Dawbarn Relatives
WEDNESDAY - After some last minute shopping in Horncastle we drove south-east through the Fenns to Hingham near Norwich. This is where Ann Lys lives. Ann's maiden name was Dawbarn and therefore she and Bryan's father and aunty's share a common great, great, great grandfather - Richard Bunbury Dawbarn. Ann and her eldest daughter Alison welcomed us very warmly into their home named Normandy House, which dates back to 1690. After a cuppa we started looking into family trees etc.
THURSDAY - After breakfast we continued our family history research before Ann's cousin dropped in for lunch. Ann's father John Dawbarn had done a lot of work on their line of the Dawbarns. John served at Gallipoli with a Manchester Unit. Claude Macdonald was also there however this was before he had met and married Grace Dawbarn. In the evening Deborah, Ann's second sister join us for an evening meal. It was great to meet more relatives. We shared a common ancestor however our family lines had taken a very different paths. Ann married John Lys a military man which meant their family was regularly on the move. After John retired they settled in Hingham not far from where Ann had grown up.
FRIDAY - We were up early and on the move again. Our time with Ann and Alison was over all too soon. We have an invitation to return anytime and stay longer next time. We encouraged them to visit Australia.
Today will be our last day in the UK which means we had to make our way to Heathrow Airport. The traffic on the motorways was OK so we made good time to Heathrow. Thursday had been wet, cold and windy day. Friday morning was much better however there was more rain coming. Thankfully it head off until after we had arrived at Heathrow. Some scales in the checkin area of Terminal 3 showed that some of our cases were a little over weight. So we dumped some fine china......... no, just joking.
As I write this last blog post, we are sitting in the departure lounge waiting to board our flight back to Australia. We have been here for about 10 1/2 weeks and really enjoyed our time here. We have done the usual tourist things seeing many beautiful and interesting places. We have ventured off the usual tourist routes and have met many real characters and learned a little of their lives. However, without a doubt the highlight has been connecting with various relatives in Norway, Scotland and England. Without exception, we have been warmly welcomed and treated like 'royalty'. With our ancestors, the huge distances and poor communications meant that many of them lost contact with their families back in Europe. Hopefully, with our modern transport and communications this will not be repeated.
THURSDAY - After breakfast we continued our family history research before Ann's cousin dropped in for lunch. Ann's father John Dawbarn had done a lot of work on their line of the Dawbarns. John served at Gallipoli with a Manchester Unit. Claude Macdonald was also there however this was before he had met and married Grace Dawbarn. In the evening Deborah, Ann's second sister join us for an evening meal. It was great to meet more relatives. We shared a common ancestor however our family lines had taken a very different paths. Ann married John Lys a military man which meant their family was regularly on the move. After John retired they settled in Hingham not far from where Ann had grown up.
FRIDAY - We were up early and on the move again. Our time with Ann and Alison was over all too soon. We have an invitation to return anytime and stay longer next time. We encouraged them to visit Australia.
Today will be our last day in the UK which means we had to make our way to Heathrow Airport. The traffic on the motorways was OK so we made good time to Heathrow. Thursday had been wet, cold and windy day. Friday morning was much better however there was more rain coming. Thankfully it head off until after we had arrived at Heathrow. Some scales in the checkin area of Terminal 3 showed that some of our cases were a little over weight. So we dumped some fine china......... no, just joking.
As I write this last blog post, we are sitting in the departure lounge waiting to board our flight back to Australia. We have been here for about 10 1/2 weeks and really enjoyed our time here. We have done the usual tourist things seeing many beautiful and interesting places. We have ventured off the usual tourist routes and have met many real characters and learned a little of their lives. However, without a doubt the highlight has been connecting with various relatives in Norway, Scotland and England. Without exception, we have been warmly welcomed and treated like 'royalty'. With our ancestors, the huge distances and poor communications meant that many of them lost contact with their families back in Europe. Hopefully, with our modern transport and communications this will not be repeated.
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| Bryan's great, great, great, great grandfather, Richard Bunbury Dawbarn. Some of this man's descendants moved to Australia and a descendant of these was Grace Dawbarn, Bryan dad's mother. |
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| Ann Lys on the right with Jill one of her Dawbarn cousins. |
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| Ann's home, Normandy House - it is well over 300 hundred years, has loads of character.... and lots creeky floor boards! Thanks to those who have shared our travels via this blog. For the Australians, catch you back home soon. Bless you all. Bye for now. |
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