Brendon Grimshaw was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, in 1925 and had a career in the newspaper business until he retired on Moyenne Island in the Seychelles. Brendon bought the island in 1962 for just £8000 and lived there from 1972 until his death in 2012. He published a book about his experience in restoring the island, which had become heavily overgrown, including re-establishing a population of 120 giant tortoises. The book — “A Grain of Sand — the Story of One Man and an Island”1 — includes a great deal of detail and numerous photographs. In the years before his death, Brendon’s story gained considerable worldwide attention, including an hour-long documentary in 2009, a major story by Britain’s “Daily Mail” in April 2012, and brief coverage on BBC News, also in April.
Brendon’s birth and childhood, and his landing in the newspaper field, are nicely described in “A Grain of Sand”. His ancestry has been clearly delineated by Nick Grimshaw, who posted the information on a blog for Grimshaw researchers. Brendon’s lineage goes back to the earliest identified Grimshaws — Edward and Dorothy (Raner) Grimshaw — in Yorkshire http://grimshaworigin.org/miscellaneous-grimshaw-individuals/brendon-grimshaws/#WhereAreDewsbury. This line of Grimshaws is described on a companion webpage.
Thanks go to Nick Grimshaw to providing Brendon Grimshaw’s ancestry on the Grimshaw Group on Yahoo.
Brendon Grimshaw’s Book: “A Grain of Sand — the Story of One Man and an Island”
Brendon’s book, published in 1996, provides rich detail on Moyenne Island and his experience in living there for over 20 years. By the time of his death on July 3, 2012, just three weeks before his 87th birthday, Brendon had owned the island for 50 years. An image of the cover of the book is shown below.
The title page of Brendon’s book shown below includes a note and signature by Brendon.
Brendon’s companion, a Seychelles native named Rene Antoine Lafortune, helped with the restoration of the island; he died in 2007. The photo was taken sometime before the book was published in 1996.
The inside covers of “A Grain of Sand” have an excellent sketch map of Moyenne Island that depicts the major features of the 22½ acre “Garden of Eden”
Recent Interest in Brendon Grimshaw and Moyenne Island
Brendon and his life on Moyenne Island gained quite a bit of attention in the years leading up to his death in 2012. Probably the most significant was a 75-minute documentary prepared by Joseph Johnson as Producer and Director. The documentary, which was made in 2010, can be accessed by clicking here; a brief description from the website is shown below.
A Grain of Sand
Rating:
U
Credits:
Producer:
Joseph Johnson Cami, Ayelen Liberona, Ron Johnson
Director:
Joseph Johnson Cami
Company:
Wandering Eye Productions
Published:
08-21-2010
Desc:
Brendon Grimshaw, A British national, was editor to some of the most important newspapers in Africa. But in 1972, he gave it all up to go and live on Moyenne Island, which he purchased for ten thousand pounds. In the thirty-six-years that he lived on the island,m Brendon and his friend, Rene Lafourtune, planted sixteen-thousand trees, built 4,8 kilometers of nature paths, and brought and bred 109 giant land tortoises, creating an island of incredible beauty now worth 34 million Euros. Come with us on this journey and discover why an 82-year-old man fears his island will one day be destroyed.
An extensive article in Britain’s “Daily Mail” appeared on April 25, 2012. The text and most (but not all) of the pictures are shown below.
By ‘eck! It’s Yorkshire’s Robinson Crusoe: Brit who bought a cut-price island in the Seychelles 50 years ago… and still lives in blissful solitude with 120 giant tortoises
By SIMON REEVE
PUBLISHED: 19:45 EST, 25 April 2012 | UPDATED: 03:01 EST, 26 April 2012
= Sprightly 86-year-old bought Seychelles island for £8,000 in 1962
= When he bought Moyenne, it was overgrown with scrub so dense that coconuts could not fall to the ground
Surely its what many of us dream about while trudging into the office during another April downpour.
Why not escape the rat race and the grey skies to live on a sunny tropical island?
Brendon Grimshaw has done just that. In 1962, the Yorkshireman bought Moyenne – a small island just half a mile wide – in the Seychelles for the princely sum of £8,000, and he has been living there ever since.
Life’s a beach: Brendon Grimshaw on Moyenne, the Seychelles island he bought in 1962 for £8,000
The sprightly 86-year-old wakes to the sound of rustling palm trees and the Indian Ocean lapping against the shore.
He spends his days caring for the islands tortoises and birds that also call it home.
When he bought Moyenne, it was overgrown with scrub so dense that coconuts could not fall to the ground. But Brendon worked tirelessly to transform the island into his own little patch of heaven.
Living in this unique wildlife reserve, he has survived tropical storms, sharks, ghosts, a coup detat in the Seychelles and a mercenary raid.
Scattered over a vast area of the Indian Ocean, the 115 islands of the Seychelles are among the most spectacular on the planet. There are just 85,000 inhabitants, but hundreds of secluded beaches.
I visited the Seychelles while filming my new BBC TV series, to find Somali pirates in the prisons and Dutch Special Forces training local troops to repel more attacks.
But it was a visit to Brendons island, and meeting the man himself, that caught my imagination.
Just a hop away from the capital, Victoria, on the island of Mahe, and surrounded by azure and turquoise waters, the 22½ acres of Moyenne stand out from the neighbouring islands, which are owned by billionaires, Arab princes and Russian oligarchs, and include some of the most glorious holiday retreats in the world.
Paradise: Brendon wakes to the sound of rustling palm trees and the Indian Ocean lapping against the shore
Surrounded by protective coral reef, Moyenne looked wild and uninhabited – until I caught a glimpse of a wooden building poking through the trees.
I was warmly greeted by Brendon in his T-shirt and shorts, standing on a picture-perfect beach.
Lithe, wiry and tanned, he still has his Dewsbury accent, which seems wildly out of place in such an exotic setting.
Together we climbed steps hewn out of the rock and past clusters of palm trees to where Brendons one-storey wooden house clings to the hillside.
Its where he looks after his 120 giant tortoises.
A whopper was sitting on the steps. Among the worlds longest living creatures, they have been known to survive for more than 180 years.
Giant tortoises are indigenous to the Seychelles, but have been killed off on most of the other islands.
Brendon has been gradually reintroducing them to his corner of the Indian Ocean, painting them with identifying numbers and giving them names such as Alice, Florita and Four Degrees South (the islands latitude).
His house is eccentric and well-worn, a bit like its owner, and furnished with African souvenirs and curios that testify to Brendons years in the tropics.
Real life Robinson Crusoe: Brendon has helped preserve the region’s giant turtles. He paints them with identifying numbers and even names them
Local: Brendon still has his Dewsbury accent, which seems wildly out of place in such an exotic setting
Outside I spotted a sign: Please respect the tortoises. They are probably older than you.
Fluttering above the tortoises were just some of the 2,000 birds that Brendon has encouraged to flock here
There was the indigenous pigeon Hollandais, so named because it shares the colours of the Dutch flag, and the beautiful reddish-orange fody weaver bird, a native of Madagascar.
As they feasted on rice from the five 50kg bags Brendon puts out each week, they made a magnificent sight.
We set off for a walk around Moyenne, with Brendon bounding along in flip-flops.
He first arrived in the Seychelles on holiday in the late Fifties, restless and seeking adventure after years spent working as a newspaperman in Africa.
I started thinking about buying property almost as soon as I arrived, but I couldnt find the right place, he told me.
It wasnt until the very last day of his holiday that he heard about Moyenne. I knew the moment I set foot on the island that it was the right place for me.
Brendon had dinner with the owner and a deal was done.
Yorkshires Robinson Crusoe had found his paradise.
He hired his own Man Friday, a Seychellois called Rene Lafortune, who helped him transform Moyenne.
Together they planted palm trees, mango and paw-paw.
They saved rainwater and pumped it up the hillside by hand, or rowed back to the main island to collect a barrel of fresh water.
It was backbreaking, exhausting work. My hands were covered in blisters, said Brendon.
When he arrived there were no birds on the island, so he brought ten from a neighbouring island – which promptly flew straight back.
Man Friday: Brendon recruited local Rene Lafortune to help him make Moyenne habitable
Natural disguise: Surrounded by protective coral reef, Moyenne looks wild and uninhabited
He brought a few more, which also disappeared. But then a couple returned.
Brendon started feeding them, and more birds settled on the island.
Slowly the trees grew and fruited, and eventually water, electricity and a phone cable were piped across from Mahe.
But we werent doing it to make it into a national park or anything like that, said Brendon.
No, no, no! We were doing it to make it habitable for me.
‘I knew the moment I set foot on the island that it was the right place for me’
It might have been accidental conservation, but while the rest of us have been busy concreting over our front gardens, Brendon was creating a second Eden.
Rene died a few years ago, so now the tortoises and several pet dogs are Brendons companions. I asked him if hes ever been lonely.
Yes, only once in my life – when I was living in a bedsit in London. I was miserable then, but never here.
Brendon is not a recluse. He relishes visitors and company, and regrets not marrying.
But how could I ask anyone to live out here? he said. We didnt have running water for years!
Though his mother always refused to visit Moyenne because she didnt much like abroad, Brendons sister Sandra moved to Mahe with her husband and opened a cafe.
And when his father Raymond was widowed in 1981, he accepted Brendons invitation to come and live on Moyenne.
New home: Brendon makes himself at home on Moyenne shortly after he ‘moved in’ in 1962
To my surprise, he moved from Seaford in East Sussex to be with me when he was 88, said Brendon. We had a wonderful time together, and became the best of friends.
Raymond died following a fall five years later and is buried on the island next to a grave Brendon has already dug for himself.
Even now, he is not alone. Day-trippers are allowed to visit from Mahe for £10 each.
Brendon has a strict rule that no one is allowed to stay overnight, but some visitors try to linger a little longer.
A Saudi prince once offered him a blank cheque for Moyenne, and other rich visitors have also been so entranced theyve tried to buy it on the spot. But Brendon certainly isnt selling.
The only reason someone would want to buy this island is to build a big hotel, he said.
Yes, of course he wants to keep his hideaway pristine, but perhaps he still has hopes of finding the pirate treasure rumoured to be buried somewhere on the island.
More than 200 years ago, the Seychelles were a hideaway for pirates, including the infamous Oliver Levasseur, known as The Buzzard, who was hanged in Mauritius in July 1730.
He plagued the shipping in the western Indian Ocean, plundering their valuable cargoes.
His missing hoards of treasure, including the fabled Portuguese Fiery Cross of Goa encrusted with diamonds and rubies, were buried on islands in the Seychelles, including Moyenne.
Or at least thats what the stories say.
One treasure trove is supposed to be worth more than £30 million.
After buying the island, Brendon admits he spent much of his spare time searching for the fortune, poring over old maps, hunting for clues and shifting tons of rock at two excavation sites.
There are graves on the island that are said to be the burial sites of pirates, and Brendon has found some evidence of man-made hiding places.
But if he found gold, he isnt letting on.
He loves the pirate tales as much as anyone, and seems happy to feed the rumours with a conspiratorial nudge and a wink.
But its fair to say Brendon has never been motivated by money.
He could have taken the Saudi princes blank cheque many years ago and moved to a luxurious retirement home.
Instead he has worked tirelessly to transform and preserve Moyenne, ensuring that when he finally does leave the island it will be protected and passed to the people of the Seychelles as a protected national park.
Brendon is the modern Robinson Crusoe, says Joel Morgan, environment minister for the Seychelles. Hes a naturalist, a conservationist and a damned hard worker.
Moyenne Island National Park boasts a glorious array of wildlife, along with 40 species of palm trees, including the exotic bwa-bannann (known as the wood banana) and 13 coco de mer, or sea coconut.
The island has been Brendons life, and as he has struggled and toiled to create a spectacular home, it has repaid him by giving him a tonic that no doctor can prescribe: a real sense of purpose and meaning.
Indian Ocean on BBC2 is presented by Simon Reeve. He visits the Seychelles in next Sundays episode at 8pm.
An 86-year-old Yorkshire man, Brendon Grimshaw may have lived alone for many years on the tiny island paradise of Moyenne in the Seychelles in the middle of the Indian Ocean since he bought it in 1962 for £8000, but he is rarely lonely.
For Brendon has spent the years reintroducing the indigenous giant tortoise to Moyenne and now shares the island with 120 of the magnificent creatures, on one of the world’s smallest national parks.
The BBC’s Simon Reeve went to visit him.
Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve is on Sundays at 20:00 BST from 22 April on BBC Two. Catch up online via BBC iPlayer (UK only) or watch more clips at the above link.
Where are Dewsbury — and the Seychelles — Located?
Two of the most important places in Brendon Grimshaw’s were his birthplace in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, and his Moyenne Island. Dewsbury is located southwest of Leeds and northeast of Manchester as shown below.
A portion of the Wikipedia description of Dewsbury is shown below:
Dewsbury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds. It lies by the River Calder and an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation.
Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, after undergoing a period of major growth in the 19th century as a mill town, Dewsbury went through a period of decline. More recently there has been redevelopment of derelict mills into flats, and regenerating of run-down areas.
According to the 2001 census the Dewsbury urban sub-area had a population of 54,341. Dewsbury is the largest town in the Heavy Woollen District, a conurbation of small mill towns.
Toponymy
The Domesday Book of 1086 records the name as Deusberia and Deusberie. It is believed to mean “fortified place by a stream”, from Old English deaw “dew” (stream) and burg “fort”. Other suggestions include the Burg of David, from the old pre-Norman-Conquest British Gaelic for David, being Deu, similar to the Welsh form, Dai. There are other theories on the name’s origins such as a Mercian name, after the founder of a fortified settlement, named Dui, Dew or Deus–“beria” meaning fort or stronghold. # “God’s Hill”, from the old British word “Duw”, meaning God (cf Latin “Deus”), and “burg”, meaning a hill [1] [2] or “Tiu’s Hill”, derived from the Germanic god Tiu from the same Indo-European origin.
Early history
In Saxon times, Dewsbury was a centre of considerable importance. The ecclesiastical parish of Dewsbury encompassed Huddersfield, Mirfield and Bradford. Ancient legend records that in 627 Paulinus, the first Bishop of York, preached here on the banks of the River Calder. Numerous Saxon graves have been found in Dewsbury and Thornhill.[2]
Dewsbury Minster lies near the River Calder, traditionally on the site where Paulinus preached. Parts of the church date to the 13th century. The tower houses “Black Tom”, a bell which is rung each Christmas Eve, one toll for each year since Christ’s birth, known as the “Devil’s Knell”, a tradition dating from the 15th century. The bell was given by Sir Thomas de Soothill, in penance for murdering a servant boy in a fit of rage. The tradition was commemorated on a Royal Mail postage stamp in 1986. [3]
Dewsbury market was established in the 14th century for local clothiers. Occurrences of the plague in 1593 and 1603 closed the market and it reopened in 1741.
Throughout the Middle Ages Dewsbury retained a measure of importance in ecclesiastical terms, collecting tithes from as far away as Halifax in the mid-14th century. John Wesley visited the area five times in the mid-18th century, and the first Methodist Society was established in 1746. Centenary Chapel on Daisy Hill commemorates the centenary of this event, and the Methodist tradition remained strong in the town. [4]
Industrial Revolution
In 1770, a short branch of the Calder and Hebble Navigation was completed, linking Dewsbury to the canal system giving access to Manchester and Hull. By the time of the Industrial Revolution, Dewsbury was a centre for the shoddy and mungo industries which recycled woollen items by mixing them with new wool and making heavy blankets and uniforms. The town benefited economically from the canal, its location at the heart of the Heavy Woollen District, and its proximity to coal mines. The railway arrived in 1848 when Dewsbury Wellington Road railway station on the London and North Western Railway opened; this is the only station which remains open. Other stations were Dewsbury Central on the Great Northern Railway which closed in 1964 and Dewsbury Market Place on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway which closed in 1930; a fourth goods-only station was built in the early 20th century at Savile Town by the Midland Railway. In 1985 a bypass road was built on the site of Central Station and its adjacent viaduct, and nothing remains of Market Place Station. The 19th century saw a great increase in population, rising from 4,566 in 1801 to around 30,000 by 1890.
The towns rapid expansion and commitment to industrialisation resulted in social instability. In the early 19th century, Dewsbury was a centre of Luddite opposition to mechanisation in which workers retaliated against the mill owners who installed textile machinery and smashed the machines which threatened their way of life. In the 1830s, Dewsbury was a centre of Chartist agitation. In August 1838, after a speech by Chartist leader Feargus O’Connor, a mob of between five and seven thousand people besieged the Dewsbury Poor Law Guardians in the towns Royal Hotel. The mob was dispersed by troops. Trouble flared in 1840 when radical agitators seized control of the town, and troops were stationed to maintain order. This radical tradition left a legacy in the town’s political life, its first elected MP in 1867 was John Simon, a Jewish lawyer from Jamaica and a Liberal.
The mills were family businesses and continued manufacturing after the wool crisis in 1950-51, which saw Australian sheep farmers begin to charge higher prices. However, the recovery of the late 1960s was reversed by the 1973 oil crisis, and the textile industry in Dewsbury declined, with only bed manufacturing remaining a large scale employer.
Geography
Dewsbury is situated between Leeds and Bradford eight miles to the north, Huddersfield a similar distance to the south west, and Wakefield six miles east. Its proximity to these major urban centres, the M1 and M62 motorways and its position on the Huddersfield Line, served by the TransPennine Express, have contributed to its popularity as a commuter town.
Dewsbury is part of the West Yorkshire Urban Area, although its natural boundaries are not well defined, with built up areas of the town running into Batley, Heckmondwike and Ossett.
Geologically, the town is situated on rocks of the Carboniferous Period, consisting of coal measures and gritstones. Quaternary Period rock, glacial deposits and gravels exist in the Calder Valley. Coal, sandstone and gravel have been exploited commercially. Average rainfall is 100 cm per annum.[7]
The town is dominated by hills, notably Earlsheaton, Dewsbury Moor, Staincliffe and Thornhill. The town centre is at 40 m-55 m above sea level, rising to 110 m at Earlsheaton and Batley Carr, and 230 m at Grange Moor. The approach from Earlsheaton through the Wakefield Road cutting, constructed in 1830, is dramatic with the view of the town centre in the Calder Valley opening up.
Most of the older buildings were built in Yorkshire stone, many have been cleaned by sandblasting. Notable structures include the railway viaduct, and Machell’s Shoddy and Mungo Mill, converted into apartments but bearing the name of its original occupants.
Demographics and economy
From the outset of the industrialisation of the town with its many mills, a large influx of Irish workers arrived in the town, settling in the Westtown area. This area has the large and imposing Our Lady and St. Paulinus Roman Catholic Church and its school, once run by the nuns of the area. The Irish National Club also is home to Dewsbury Celtic amateur rugby league club, with its many age groups of players. Starting in the late 1950s and continuing until the 1970s, many families from South Asia, particularly Pakistan, settled in Dewsbury. By 1966 around 2,000 immigrants from Commonwealth countries had made Dewsbury their home. Many worked in the woollen mills, making good the labour shortage in that sector.
The town has a large Asian community. Savile Town and Ravensthorpe are populated mainly by Muslims of Indian and Pakistani origin. In recent years, there has also been an immigration of Iraqi Kurds and Hungarians into the town.[6] Dewsbury is known for having a Shariah arbitration court, which has caused some controversy.[7] The Dewsbury Moor, Ravensthorpe and Chickenley areas are classed among the 10% most deprived areas in the UK [8]. In contrast to some British towns and cities, the east side of the town is generally more affluent. The majority of houses in the town are in the cheapest band for council tax, for house prices are amongst the lowest in the country.[9]
The town centre is starting to see a something of a revival, with large retailers such as Sainsbury’s, Next and Matalan it also has many other stores. The local market comprising 400 stalls is one of the busiest in Yorkshire and today draws coach-loads of visitors to the town; in April 2007, Dewsbury Market won the award as “Britain’s Best Market”. Wednesdays and Saturdays are the normal market days with the popular flea market on Fridays. Just south of the River Calder in the town centre was where the mills of the town were traditionally located. As the mills closed, this area became a large brownfield site. However, many of the units have now been reoccupied and the town’s largest employer, Carlton Cards is based in this area. A large shopping centre, planned to occupy a large area of the town centre has as many supporters as detractors.
References
1.Oxford B.B.C. Guide to Pronunciation, Oxford, 2006, page 99
3.Wainwright, Martin (29 May 2008). “The name’s Dewsbury”. The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2009-06-04.
4.Norfolk, Andrew (28 May 2008). “Dewsbury: Kidnap, lynching and a suicide”. The Times (London). Retrieved 2009-06-04.
5. “Hanging case girl spared custody”. BBC News Online (BBC). 3 October 2005. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
6. Hungarians referred to in these articles http://www.thepressnewspaper.co.uk/NewsDetails.asp?id=1169 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/7261208.stm Kurds referred to in this article http://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/news?articleid=2737475
8. “The best and worst results”. BBC News. 19 December 2005. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
9. See also the article “Riding high with his Ripper yarns” from The Sunday Times, Sunday 1 March 2009, page 19
External links
Local Newspaper “The Press”
Area profile and statistics
Batley & Dewsbury Towns’ Management Association
Visitors to Dewsbury Page
Dewsbury Museum
The registers of Dewbury, Yorkshire (1538-1653)
Moyenne Island is part of the Seychelles, whose location is shown below in relation to Madagascar and several nations on the east coast of Africa.
Moyenne is northeast of Mahe, the main island of the Seychelles. It is now a separate national park from the Ste. Anne Marine National Park.
A sketch map of the location of Moyenne appears in the inside covers of “A Grain of Sand” and is shown below.
Moyenne is described on Wikipedia as follows:
Moyenne Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moyenne Island is a small island in the Ste Anne Marine National Park off the north coast of Mahé, Seychelles. Since the 1970s it has been a flora and fauna reserve. From 1915 until the 1970s, the island was abandoned until its purchase by Brendon Grimshaw, an English newspaper editor. Grimshaw was the only inhabitant of the island until his death in July 2012[1]. Currently the island is a National Park and can be visited as part of organized trips.
History
Brendon Grimshaw purchased the island for £8,000 in 1962[2] and set about making the island habitable. He did this with the help of one other man, Rene Antoine Lafortune. They operate the island as a nature reserve, charging visitors 12 to come ashore, roam the island, dine at the “Jolly Roger” restaurant and relax on the beach. Grimshaw and his friend planted sixteen-thousand trees, built 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) of nature paths, and brought and bred giant land tortoises, creating an island of incredible beauty now worth 34 million Euros. Apart from a wide variety of plant and bird life, the island is home to 109 giant land tortoises.[3] The eldest, Desmond, is 76 years old, according to Grimshaw. He named the tortoise after his godson.
There are rumours that over £30m of pirate treasure is buried on the island. Grimshaw has made two major digs and found some evidence of man-made hiding places, but no gold or other treasure has been found as yet. There are two graves on the island which have been said to be those of pirates, although this cannot be confirmed.[4]
After 20 years of persistence, Grimshaw and his assistant Lafortune achieved their goal of making Moyenne Island a National Park in its own right, separate to that of the St. Anne marine park. Now known as the Moyenne Island National Park, it is the smallest national park in the world, harbouring more species per square foot than any other part of the world. The island is 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) away from the main island of Mahe.
2. “An 86-year-old, real-life Robinson Crusoe”. BBC News. 29 April 2012.
3. “How to Buy Your Own Private Island”. 16-05-2012. Retrieved 21-05-2012.
4. Reeve, Simon. “By ‘eck! It’s Yorkshire’s Robinson Crusoe: Brit who bought a cut-price island in the Seychelles 50 years ago… and still lives in blissful solitude with 120 giant tortoises”. Daily Mail (London).
Media related to Moyenne at Wikimedia Commons
A Grain of Sand: a free documentary about Moyenne Island and Brendon Grimshaw
Brendon’s Roots in Yorkshire
Brendon’s background in Dewsury are well described on pages 11 to 13 of “A Grain of Sand”, which is shown below.
Early days
When I was born it was 3 am during a torrential rainstorm in the industrial town of Dewsbury in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, on 27 July, 1925.
I mention the rainstorm because it was one of the earliest remembered anecdotes of my father, Raymond, as his trouser turnups had to be emptied of water before he was allowed into the hospital to see his first and only child. My mother, Kitty, had entered hospital only a few hours before after somewhat astonishingly eating three pounds of whiteheart cherries. Perhaps that is why this particular fruit could be included in what I miss most in Seychelles, but then there are tropical gems like sabre and maison rouge mangoes to compensate.
We lived in a terrace house in a quiet street with my grandparents and other relatives of my father as neighbours. Mother, having met my father while he was in the army in the First World War, came from Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, noted for its cockle boats in which I spent many happy hours as a boy. I recall quite clearly sitting at a trestle table outside The Bell and tucking into plates of cockles and thinly sliced brown bread to be washed down with tankards of ale -not too bad for a ten-year-old.
I suppose it was my mother’s influence which resulted in my not acquiring a Yorkshire accent or a southern one, for that matter. In the north I was often referred to as that London boy, while on visits to my grandparents in Essex I was always called their Yorkshire lad.
My father, who was wounded twice and gassed in France, was clever with figures but later turned his hobbies of radio and television into a successful business. Mother was a superb cook and brewed potent wines from elderberries, raspberries, oranges and grapes (separately).
She also had a great love of the theatre and books which undoubtedly she passed on to me. They say fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, and so it was that my character, tastes, likes and dislikes, my leaning to the arts rather than the sciences, were a clear reflection of my mother.
While my father was liberal in his politics with a strong chapel upbringing, mother was decidedly conservative with High Church beliefs. But she was also a bit of a rebel at heart and, when I ran away from school at the age of fifteen, never to return, she fully understood. And, realizing that I had a flair for writing, she arranged with my headmaster’s son, who worked on the local newspaper, for me to have an interview with the editor.
The paper was the Batley News, with three editions covering Dewsbury, Mirfield and Birstall. The editor was Rayner Roberts, whose first question was whether I wished to be a reporter or a newspaperman. Happily, I didn’t waffle and asked him what he meant. “Well, laddie, a reporter knows how to report, a newspaperman knows all about newspapers.” Not being too dim, I replied: “Well, a newspaperman then”, and maybe that is why to this day I find references to my having been a journalist not to my liking and really not quite correct.
I had been thirteen at the start of the Second World War and now, two years later, most firms, including the Batley News, were short of staff. I found myself in the front office wrapping the newspapers for posting, operating the rather decrepit telephone exchange and totalling endless columns of figures, not at all to my liking. But, looking back, I suppose I was very lucky for, as much as I hated school, I came to love my work which took up thirty years of my life and provided the opportunity for me to see the world and eventually find Moyenne.
I progressed from that front office to the printing works where I became proficient not only on the ‘stone’ (in those days this was where the pages of metal type were put together) but also with the linotype typesetting machine and other printing machines. A hard day’s work was followed by a couple of hours studying printing techniques at the local night school and then, after a bus ride, private shorthand tuition from 9.30pm to 10.30pm. I remember walking home those cold nights and thoroughly enjoying my well-earned supper of fish and chips wrapped, appropriately, in an old newspaper.
Reporting taught me not to judge people by what they say and do but by what they don’t say and don’t do, and to get the answers I really wanted by indirect questioning. I know when the technique is being employed on me today!
In fact, I did not start my writing career until eighteen months after joining the paper, when I was given a couple of districts to cover. I recall that my opposite number on the rival Reporterseries of newspapers had all week to gather his news while I had two afternoons only and my own bicycle as transport. And woe to me if I was beaten to any story.
At this time I found an interest in local wrestling and with trilby hat and raincoat-a teenage Bogart, no less – I became known as “Matman” to that sporting community, led by ‘The Farmer’s Boy’ who trained by lifting full milk churns for his father.
And then, by chance, as so often happens in life, I found myself landed with two columns of cinema criticism to produce every week. Here I discovered my first love and quickly branched out into theatre and even music criticism. It was a couple of years later that I was called to the Forces and I still have the cutting from my old newspaper which, with a photograph of a remarkably young looking guy, announced: “Celluloid Joins the Army”.
Thus ended my training as a “newspaperman”, for on demobilization, had I even touched a slug of type as a “reporter” there would have been an immediate strike, such was the change in labour relations. But, hard taskmaster that my old editor had been, it resulted quite successfully in making a newspaperman out of me, knowledge which was to prove valuable in the years ahead.
At twenty-three, I became the youngest chief reporter at the time in Britain, switching after two years to The Starin neighbouring Sheffield for my evening sub-editorial training. This was exciting and high tension work, and I became “splash sub” handling the main story of the day, updating the news and changing the banner headline for each of the five editions. It was writing sentences to set length to go around photographs at speed, always with an eye on the hourly deadline. The death of King George VI, the young Queen’s homecoming and her coronation were personal highlights, the latter story coming down the chute from the news service a line at a time with finally just one word: “Crowned”.
It was over a beer at the local pub, The Dove and Rainbow, that a former splash sub advised me to quit before I ended like him with a heart attack from the tension and thence relegation to a downtable sub for the rest of my life. I took his advice and landed a job with the Anglo Iranian Oil company on their newspaper in Abadan. Strangely, my mother was adamant in asking me not to go and for once I did what she wished. Two weeks later Mossadeq nationalized the company and I would not have had a job anyway. Intuition? Could be.
A few weeks later, she made no objection to my taking up an appointment as senior sub-editor with the East African Standardin Nairobi, although it meant eight years of Mau Mau problems and the inconvenience of carrying a gun in a shoulder holster and sleeping with it under my pillow.
I was relieved not to have fired the gun in anger or hurt anyone when I handed it in to the armoury in the Kenyan capital before I left finally for my first visit to Seychelles.
My eight years in Kenya had been great and I ended as features editor of The Standardas well as drama and book critic, still my favourite “hobbies”.
The book also includes two photos of Brendon as a child and young man with his mother, Kate (Coare) Grimshaw; they are shown below.
Brendon Grimshaw Was Descended from the Yorkshire Line of Grimshaws
Brendon was an 11th generation descendant in the Edward and Dorothy (Raner) Grimshaw line (Josias Grimshaw subline) of Yorkshire (see companion webpage). The summary descendant chart below was prepared from information provided by Nick Grimshaw on the Yahoo Grimshaw Group website on September 24, 2012. The details of Nick’s information are shown further down on this webpage.
|–|–3 AbrahamGrimshaw* (About 1651 – 6 Dec 1707) & Rachel Bond (1672 – 23 May 1696)
|–|–3 Abraham Grimshaw* (About 1651 – 6 Dec 1707) & Elizabeth Bond ( – 1744)
|–|–3 JeremyJeremiah Grimshaw* (21 Jul 1653 – 12 Aug 1721) & Mary Stockton ( – 6 Jan 1692/1693)
|–|–3 Josias Grimshaw (25 Apr 1658 – 15 Dec 1722) & Sarah Ibbitson (25 Dec 1647 – 15 Feb 1741/1742)
|–|–|–4 Abraham Grimshaw (24 Feb 1691/1692 – ) & Elizabeth Sandall (5 Dec 1701 – 13 Apr 1787)
|–|–|–4 Sarah Grimshaw (1691 – 1726)
|–|–|–4 Isaac Grimshaw (25 Sep 1692 – 29 May 1764) & Deborah Jepson ( – 1768 or 1789)
|–|–|–|–5 Elizabeth Grimshaw
|–|–|–|–5 William Grimshaw
|–|–|–|–5 Abraham Grimshaw (23 Nov 1760, Rawdon, Yorkshire) – bef 20 May 1833, Calverley) & Martha Fairbank (ca 1763). Married 12 Jul 1784.
|–|–|–|–|–6 Mary Grimshaw
|–|–|–|–|–6 Betty Grimshaw
|–|–|–|–|–6 Abraham Grimshaw (8 Feb 1771, Rawden, Yorkshire – 5 Feb 1843) & Rhoda Long (ca 1794, Guiseley – Jan-Mar 1839, Otley, Yorkshire). Married 24 Feb 1792.
|–|–|–|–|–|–7 David Grimshaw (1794, Rawdon – 1851) & Mary Forrest (1802, Rawdon – ?) Married 11 Oct 1830, Guiseley, Yorkshire.
|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–8 Ellen Grimshaw
|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–8 Abraham Grimshaw (1853, Rawdon, Yorkshire – ?) & Eliza Greaves (1837, Horsforth, Yorkshire). Married Jan-Mar 1856, Otley, Yorkshire.
|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–9 William Greaves Grimshaw
|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–9 Arthur H Grimshaw
|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–9 Charles DavidGrimshaw
|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–9 Emma Mary Grimshaw
|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–9 Sarah Elizabeth Grimshaw
|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–9 Thomas Grimshaw (1870, Rawdon, Yorkshire – 17 May 1945) & Emily Bottomley (1869, Calverley, Yorkshire – ?). Married Apr-Jun 1893, North Bierley, Yorkshire.
|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–|–10 Raymond Grimshaw (bet Jul-Sep 1894, Dewsbury, Yorkshire – 1 Feb 1984, Mahe, Seychelles) & Kate I Coare (Oct 1900, Mile End Old Town, London – 18 Dec 1981, Eastbourne, Sussex). Married 1920, Rochford, Essex.
|–|–3 John Grimshaw* (23 Nov 1664 – 20 Jun 1749) & Grace Ibbotson (15 Nov 1671 – 29 Nov 1700)
References
1Grimshaw, Brendon, 1996, A Grain of Sand – the Story of One Man and an Island: Nairobi, Kenya, Camerapix Publishers International, 210 p.
Nick Grimshaw’s Detailed Ancestor Chart for Brendon Grimshaw
The ancestry chart shown below for Brendon Grimshaw was posted by Nick Grimshaw to the Yahoo Group website on September 24, 2012. Thanks to Nick for sharing this invaluable information with the community of Grimshaw researchers.
Descendants of Edward Grimshaw
Generation 1
1. EDWARD1 GRIMSHAW was born about 1559. He died on 22 Jun 1635. He married Dorotye Raner on 17 Aug 1602. Edward Grimshaw and Dorotye Raner had the following children:
2. i. ABRAHAM2 GRIMSHAW was born on 05 Jun 1603 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 03 Mar 1670 in Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He married SARAH. She was born about 1630. She died on 21 Sep 1695. He married SARAH GRIMSHAW. She was born about 1630. She died on 21 Sep 1695.
ii. WILLIAM GRIMSHAW was born on 30 Jun 1605 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. He died on 28 May 1613 in Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
iii. SAMUELL GRIMSHAW was born on 05 Jun 1608 in Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
Generation 2
2. ABRAHAM2 GRIMSHAW (Edward1) was born on 05 Jun 1603 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 03 Mar 1670 in Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He married SARAH. She was born about 1630. She died on 21 Sep 1695. He married SARAH GRIMSHAW. She was born about 1630. She died on 21 Sep 1695.
Abraham Grimshaw and Sarah had the following children:
3. i. ABRAHAM3 GRIMSHAW was born about 1650 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 06 Dec 1707 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England. He married Rachel Bond on 19 Mar 1686 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England (Bradford Quaker Meeting-Nc). She was born in 1672. She died on 23 May 1696.
4. ii. JEREMIAH GRIMSHAW was born on 21 Jul 1653 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 12 Aug 1721. He married MARY STOCKTON.
iii. MARIE GRIMSHAW was born on 15 Oct 1654 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She died on 16 Oct 1697. She married James Franckland on 09 Aug 1687 (Yeadon, Guiseley, Yorkshire).
iv. SARAH GRIMSHAW was born on 11 May 1656 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
5. v. JOSIAH GRIMSHAW was born on 25 Apr 1658 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 15 Dec 1722. He married Sarah Ibbotson on 25 May 1690. She was born on 25 Dec 1667. She died on 15 Feb 1742.
vi. REBECCA GRIMSHAW was born on 23 Jun 1661 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She died on 11 Jun 1687. She married LEONARD SNOWDEN.
6. vii. JOHN GRIMSHAW was born on 22 Nov 1664 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 20 Jan 1744. He married Grace Ibbitson on 11 Mar 1697 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She was born on 15 Nov 1671 in of Dearing, Netherdale, Yorkshire. Abraham Grimshaw and Sarah Grimshaw had the following child:
5. v. JOSIAH GRIMSHAW was born on 25 Apr 1658 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 15 Dec 1722. He married Sarah Ibbotson on 25 May 1690. She was born on 25 Dec 1667. She died on 15 Feb 1742.
Generation 3
3. ABRAHAM3 GRIMSHAW (Abraham2, Edward1) was born about 1650 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 06 Dec 1707 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England. He married Rachel Bond on 19 Mar 1686 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England (Bradford Quaker Meeting-Nc). She was born in 1672. She died on 23 May 1696.
Notes for Abraham Grimshaw:
Also known as:- Grimshay
Also known as:- Grimshay
Notes for Rachel Bond:
Also known as:- RACHELE BOND
Abraham Grimshaw and Rachel Bond had the following children:
i. BENJAMIN4 GRIMSHAW was born on 03 Mar 1687 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 30 Aug 1724 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
ii. JOSEPH GRIMSHAW was born on 03 Mar 1687 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England.
iii. SARAH GRIMSHAW was born on 09 Aug 1688 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England. She died on 03 Mar 1697 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
Notes for Sarah Grimshaw:
Did she marry Joseph Ibbotson 24/07/1705 @ Herdingley (Headingley?)
Did she marry Joseph Ibbotson 24/07/1705 @ Herdingley (Headingley?)
iv. ELIZABETH GRIMSHAW was born on 08 May 1691 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England.
4. JEREMIAH3 GRIMSHAW (Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 21 Jul 1653 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 12 Aug 1721. He married MARY STOCKTON. Jeremiah Grimshaw and Mary Stockton had the following children:
i. JOHN4 GRIMSHAW was born on 20 Oct 1685 in Kirby Moorside, Guiseborough, Yorkshire. He died on 15 Feb 1686 in Yorkshire, England.
8. ii. JOSHUA GRIMSHAW was born on 12 Apr 1687 in Kirby Moorside, Guiseborough, Yorkshire. He died on 03 Jan 1764 in Farndale,Guiseborough, , Yorkshire, England. He married JANE ODDY. She was born about 1687 in Farndale, Yorkshire, England. She died on 04 Nov 1771.
9. iii. CALEB GRIMSHAW was born on 20 May 1688 in Kirby Moorside, Guiseborough, Yorkshire. He died in 1751. He married Esther Hudson on 02 Aug 1712 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
iv. SARAH GRIMSHAW was born in Jul 1691 in Guiseborough, Yorkshire. She died on 14 Aug 1726.
Notes for Sarah Grimshaw:
Did she marry Joseph Ibbotson – 24 JUL 1705 Herdingley, , Yorkshire, England or
John Casson – 13 MAR 1725 Knaresborough Mm, , Yorkshire, England
Did she marry Joseph Ibbotson – 24 JUL 1705 Herdingley, , Yorkshire, England or
John Casson – 13 MAR 1725 Knaresborough Mm, , Yorkshire, England
5. JOSIAH3 GRIMSHAW (Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 25 Apr 1658 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 15 Dec 1722. He married Sarah Ibbotson on 25 May 1690. She was born on 25 Dec 1667. She died on 15 Feb 1742.
Notes for Sarah Ibbotson:
Also known as Ibbitson
Josiah Grimshaw and Sarah Ibbotson had the following children:
10. i. ABRAHAM4 GRIMSHAW was born on 24 Feb 1691 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 15 Dec 1765. He married Elizabeth Sandall on 01 Mar 1721. She was born on 05 Dec 1701. She died on 13 Apr 1787.
ii. SARAH GRIMSHAW was born about 1691 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She died about 1726.
11. iii. ISAAC GRIMSHAW was born on 25 Sep 1692 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 29 May 1764 in Salterforth, Yorkshire, England. He married DEBORAH JEPSON. She died in 1789.
6. JOHN3 GRIMSHAW (Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 22 Nov 1664 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 20 Jan 1744. He married Grace Ibbitson on 11 Mar 1697 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She was born on 15 Nov 1671 in of Dearing, Netherdale, Yorkshire. John Grimshaw and Grace Ibbitson had the following children:
i. HANNAH4 GRIMSHAW was born on 09 Jan 1698 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
ii. JOHN GRIMSHAW was born on 26 Nov 1700 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 28 Nov 1700 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
iii. REBECCA GRIMSHAW was born about 1705 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
Generation 4
8. JOSHUA4 GRIMSHAW (Jeremiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 12 Apr 1687 in Kirby Moorside, Guiseborough, Yorkshire. He died on 03 Jan 1764 in Farndale,Guiseborough, , Yorkshire, England. He married JANE ODDY. She was born about 1687 in Farndale, Yorkshire, England. She died on 04 Nov 1771.
Notes for Jane Oddy:
Was she born 30/05/1686 @ Knaresborough father Miles Oddy?
Joshua Grimshaw and Jane Oddy had the following children:
i. MARY5 GRIMSHAW was born about 1710 in Farndale, Yorkshire, England.
ii. JOSHUA GRIMSHAW was born about 1712 in Farndale, Yorkshire, England.
14. iii. SARAH GRIMSHAW was born about 1714 in Farndale, Yorkshire, England. She died on 02 Jul 1787. She married WILLIAM SHEPHERDSON.
iv. JANE GRIMSHAW was born on 27 Nov 1725 in Farndale, Yorkshire, England. She died on 02 May 1767 in Lownah, Yorkshire, England.
v. ESTHER GRIMSHAW was born on 22 Feb 1728 in Farndale, Yorkshire, England.
vi. ALICE GRIMSHAW was born on 11 Apr 1731 in Farndale, Yorkshire, England. She died in 1732 in Roxby, Lincolnshire, England.
9. CALEB4 GRIMSHAW (Jeremiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 20 May 1688 in Kirby Moorside, Guiseborough, Yorkshire. He died in 1751. He married Esther Hudson on 02 Aug 1712 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. Caleb Grimshaw and Esther Hudson had the following children:
i. WILLIAM5 GRIMSHAW was born on 24 Nov 1713 in Shipley, Bradford, Yorkshire, England. He died on 06 Oct 1714 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
ii. MARY GRIMSHAW was born on 28 May 1715 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England.
iii. MERCY GRIMSHAW was born on 28 Sep 1715 in Knaresborough, Yorkshire, England.
15. iv. CALEB GRIMSHAW was born on 03 Aug 1718 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 03 Jun 1794 in Mill House,Near, Bossall, Yorkshire, England. He married Ruth about 1753 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. She was born about 1730 in of Harton, Bossall, Yorkshire.
v. JEREMIAH GRIMSHAW was born on 30 May 1721 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England.
He died on 11 Aug 1746 in Osgoodby,Thirskeby, , Yorkshire, England.
10. ABRAHAM4 GRIMSHAW (Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 24 Feb 1691 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 15 Dec 1765. He married Elizabeth Sandall on 01 Mar 1721. She was born on 05 Dec 1701. She died on 13 Apr 1787.
Abraham Grimshaw and Elizabeth Sandall had the following children:
16. i. WILLIAM5 GRIMSHAW was born about 1705 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. He married Hannah Craven in May 1733.
ii. JOHN GRIMSHAW was born about 1707 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
iii. SUSANNAH GRIMSHAW was born about 1715 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
iv. MARY GRIMSHAW was born about 1718 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. She died on 27 Nov 1720.
17. v. ABRAHAM GRIMSHAW was born on 07 Nov 1731 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire,
England. He died on 07 May 1786 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He married Eleanor Whalley, daughter of John Whalley and Ann Wilson on 02 May 1764 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She was born on 24 Aug 1744 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She died on 28 Oct 1841 in Rawden,
Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
11. ISAAC4 GRIMSHAW (Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 25 Sep 1692 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 29 May 1764 in Salterforth, Yorkshire, England. He married DEBORAH JEPSON. She died in 1789. Isaac Grimshaw and Deborah Jepson had the following children:
i. ELIZABETH5 GRIMSHAW was born on 31 Mar 1758 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
Notes for Elizabeth Grimshaw:
Birth details from IGI records:- 31 MAR 1758 Buckstone Or Buxstone Baptist, Rawdon, Yorkshire, England
16. WILLIAM5 GRIMSHAW (Abraham4, Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born about 1705 in Rawdon,
Birth details from IGI records:- 31 MAR 1758 Buckstone Or Buxstone Baptist, Rawdon, Yorkshire, England
18. ii. ABRAHAM GRIMSHAW was born on 23 Nov 1760 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. He died before 20 May 1833 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England. He married Martha Fairbank, daughter of Thomas Fairbank on 12 Jul 1784 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England. She was born about 1763.
Generation 5
14. SARAH5 GRIMSHAW (Joshua4, Jeremiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born about 1714 in Farndale, Yorkshire, England. She died on 02 Jul 1787. She married WILLIAM SHEPHERDSON. William Shepherdson and Sarah Grimshaw had the following child:
i. MERCY6 SHEPHERDSON was born about 1734 in Farndale, Yorkshire, England. She died on 09 Jan 1810. She married John Ward on 04 Dec 1783 in Hutton Le Hole, Yorkshire, England. He was born about 1732 in Farndale, Yorkshire, England. He died on 12 Apr 1797 in Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire, England.
15. CALEB5 GRIMSHAW (Caleb4, Jeremiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 03 Aug 1718 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 03 Jun 1794 in Mill House,Near, Bossall, Yorkshire, England. He married Ruth about 1753 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. She was born about 1730 in of Harton, Bossall, Yorkshire. Caleb Grimshaw and Ruth had the following children:
i. BETTY6 GRIMSHAW was born on 04 Sep 1754 in Ampleforth, Yorkshire, England.
ii. JOHN GRIMSHAW was born on 29 Mar 1756 in Ampleforth, Yorkshire, England.
iii. JERMIAH GRIMSHAW was born on 06 Nov 1759 in Ampleforth, Yorkshire, England.
He died on 18 Jul 1782 in Karham Near Howsam, , Yorkshire, England.
iv. CALEB GRIMSHAW was born on 14 Jan 1762 (Mill House, Bossall, Yorkshire, England).
v. RUTH GRIMSHAW was born on 10 Nov 1764 in Of, Harton, Yorkshire, England.
22. vi. LEONARD GRIMSHAW was born on 04 Mar 1767 in Of Barton, , Yorkshire, England.
He married Elizabeth Hall on 04 Jul 1795 in Bossall, Yorkshire, England.
vii. JONATHAN GRIMSHAW was born on 21 Sep 1769 in Of Hosforth, Guiseley, Yorkshire,
England. He died on 20 Jun 1798 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. He married HANNAH BURLEIGH.
viii. ISAAC GRIMSHAW was born on 12 Jul 1772 (Mill House, Bossall, Yorkshire, England).
Notes for Isaac Grimshaw:
Did he marry Hannah Worral – 21 MAY 1794 Bradfield (Sheffield), Yorkshire, England?
Did he marry Hannah Worral – 21 MAY 1794 Bradfield (Sheffield), Yorkshire, England?
18. ABRAHAM5 GRIMSHAW (Isaac4, Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 23 Nov 1760 in Rawdon,
16. WILLIAM5 GRIMSHAW (Abraham4, JoGseianhe3r, aAtbioranh 5a m(c2o, nE’dt)ward1) was born about 1705 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. He married Hannah Craven in May 1733. William Grimshaw and Hannah Craven had the following child:
i. JOSEPH6 GRIMSHAW was born about 1744 in Milford, Yorkshire. He died on 15 Dec 1833 in Milford, Yorkshire. He married ANN CHADWICK.
17. ABRAHAM5 GRIMSHAW (Abraham4, Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 07 Nov 1731 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 07 May 1786 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He married Eleanor Whalley, daughter of John Whalley and Ann Wilson on 02 May 1764 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She was born on 24 Aug 1744 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She died on 28 Oct 1841 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
Notes for Eleanor Whalley:
May have also been known as Ellen
May have also been known as Ellen
Abraham Grimshaw and Eleanor Whalley had the following children:
23. i. JOSEPH6 GRIMSHAW was born on 31 Aug 1765 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 27 May 1841 in Rome, Oneida, NY. He married Margaret Wetherald, daughter of Joseph Wetherold and Betty on 31 Dec 1790 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England (Bradford Quaker Meeting-Nc). She was born on 30 Jan 1766 in Aysgarth, Yorkshire, England (Near Bainbridge). She died about 1806 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
ii. ANN GRIMSHAW was born on 11 Jan 1767 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
iii. HANNAH GRIMSHAW was born on 30 Sep 1768 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
Notes for Hannah Grimshaw:
Rothwell marriages:- 07 Dec 1795 John Mayson and Hannah Grimshaw of this par.
Wits. William Pawson, Elisabeth Pawson?
Rothwell marriages:- 07 Dec 1795 John Mayson and Hannah Grimshaw of this par.
Wits. William Pawson, Elisabeth Pawson?
24. iv. ABRAHAM GRIMSHAW was born on 08 Feb 1771 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 05 Feb 1843. He married Rhoda Long, daughter of David Long and Mary Yeadon on 24 Feb 1792. She was born about 1794 in Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She died between Jan-Mar 1839 in Otley, Yorkshire West
Riding, United Kingdom.
v. WILLIAM GRIMSHAW was born on 20 Oct 1775 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 04 Apr 1779.
vi. AARON GRIMSHAW was born on 23 Nov 1778 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 24 Apr 1839.
vii. JOHN GRIMSHAW was born on 26 Jun 1781 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 27 Aug 1835.
viii. BENJAMIN GRIMSHAW was born on 13 Feb 1786 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 13 May 1811.
18. ABRAHAM5 GRIMSHAW (Isaac4, JosiGahe3n, eArbartaiohnam 52 (,c Eodnw’ta)rd1) was born on 23 Nov 1760 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. He died before 20 May 1833 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England. He married Martha Fairbank, daughter of Thomas Fairbank on 12 Jul 1784 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England. She was born about 1763.
Notes for Abraham Grimshaw:
Birth details from IGI records:- 23 NOV 1760 Buckstone Or Buxstone Baptist, Rawdon, Yorkshire, England
Parish Records Collection – burial
First name(s): Abraham
Last name: GRIMSHAW
Date of burial: 20 May 1833
Age at death: 72
Calculated year of birth: 1761
Place of burial: Calverley
Dedication: St Wilfrid
County: Yorkshire (West Riding)
Notes:
——————————————————————————–
Calverley St Wilfrid:
Denomination: Anglican
Coverage: 1813 – 1844
Number of entries: 3,928
——————————————————————————–
Record source: National Burial Index
Data provider: Yorkshire Archaeological Society Family History Section
Birth details from IGI records:- 23 NOV 1760 Buckstone Or Buxstone Baptist, Rawdon, Yorkshire, England
Parish Records Collection – burial
First name(s): Abraham
Last name: GRIMSHAW
Date of burial: 20 May 1833
Age at death: 72
Calculated year of birth: 1761
Place of burial: Calverley
Dedication: St Wilfrid
County: Yorkshire (West Riding)
Notes:
——————————————————————————–
Calverley St Wilfrid:
Denomination: Anglican
Coverage: 1813 – 1844
Number of entries: 3,928
——————————————————————————–
Record source: National Burial Index
Data provider: Yorkshire Archaeological Society Family History Section
Abraham Grimshaw and Martha Fairbank had the following children:
i. MARY6 GRIMSHAW was born about 1785.
ii. BETTY GRIMSHAW was born about 1787.
iii. ABRAHAM GRIMSHAW was born about 1788.
25. iv. ISAAC GRIMSHAW was born about 1792 in Farsley?.
v. DAVID GRIMSHAW was born about 1793.
vi. HANNAH GRIMSHAW was born about 1794.
vii. JOSEPH GRIMSHAW was born about 1796.
viii. THOMAS GRIMSHAW was born about 1799.
Generation 6
22. LEONARD6 GRIMSHAW (Caleb5, Caleb4, Jeremiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 04 Mar 1767 in Of Barton, , Yorkshire, England. He married Elizabeth Hall on 04 Jul 1795 in Bossall, Yorkshire, England. Leonard Grimshaw and Elizabeth Hall had the following children:
i. ELIZABETH7 GRIMSHAW was born on 14 Apr 1796.
ii. MARY GRIMSHAW was born on 18 Nov 1797 in Millhouse, , Yorkshire, England.
iii. MARY GRIMSHAW was born on 18 Nov 1797.
iv. JOHN GRIMSHAW was born about 1800.
v. WILLIAM GRIMSHAW was born about 1800.
vi. CALEB GRIMSHAW was born on 19 Aug 1801.
vii. GEORGE GRIMSHAW was born on 22 Nov 1805.
23. JOSEPH6 GRIMSHAW (Abraham5, Abraham4, Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 31 Aug 1765 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 27 May 1841 in Rome, Oneida, NY. He married Margaret Wetherald, daughter of Joseph Wetherold and Betty on 31 Dec 1790 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England (Bradford Quaker Meeting-Nc). She was born on 30 Jan 1766 in Aysgarth, Yorkshire, England (Near Bainbridge). She died about 1806 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. Joseph Grimshaw and Margaret Wetherald had the following children:
i. MARY7 GRIMSHAW was born on 13 May 1795 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She died on 01 Jun 1877.
ii. ANN GRIMSHAW was born on 07 Jan 1797 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She died on 01 Aug 1823.
iii. MARTHA GRIMSHAW was born on 13 Nov 1800 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She died on 09 Apr 1874.
iv. ELLEN GRIMSHAW was born on 13 Mar 1803 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She died on 28 Aug 1855.
v. ABRAHAM GRIMSHAW was born on 30 Jul 1806 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 05 Sep 1883.
vi. JOSIAH GRIMSHAW was born on 30 Jul 1806 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England.
24. ABRAHAM6 GRIMSHAW (Abraham5, Abraham4, Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born on 08 Feb 1771 in Rawden, Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. He died on 05 Feb 1843. He married Rhoda Long, daughter of David Long and Mary Yeadon on 24 Feb 1792. She was born about 1794 in Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She died between Jan-Mar 1839 in Otley, Yorkshire West Riding, United Kingdom.
Abraham Grimshaw and Rhoda Long had the following children:
29. i. DAVID7 GRIMSHAW was born in 1794 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. He died in 1851. He married Mary Forrest, daughter of John Forrest and Ann Teal on 11 Oct 1830 in Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She was born in 1802 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
ii. BETTY GRIMSHAW was born in 1795.
iii. HANNAH GRIMSHAW was born in 1797. She died in 1799.
iv. ANNA GRIMSHAW was born in 1801.
v. MARY GRIMSHAW was born in 1803.
25. ISAAC6 GRIMSHAW (Abraham5, Isaac4, Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born about 1792 in Farsley?. Isaac Grimshaw had the following child:
i. MARTHA7 GRIMSHAW was born about 1812 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England.
Generation 7
29. DAVID7 GRIMSHAW (Abraham6, Abraham5, Abraham4, Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born in 1794 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. He died in 1851. He married Mary Forrest, daughter of John Forrest and Ann Teal on 11 Oct 1830 in Guiseley, Yorkshire, England. She was born in 1802 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. David Grimshaw and Mary Forrest had the following children:
i. ELLEN8 GRIMSHAW was born in 1833 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
31. ii. ABRAHAM GRIMSHAW was born in 1835 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. He married Eliza Greaves, daughter of Joseph Greaves and Grace Hargreaves between Jan Mar 1856 in Otley, Yorkshire, England (Vol 9a Page175). She was born in 1837 in Horsforth, Yorkshire, England.
iii. ANNA GRIMSHAW was born in 1837 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
iv. JOHN GRIMSHAW was born in 1838 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
v. ELIZA GRIMSHAW was born in 1840 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
vi. CHARLES GRIMSHAW was born in 1843 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
Generation 8
31. ABRAHAM8 GRIMSHAW (David7, Abraham6, Abraham5, Abraham4, Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born in 1835 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. He married Eliza Greaves, daughter of Joseph Greaves and Grace Hargreaves between Jan-Mar 1856 in Otley, Yorkshire, England (Vol 9a Page175). She was born in 1837 in Horsforth, Yorkshire, England. Abraham Grimshaw and Eliza Greaves had the following children:
i. WILLIAM GREAVES9 GRIMSHAW was born in 1857 in Horsforth, Yorkshire, England.
ii. ARTHUR H GRIMSHAW was born in 1860 in Horsforth, Yorkshire, England.
iii. CHARLES DAVID GRIMSHAW was born in 1863 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
iv. EMMA MARY GRIMSHAW was born in 1865 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
v. SARAH ELIZABETH GRIMSHAW was born in 1868 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
33. vi. THOMAS GRIMSHAW was born in 1870 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. He died on
17 May 1945. He married Emily Bottomley, daughter of Walton Bottomley and Martha Jane Ingham between Apr-Jun 1893 in North Bierley, Yorkshire, England (9b 377). She was born in 1869 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England.
vii. JOSEPH GRIMSHAW was born in 1872 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
viii. ISABELLA GRIMSHAW was born in 1875 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
ix. GEORGE E. GRIMSHAW was born in 1878 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
x. ALICE E. GRIMSHAW was born in 1880 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England.
Generation 9
33. THOMAS9 GRIMSHAW (Abraham8, David7, Abraham6, Abraham5, Abraham4, Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born in 1870 in Rawdon, Yorkshire, England. He died on 17 May 1945. He married Emily Bottomley, daughter of Walton Bottomley and Martha Jane Ingham between Apr-Jun 1893 in North Bierley, Yorkshire, England (9b 377). She was born in 1869 in Calverley, Yorkshire, England. Thomas Grimshaw and Emily Bottomley had the following children:
35. i. RAYMOND10 GRIMSHAW was born between Jul-Sep 1894 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England. He died on 01 Feb 1987 in Mahe, Seychelles (Hospital). He married Kate I Coare, daughter of John Coare and Amy Jane Barratt in 1920 in Rochford, Essex, England. She was born in Oct 1900 in Mile End Old Town, London, United Kingdom. She died on 18 Dec 1981 in Eastbourne, Sussex, England.
ii. ERNEST GRIMSHAW was born in 1899 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England.
iii. JANET GRIMSHAW was born in 1904 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England.
Generation 10
35. RAYMOND10 GRIMSHAW (Thomas9, Abraham8, David7, Abraham6, Abraham5, Abraham4, Josiah3, Abraham2, Edward1) was born between Jul-Sep 1894 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England. He died on 01 Feb 1987 in Mahe, Seychelles (Hospital). He married Kate I Coare, daughter of John Coare and Amy Jane Barratt in 1920 in Rochford, Essex, England. She was born in Oct 1900 in Mile End Old Town, London, United Kingdom. She died on 18 Dec 1981 in Eastbourne, Sussex, England. Raymond Grimshaw and Kate I Coare had the following child:
i. BRENDON D11 GRIMSHAW was born on 27 Jul 1925 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England. He died on 03 Jul 2012 in Moyenne Island, Seychelles.
Generation 11
BRENDON D11 GRIMSHAW was born on 27 Jul 1925 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England. He died on 03 Jul 2012 in Moyenne Island, Seychelles.
Webpage History
Webpage posted November 2002. Banner replaced April 2011. Updated October 2012 with extensive changes and additions.
