came across Cholmeley when looking for where Dann came from, and when he came to Sweden. Francis Cholmeley was a name possible to “google”. Dann must have been 26 years old when he first came to Sweden.
I have found âCholmeleyâ one other time in Swedish newspapers, but it seems to be a ship with that name. The captain’s name seems to be Robinson and they are on their way from St. Petersburg via Stockholm to Gravesend in England. STOCKHOLMS DAGBLAD 1830-10-27 | Svenska tidningarhttps://tidningar.kb.se/bvn2f5bn48km05s/part/1/page/1?q=cholmeley
Best wishes ,
Ingela Holmqvist
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Thanks for all this information Ingela. Its so interesting to know more about what sort of things the Cholmeleys were getting up to. I’m not able to read the Swedish unfortunately, but it tells me more about how they used their time.
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