Shernden Grange/Christmas Mill Cottage

Shernden Grange 1907

Christmas Mill Cottage 2016

I was able to track down the location of William Fox Pinhey's 1907 home in Edenbridge thanks to the electoral rolls provided to me by Sue Richardon (keeper of the Pinhey family trees).  Prior to receiving the information,  I hadn't been able to translate the handwriting on the 1906 postcard that identifies the Pinhey home.  Additionally, my grandmother's notes only referenced the photos of the home as being located in Edenbridge.  I thought the name might be "Sheridan Grange" or "Sherden Grange", but these names did not match any names or locations in Kent.  Fortunately, the electoral rolls provided me with the name "Shernden Grange", so I could start a fresh search.

My initial search turned up Shernden Lane in Kent, which was promising, however, Google Earth and Street View, provided no immediately identifiable structures that resembled the photos of the Pinhey house. So, my next step was to check the British Ordnance Survey Maps (6 inch O.S. maps).  These are analogous to the USGS quad maps used in the U.S.A. and my hope was that they would provide the level of detail and place names to identify the location of the home and if it still exists. Bingo!  I immediately found a reference to "Shernden Grange" on the 1909 Kent map.   My next step was to check the older (1870's-1890's) maps. Here's the location on the 1896 map:

Interestingly, the original name of Shernden Grange was "Christmas's Mill" per the 1870's map.  The map also indicates that it was a corn milling operation.  As "corn" could mean wheat or rye in the U.K., it's not clear what the mill was actually processing, however, an oast house (hops kiln) is located near the old property. 

 Per Kent history,  in 1327, the  Christmas Mill land was owned William de Sherndan and called the "Screedlands".  According to the records, the mill was owned by a William Christemasse (Christmas) from 1773 to 1794. William Christmas excavated the 4 acre lake south of the mill.  Christmas owned the nearby Haxted Mill on the River Eden and wanted his own water supply for the dry summers.   By 1838, the miller was John Bassett and the Bassett family owned the property through 1851.  By 1881 the property is owned by Catherine Russell and the mill building was converted into the dwelling now known as Christmas Mill Cottage.   Here's an old parcel map as shown in "An Index to Places in Edenbridge" by Lionel Cole.  The Pinhey's house is on the "Homestead" parcel:

The Shernden Grange name shows up on the maps through 1936, when the name reverts to "Christmas Mill" (see below):

Through time, additional buildings are added adjacent to the Christmas Mill parcel (boat house, Christmas Place in 1907).  The 1936 map gave me the location information I needed to precisely locate the house to determine if it still exists.   By using Google Earth, I was able to determine that the house still exists, now known as "Christmas Mill Cottage".  Here's a photo of the rear of the house as viewed from from Shernden Lane:

The house has been "remodeled" and updated since 1907 and the property looks very nice.  The former single story section of the house was replaced with a two story section (the division in the roof line can been seen in the photos).

Finding the Pinhey house answered several questions I had:  First and foremost, the actual location of the house.  Second, I remembered my father and grandmother talking about an attempt to locate the house (by my grandmother) and that she believed it was torn down and turned into a quarry.  The O.S. maps show an old quarry behind the small lake - perhaps this is what threw them off?  The small lake or pond looks like it was an impoundment for the old corn mill.  This also answered the question of where Thomas Knevitt Pinhey and Clarence Stillwell had been swimming in the photo of them at Shernden Grange.

Current valuation of Christmas Mill Cottage, $890,000 U.S.

Pinhey Homes, London SE13, Church Terrace and Brandram Road

The 1891 London Electoral Registers list William Fox Pinhey's residence as 14 Church Terrace, in the North Lee Polling District.  The Registers also show that he owned a house a 1 Brandram Road, just around the corner from the Church Terrace home.  From what I can tell, this is where the Pinheys lived prior to acquiring the Shernden Grange house in Blackheath around 1894. Interestingly, the Church Terrace house is adjacent to St. Margaret's Church where William Fox Pinhey, Fanny Maude, Madge and William Green Pinhey are buried.

Here are two screen shots of the Google Earth view showing the location of the homes and graves at St. Margaret's Church:

Here's the 14 Church Terrace Home today - the street view is somewhat blocked by trees, so I have included a screen shot of the neighboring home to indicate what the architecture of the terrace houses looks like.  We would call these "terraced homes" "duplexes", or attached homes, in the USA. From my readings, it appears that William Green Pinhey was the builder of terraced homes in the area and he may have built these (though this will require more research to verify) :

14 Church Terrace, London SE13 (above)

The homes next door to the Pinhey home on Church Terrace (above)

I have included a photo of the Brandram house owned by William Fox Pinhey (below):

Pinhey House at 1 Brandram Road

I contacted St. Margaret's Church regarding the Pinhey family graves. The rector at St. Margaret's Church was very helpful and provided me with directions for locating the Pinhey graves in the Churchyard.  Based on his directions and the photo I have of the marker, I was able to pinpoint the location of the graves on the north side of the church.  Here's a screen shot of the location (just outside of the north door adjacent to the Brandram vault):

The electoral rolls show William Fox Pinhey as the owner of the following properties and it appears we finally have the proper spelling of "Shernden Grange"  (my thanks to Sue Richardson for providing the information):

William Fox Pinhey Electoral Rolls etc. from “Find My Past”

                Abode                                               Qualifying houses

1884-5  1 Church Terrace, Lee

1887-8  1 Church Terrace                              4,7,8,14 &15 Church Terrace

1888  1 Church Terrace, Lee                         4,7,8,14,&15 Church Terrace

                                                                        Tenement

1889-90 1 Brandram Rd, Lee                                        “

1891-4  14 Church Terrace                                           “

1896-7  14 Church Terrace, Lee                    4,7,8,14 &15 Church Terrace

1898-1901  Clay Gate, Marden, Kent            Clay Gate, freehold house

1902  Millhouse, Marden, Kent

1903  38 Montem Rd Forest Hill SE London  - 1,2,4,14,15,&16 Church Terrace  

1904-6 38 Montem Rd, Lee                                1,2,4,14,15,16 Church Terrace

1907  Shernden Grange, Edenbridge               1,2,4,14,15,&16 Church Terrace

38 Montem Road, Forest Hill, SE London in 2016

More Cumberland House - 1915

My father had some memories of living at Cumberland House:

"My two aunts did get up by canoe a few times and in the spring a small paddle-wheel steamer made it up the Saskatchewan while the river was full. The mosquitoes and “no see-ums” were very bad. We lived off moose, fish, canned vegetables and whatever native berries were there. The lake had sturgeon in it and a Russian used to make caviar for my folks. I have a few memories of the North but very little. I can remember a few Cree phrases. Tom and I wore moccasins and deer or moose (hide) coats. It was a swampy country and extremely cold in the winter. Revillon did their best to keep us up there but Mother did not want to stay. We all returned to Prince Albert and then to Winnipeg."

 Thomas Knevitt Pinhey and Edward Shellard Pinhey at Cumberland House

 Daisy, Edward and Thomas Shellard Pinhey at Cumberland House

 Thomas Knevitt Pinhey in winter wear

 Getting the dog sled ready

 Daisy, Thomas and baby Edward

 Ready to get under way...

Cumberland House, 1915

Cumberland House flood, 1915 

 Boating, Cumberland House, 1915

 Edward (Ted) Shellard Pinhey, 1915

 Tommy, Ted and Agnes, Cumberland House, 1915

Tommy, Ted and Mrs. Sayce, Cumberland House, 1915

The Stillwell's Sons

My father's memoirs state that he had two cousins, Eric and John, who were the sons of Fanny Sarah and Clarence Stillwell.  My father describes Clarence Stillwell's business (  they were "gold lacemen, embroiderers & general military wear, specialities: gold lace, embroidery, Masonic clothing & jewellery").  He goes on to note that both Eric and John were killed serving in World War II.  The Stillwell's are described in their school honor roll as follows (Dulwich College):

MAJOR ERIC WILLIAM DIGBY STILLWELL 

117th Bn. The Queen's Royal Regiment.

Born May 24, 1911. He was the elder brother of J. D. Stillwell and on leaving school he spent about a year with Jaeger Ltd., and another with a firm of chartered accountants, to gain business experience and in 1930 he joined the family business of Edward Stillwell & Son, Ltd., of Barbican, E.C., eventually becoming a director.

He was the fifth successive generation in the family business. He was a liveryman (by servitude) of the Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers, with which his family had also been closely connected. In the Certificate" A " examination at School he was a Kittermaster prize winner and as soon as he was eighteen was commissioned to the 24th Battalion London Regiment, which later became the 7th (Southwark) Battalion The Queen's Royal Regiment. On mobilization he was captain, commanding" B " Company which he took to France in 1940. They did useful work in the retirement from Brussels and returned via Dunkirk. He was promoted major in I941 and proceeded in July 1942 with the 44th Division to the Middle East in command of the H.Q. Company. Shortly after arrival he became second-in-command and a few weeks before his death, in the absence of the C.O., he commanded the battalion in action. He fell in the opening stages of El Alamein, on October 24, 1942, along with the majority of the officers of his battalion, when the Infantry attacked the minefields in advance of the armour. He married, in 1940, Dorothy Joan, daughter of Edgar Millar, of Forest Hill and left no family.

LIEUTENANT JOHN DIGBY STILLWELL 

44th Bn. Royal Tank Regiment.

Born August 30, 1914. He was the younger brother of E. W. D. Stillwell and on

leaving Dulwich College went to Pawson & Leafs, Ltd., textile warehousemen, St. Paul's

Churchyard, for about eighteen months to gain general experience. He then joined Constable, Hart & Co., road works and general contractors, for a short time before going to George Wimpey & Co., Ltd., with whom he was engaged on various construction undertakings such as water-works, new aerodromes, etc., up to the outbreak of war.

He joined the O.A.F.C. on leaving School and the Westminster Dragoons about a year later, being a lance-corporal; he became a cadet in the same regiment on the outbreak of war, obtaining his commission in January 1940 in the Royal Tank Regiment, and being posted to the 44th Battalion (formerly the 6th Gloucesters T.A.).  He proceeded to the Middle East with them in May 1941 and took part in Auchinleck's Libya campaign and led the New Zealand Division to the relief of Tobruk, breaking through in a tank attack by night. He was wounded at El Duda and was evacuated from Tobruk, but H.M.S. Chakdina, in which he sailed, was sunk by enemy action and he is now presumed to have been lost at sea on December 5, 1941. He was the battalion signals officer and as such came in contact with all the squadrons of the regiment by whom he was much missed. He married, in March 1939, Janet, the youngest sister of J. D. East (O.A.), and had one son, born on the day that his father was reported missing.