Thursday 25 May 2023

Update - 25th May 2023

It's been some time since I updated the site with new information, so I'm going to re-visit the wikitree pages relating to the Dykes family, and endeavour to put some new research information onto these pages.

I recently learned something new about the button which is illustrated on the right of the page. This is a "livery" button which would have been worn by a member of the staff working for the family. These were made by a number of companies in the UK - by the thousand - up until the First World War. When the war ended in 1914, many families of the "landed gentry" were unable to maintain the staffing levels to run their homes as they were pre-WW1 as lot's of the workers left "domestic service" to work in the factories and towns and cities. The financial cash of 1926, and the resulting Great Depression didn't help matters either, and many of the button companies - and other associated suppliers of uniforms and regalia - went bust.

However, one button company still exists: Firmin & Sons Ltd (Link) of Birmingham, who I "found" after they were the subject of a documentary on BBC tv regarding the recent coronation of Charles III.  Firmin & Sons - along with Kashket & Partners - produced nearly all the uniforms and regalia used in the recent Coronation.   

I have been in contact with Firmin & Sons and made enquiries about the button, and obtaining copies.  they have advised that they could manufacture a replica, but that they would need to produce a stamping dye and there would be a minimum production number and, as such, a minimum charge. The intention is to have the motto around the circumference of the button (as in the photo) but only have a vertical lobster crest, as the "griffin with sword" is the crest of the Ballantine (as in scotch whisky) family. Out of interest, if you like whisky, take a look at a Ballantine's Whisky bottle, and there on the front above the name you will see their coat of arms, with the crest of "griffin with sword". 

The minimum number of buttons is 200, and I clearly don't need 200 buttons.  I would be willing to arrange an order of the buttons, and split up into smaller lots, if there was enough support amongst readers of the blog to share the cost.  There's a number of ways they could be used: mounted in a picture frame; cast into a paper-weight; or used to replace the top button on a favourite jacket - that would make a great talking point when meeting friends and other family members, and it's something that I'm intending on doing as well as gifting a button for use on the jackets of my 3 sons.

If you are interested: send me an email at idykes@btinternet.com with an indication of how many you might want.  

An indication of the cost per button - not including post and packing - is £4 (approx. US$5) each.

Tuesday 16 July 2019

If you are visiting Cumbria

Be sure to get in touch and I will do my best to help you make the most of your time there, and see the most interesting Dykes family history. 
I am making another trip up the area in July 2021, exploring Keswick, Cockermouth and the coast of the Solway Firth.
I'm still unsure as to why Edward 1st died at Burgh-by-Sands leading an army of invasion into Scotland, unless there was a long forgotten and now disappeared crossing point of the estuary near this location.

Unfortunately, as my family name is plain "Dykes" and not Ballantine-Dykes, my branch of the family that leads to William Dykes born in 1919 either (a) broke off before the marriage in 1728 of Leonard Dykes and Susanna Capstack; or (b) Leonard and Susanna had 10 children and Leonard also had a child with an unknown woman (how someone found this out is anyone's guess).  It is unlikely that one of the male children fathered Wilfred as the eldest would have been born in 1729.  So it's possible that Wilfred is the illegitimate son of Leonard! But it is more likely that Wilfred's father was Leonard's uncle.

Whatever, it would seem the only connection my family has with Dovenby Hall is the Dykes family motto; examples of which should be found within the Hall; as Leonard and Susanna did not live there - Dovenby Hall was inherited by their granddaughter Mary.

My earliest proven relative is Wilfred Dykes born in 1747.  He married Mary Winn and had one child with him, John Dykes born in 1801 (died in 1838).  However, the reason for having only one child with Mary Winn was because he died, as Mary Winn married again in 1805 to Samuel Moss.

The father of Wilfred Dykes is proving tricky to identify, as he was probably born between 1720-29.




Wednesday 11 July 2018

(14) Wilfred Dykes (1674 - 1743)

Possibly the most important person in my family tree is Wilfred Dykes (1674-1743) as he is the direct link between my branch of the family and the main branch of the Dykes family that goes back to 1270.

Wilfred was not the heir, that was his older brother Frescheville.  Not being the heir almost certainly caused Wilfred problems financially later-on in life.

At the time of his birth, Wilfred had 2 (possibly 3) older brothers:
Thomas (b.1662 d.1674 aged 14yrs); 
Leonard (b.1664 d.1679 aged 15yrs); and 
Fretcheville (b.1666-1749).  
He also had 2 older sisters: 
Barbara (b.1660) and Joyce (b.1672) with a 3rd sister, Grace born when Wilfred was 3yo in 1677.  



Above is a screenshot taken from the "Pedigrees recorded at the Herald's Visitations of the counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland" in 1666; page 41.

As you can see the oldest boy Thomas died in 1674 - the year of Wilfred's birth - aged just 14yo.  Further tragedy hit the family 5 years later when the 2nd-oldest boy Leonard died in 1679 aged just 15yo.  I expect at the time, a great deal of emphasis was therefore placed in the 3rd-eldest boy Fretcheville who was only 13yo on the death of Leonard. This could have left Wilfred a bit ignored.


I think that is why (after he moved to live in Hexham) he married the Clergyman's daughter Catherine Allgood in 1697 (when he was 23yo) he took his bride to live in the village of Seaton a few miles outside Workington but, more importantly, the village of Seaton was on the estate of his aunt Joyce (his father's sister) who had married into the Curwen family and they lived at nearby Camerton Hall.  Wilfred had trained as an "Excise Officer" but it was likely that he was not in a position financially to provide a suitable home for his new wife, who came from the prestigious Allgood family of Northumberland. 

Wilfred and Catherine had a lot of children - possibly 8 in all - between 1697 - 1721.

Catherine Allgood is a bit of a mystery, mainly because (at the time) the birth-dates of women were not recorded or thought important.  Catherine had a sister called Frances, and it may be that her and her sister were twins, as her mother Anne Downes had no more children and her father - the Reverend Major Allgood - remarried in 1679.  As such, I think Catherine was born about 1677-78, and that would make her about 43yo when she gave birth to her youngest child - and my ancestor - Major Dykes in 1721.  


Thursday 21 June 2018

Robert del Dykes (1270 - 1315)



Robert del Dykes has the distinction of being the first named Dykes to be mentioned in official documents.  He managed that thanks to his wife, Agnes de Croedayk.

At the time of writing I have not seen any proof of either his date of birth or death, but several genealogists make reference to the years 1270 for birth and 1315 for death.

In  the year 1303, the lands of John de Mulcastre (who held the title "tenant in chief") were taken from him by the Crown (King Edward 1st). My understanding is that, at that time, all land was held by the Crown, and the management of that land - and the collection of rent - was down to the Tenant-in-Chief.  The Tenant-in-Chief was able to select the tenants who farmed the land, and also allocated the land; so he held a lot of power in his own vicinity.  Also, the Tenant-in-Chief would be able to skim-off a percentage of the rent for his own use, so not only was it a position of power but it was lucrative. 

The lands held by John de Mulcastre where likely in the area between Carlisle and Cockermouth.  This area, as with all the land in the area between Whithaven on the west costs to Berwick-upon-Tweed on the east coast, was the disputed border area between England and Scotland. Both England and Scotland claimed ownership - the Scots (after winning the Battle of Carham in 1018) claiming all land north of the River Tweed. As such, the Scottish were deadly enemies of the English Crown.
John de Mulcastre lost his title of Tenant-in-Chief due to the "enmity and rebellion of Alice, niece of John, who stays with the Scots the king's enemies" - in other words, Alice had married a Scot and that was most certainly not entertained by the Crown and King Edward 1st.  As such, the land was awarded to Robert de Crokedayk, of Great Waverton in Cheshire.

However, Robert de Crokedayk had no male heir, and so on his death the official records states the land under his control (as Tenant-in-Chief) is to be split in two equal parts and inherited by the sisters of Robert de Crokedayk; the sisters being Agnes and Christiana.

Agnes de Crokedayk was the wife of Robert del Dykes at the time of inheritance, and so had the name Agnes del Dykes.

She and her sister, Christiana de Crokedayk were not the automatic beneficiaries. As there was no male heir, the lands automatically passed to the Crown on the death of the male line. Representation had to be made to the Crown for any female heirs to inherit, and this isprobably the reason why the transfer was recorded by Royal Charter on 20th February 1304 (see illustration of the Calender of Fine Rolls). In order to obtain the lands, Robert del Dykes swore allegiance to the crown (fealty) and so assumed control of the share of his wife's sister, Christiana de Crokedayk.


Robert del Dykes lived until 1315 and, before he died, Agnes de Crokedayk gave birth to a son Walter del Dykes in 1308.  As he died in 1315, it is almost certain that he died during the siege of Carlisle by Robert The Bruce between July 22nd and 31st of that year. A most excellent narrative of the Siege is available via this link. It is likely that Robert del Dykes was one of only 100 "men-at-arms" who defended Carlisle Castle during the siege, 

This information is recorded in: 
1) "A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, enjoying territorial possessions or high official rank; but uninvested with heritable honours" by John Burke and published in 1834 (see pages 263-265).
2) "Calendar of the Charter Rolls preserved in the Public Records Office: Edward I and Edward II 1300-1326".

Friday 15 June 2018

Family Tree from Robert del Dykes (1270-1315) to Wilfred Dykes (1674-1743)


(02) - William del Dykes (grandfather of Robert del Dykes) (no records)
I
(01)- ????? del Dykes (no records)
I
00 - Robert del Dykes (b.1270-d.1315) = Agnes de Croedayk
My belief is that Robert del Dykes died in the Siege of Carlisle of 1315
I
01 - Walter del Dykes (b.1308-1349est) Without records it is probable that Walter del Dykes died when the "Black Death" (plague) hit Carlisle in 1349 and devastated the town.
I
02 - William del Dykes (b.1330est - 1380est) Almost certain that William del Dykes was born before 1349 and lived in the reign of  Edward II = The marriage to Agnes, heiress of Sir Hugh Waverton is not proven
I
03 - William del Dykes (b.1355est - 1420est) lives in the time of Edward III = wife unknown
I
04 - William del Dykes (b.1380est - 1440est) lives in the time of Richard II = Jane, heiress of Sir Hugh Dystyngton,
I
05 - William del Dykes (lives in the time of Henry IV) approx. 1405-1460 = Katherine Thwaites, of Thwaites
I
06 - William del Dykes MP for Cumberland (lives in the time of Henry VI) approx. 1430-1485 = Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Lee Thwaites, of Thwaites (Elizabeth is a descendant of William the Conqueror via W-the-C’s sister)
I
07 - William del Dykes (???-???) approx. 1450-1500 = Christiana, daughter of Sir Richard Salkeld
I
08 - Thomas Dykes (???-???) approx. 1470-1540 = Isabel, heiress of John Pennington of Muncaster - possibly also had a son called John Edward Dykes who moved to Kent where he started the line of the family that eventually went to America where spelling changed to DIKES. John Edward  Dykes (or Dikes) possibly sailed to the USA between with his son Anthony (1606-1638). For this to be true, JED would need to be born between 1535-1540 but as this would make him 66yo when his "son" Anthony was born in 1606, it's likely there was another generation in-between, making Anthony his "grandson".
I
09 - Leonard Dykes (???-???) approx. 1520-1580 = Anne Layton of Dalemain (in 1541)
I
10 - Thomas Dykes (???-???) approx. 1535-1600 = Jane, daughter of Lancelot Lancaster of Sockbridge
I
11 - Leonard Dykes (???-???) approx. 1560-1625 = 1st wife Anne, heiress of Radcliffe of Cockerton; (2nd wife Margaret Fretcheville of Staveley, niece of Lord Fretcheville)
I
12 -Thomas Dykes (approx. 1615-1658)  from the pedigree: his older 7 brothers all died before reaching adulthood; 
Approx 1632, he married 1st wife Joyce, niece of Lord Fretcheville; (2nd wife Jane de la Vale, heiress of Robert de la Vale)
I
13 - Leonard Dykes (1633 - 1720) = m.1660 Grace Salkeld, daughter of John Salkeld
Leonard & Grace had 7 children (4 boys & 3 girls)
Barbara (b.1660), I can find no other records - she possibly died before reaching adulthood;
Thomas (b.1662, he died in 1674 aged 14yrs)
Leonard (b.1664, he died in 1679 aged 15yrs);
13(i) Fretcheville Dykes (b.1666-1749) Heir of Leonard Dykes;
14 - Wilfred Dykes (b.1674-1743) who is my link
Joyce (b.1672), she married into the Curwen family
Grace (b.1677), I can find no other records - she possibly died before reaching adulthood;

Notes:
Dates to be filled in on this page as the information is discovered and verified. 
For any personal narratives provided, check the pages (right) and identify using the generation numbers (1 to 14) above.
What should be taken into consideration is that many children died before reaching adulthood, and if a child died very young, then any subsequent children born  of the same sex could have the same name as the deceased child: this is a source of confusion with regards the year of birth.

Tuesday 12 June 2018

Dovenby Hall


Dovenby Hall was officially occupied by the Dykes family when they moved there in 1791 (from Warthole Hall) on the marriage of Joseph Ballantine-Dykes to Mary Dykes (who, prior to then, was the occupant). Mary Dykes was the sole surviving child of the Dykes heir Fretcheville Dykes.

However, the house became associated with the Dykes family many years earlier.
In 1728, Leonard Dykes (grandson of 12(i) Fretcheville Dykes born in 1666) married Susanna, daughter of the Reverand Thomas Capstack, and they had two sons; Fretcheville Dykes and Lawson Dykes. It was the eldest son Fretcheville who married Mary, daughter of John Brougham of Cockermouth. This needs checking as I may have skipped a generation: it is likely that Fretcheville & Lawson had a father called Leonard, but that Leonard was the son of the Leonard who married Susanna Capstack. The logic I'm using is that people usually live about 60 years, and they marry aged 18-21 and immediately start having children. So:-
Leonard (born approx 1705) marries Susanna Capstack in 1728
Heir-Fretcheville (born in 1730-1735) marries Mary Brougham in about 1760
Mary Dykes (b.1770 d.1860) marries Joseph Ballantine Dykes in about 1795-1800
Fretcheville Lawson Ballantine-Dykes (born 1800)

Fretcheville and Mary had only one (recorded) child, a daughter called Mary Dykes and she was fortunate enough to inherit Dovenby Hall from her uncle Peter Lamplugh Brougham, on his death as Peter Lamplugh Bougham had no heir. Link to the Lamplugh family history.
Subsequently, in 1791, Mary Dykes married her cousin Joseph Ballantine-Dykes, who was the son of Lawson Dykes (younger brother of Fretcheville).

Lawson Dykes had the good fortune to marry (in 1765) Jane, daughter and heiress of John Ballantine.  As a consequence of the marriage, Lawson took on the surname of his wife's family and the Coat of Arms becoming Lawson Dykes-Ballantine.

Lawson and Jane had three children: the first being Joseph Ballantine-Dykes who married Mary Dykes (see above). Then came Fretcheville Ballantine-Dykes who served in the East India Company, and their sister Mary Dykes who married James Spedding.

So, Mary Dykes inherited Dovenby Hall and, in marrying her cousin Joseph Ballantine-Dykes, managed to keep the house in the family.

Joseph and Mary had a lot of children (ten).
























Fretcheville Lawson Ballantine-Dykes would have retained the titles, and had to use the name Ballantine, as would his brother Joseph (who took holy orders at Oxford);  Lamplugh Brougham, Lawson Peter, and James William.

Unfortunately, as my family name is plain "Dykes" and not Ballantine-Dykes, my branch of the family that leads to William Dykes born in 1919 either (a) broke off before the marriage in 1728 of Leonard Dykes and Susanna Capstack; or (b) Leonard and Susanna had 10 children and Leonard also had a child with an unknown woman (how someone found this out is anyone's guess).  It is unlikely that one of the male children fathered Wilfred as the eldest would have been born in 1729.  So it's possible that Wilfred is the illegitimate son of Leonard! But it is more likely that Wilfred's father was Leonard's uncle.

Whatever, it would seem the only connection my family has with Dovenby Hall is the Dykes family motto; examples of which should be found within the Hall; as Leonard and Susanna did not live there - Dovenby Hall was inherited by their granddaughter Mary.

My earliest proven relative is Wilfred Dykes born in 1747.  He married Mary Winn and had one child with him, John Dykes born in 1801 (died in 1838).  However, the reason for having only one child with Mary Winn was because he died, as Mary Winn married again in 1805 to Samuel Moss.

The father of Wilfred Dykes is proving tricky to identify, as he was probably born sometime between 1720-29.

This information is from Burke's Peerage published in 1826, and "A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland".