HISTORY III

of the family of

BALIOLLE SCOT

THE LEMAN SCOTTS - NORFOLK, LONDON AND
SOUTH AFRICA

Thomas Scott, son of Sir Thomas Scott and Caroline Cartaret of Scot's Hall, is believed to have married Mary, the daughter of Daniel D'Oyley of Norfolk and were probably the first of the family to move to Norfolk. 1

Their son D'Oyley Scott, date of birth not known, married Elizabeth Abbs on the 30th. November 1726 in Great Walshingham, Norfolk (IGI), who's father Brian Abbs J.P. of Ingolby, Yorkshire, bought land at Aylmenton in North Norfolk in the mid eighteenth century. Their descendants all seemed to have lived in close proximity at Sustead, Sherringham, Gresham and North Walsham. 1

Their son John Scott married first to Sarah Golden, they had four children. He then married Thomasine Leman, his second wife on the 13th. May 1799 at St. Benedicts, Norfolk. The Leman surname has been appended to the Scott descendants since that time presumably to distinguish between them and those of his first wife. Thomasine was the daughter of Abraham Leman of Oulton, Norfolk. Their son Abraham Leman Scott was born 24th. January 1810 in Gresham and was married to Catherine Wright. They were originally farmers, and their eldest son Henry Leman Scott, a Draper, was married to Fanny Eliza Amoore at Droxford Church in Hampshire on the 13th May 1874. They had three children, Reginald, Marion and Donald. Marion died of diptheria at age seven.

The 1841 UK Census indicates that Thomasine Scott at age 65 was the head of the household and the farmer of what was presumably John Scott's farm near Gresham. Also on the farm were their eldest son Robert Leman Scott age 40 who was unmarried. At the same time the Census records show Johnathon Leman Scott aged 35, as a farmer near Gresham with Jeanette Scott aged 35 and three servants, and Abraham Leman Scott aged 30 also as a farmer near Gresham, with his wife Catherine Scott age 25, and daughters Elizabeth age 2, and Clarissa age 5 months.

John Scott died on 20th. April 1850, and is buried in the Gresham churchyard, next to the graves of his first wife, Sarah Golden who died in 1838, and their son John.

The 1851 Census gives more details with Thomasine Scott at age 76 as the Farmer of 239 acres employing eight men, two boys and one girl. Also on the farm were Robert Leman Scott, Farmers widow's son age 50, Martha, Farmers daughter age 47, Henry Leman Scott grandson age 6 a visitor and two servants.

Thomasine died in 1858 aged 83.

The 1851 Census also shows Abraham Leman Scott age 41, on a farm of 218 acres, employing six men, one boy and one girl. His wife Catherine Leman age 38, Clarissa Leman age 10, Sarah Leman age 5, William Leman age 3, Hannah Leman age 1, Abraham Leman age 7 months, a servant nurse, and two servants.

The 1861 Census has Abraham Leman Scott age 51, as Head of household in Bridge Street, Coltishall, Norfolk, described as a Malster, and children Elizabeth 22, Catherine 18, Sarah 15, William 13, Hannah 12, Abraham 11, Harriet 9, Martha 7, Mary 4.

The 1871 Census has Abraham Leman Scott age 61, as Head of Household in The Street, Coltishall, Norfolk, Described as a Malster, and children Harriet 19, Martha 17, Mary 14.

The 1881 Census records Abraham Leman Scott age 71, staying at Skeyton Lodge, Skeyton, Norfolk, and described as a Merchant

The 1881 Census records Henry Leman Scott at their London residence, 2 New Park Road, Lambeth, London, age 36, with his wife Fanny Eliza Scott age 33, Reginald William Leman age 4, Marion Leman Scott age 2, and Donald Arthur Leman Scott age 5 months, and Henry's sister Mary aged 24.

The 1891 Census records Abraham Leman Scott at age 81 staying in his daughter Mary's house in Carlton Colville near Lowestoft, and her son Harold age 1. He died at Mutford in Suffolk in 1892.

Henry was born in September 1844 in Erpingham, Norfolk. He married Fanny Eliza Amoore in June 1874 at Droxford, Hampshire. They had two sons Reginald and Donald, and a daughter who died young. At the time Reginald was born on the 27th. May 1876, the family lived at Royston House in North Walsham, Erpingham, and his father Henry had a drapery business in or near Norwich.

Henry died after only seven years of marriage at their London home in Lambeth, of pneumonia, contracted after a ride on top of a coach to London.

     

Royston House in 1900.

Royston House in 2008

With the family responsibilities now on her shoulders, Fanny sold the house and took the two boys to London to complete their schooling at the Royal Wanstead School.

In the 1891 Census are Reginald Leman Scott age 15 and Donald Leman Scott age about 11, resident at the Royal Wanstead School, in London.

Reginald was then articled to an accounting firm in London, but contracted TB when he was in his teens, and this was the reason Fanny brought both sons to South Africa in spite of opposition and abuse from the family for this decision. They arrived in Cape Town in 1894 in the Arundel Castle a few years before the Boer War. (See memoirs of Marjorie Fisher).

They stayed first in Burghersdorp with the Knight family whom they had known in England, then moved to Johannesburg. Reginald worked first in a shop and then as a commercial traveller, travelling the Transkei in a horse and cart. Just before the start of the Boer War there was an air of panic in Johannesburg, and threats by the Boers to poison the water supply led to Fanny and the boys moving to East London. As refugees they were housed in wooden huts on the West Bank, fortunately Fanny was able to pay for this accomodation although it was not what they were used to, as most of the Uitlanders were housed in tents in East London for the duration of the war and had to rely on charity. They returned to Johannesburg after the war, then in 1900, Reginald moved to Port St. Johns as accountant at the General Store. It was there that he met and courted Dagmar Wood, who at the time was visiting her cousins who owned Wood's Hotel.

Reginald William Leman Scott
Reginald and Dagmar were married on the 11th July 1907 in the Church of St Mary the Less in Johannesburg, and settled in Port St. Johns where they started the present family.

Dagmar Josephine Wood
Dagmar, was born in Kimberley on the 16th of August 1888. Dagmar's father was Herbert Talbot Wood. All I know of her mother was that she was Irish, and died when Dagmar was four years old. Her Grandfather Joseph Francis Wood married Sarah Ann Talbot in London, in Saint James Church, Paddington on the 13th March 1855.

Her parents moved from Kimberley to Johannesburg and lived in what is now Jeppestown. Their family doctor was Dr Leander Starr Jameson (of Jameson Raid fame). During the smallpox epidemic of 1893 Dagmar's elder sister Dolly succumbed to the dreaded disease. The family were put into quarantine and had to fly a yellow flag on the roof of their house and post four armed guards, one at each corner.

They eventually moved to Natal on Dr. Jameson's recommendation after Dolly had miraculously recovered from the smallpox. They traveled by ox-wagon on a four month trip which is described in some detail in Dagmar's fascinating memoirs, to Ladysmith, then by rail to Durban where they settled. Dagmar returned to Johannesburg some time later, and was living at 106 Camaron Road at the time of her marriage to Reginald.

They settled happily into the pioneering environment of the idyllic seaside town of Port St. Johns. Ken, Marjorie, Duncan and Helen were born there, where Reginald eventually took over the General Store, and ran a successful business. He built a house for the family which I believe still stands. Marjorie, in her memoirs, describes her very happy childhood in this beautiful part of the world, with mountains, river and beaches as the playground for her and her siblings.

A day at the beach at Port St Johns - 1908 Ken, Nursemaid, Dagmar, Fanny
Reginald was sent by the local authorities on a commission to the Government in Cape Town to try to persuade them to build a railway line to Port St Johns. He was however, not successful, and there is still no railway line to this day.

Reginald (left) on the steps of Parliament, Cape Town
Handing over the Commissions request

Ill health brought on by the TB he had suffered eventually forced Reginald to sell up and move inland to the drier climate. In 1915 they moved the family to Bronkhorspruit where Donald lived, and moved in with him. Donald worked in a mill in the town, and Reginald was the accountant for the same mill. Stanley was born here in 1916.

Donald's first wife May Godrich had died in childbirth, as did the child.

Donald had the distinction of owning the first car in Bronkhorspruit, a model "T" Ford.

After World War 1, jobs were hard to come by and preference was given to returning servicemen. So in 1918 the family moved to Aliwal North, then to Reddesburg (1918), Lady Grey (1919) Where Dennis was born, and finally Steynsburg (1921), where Reginald was the accountant at Du Plessis General Store. I was born in Steynsburg.

Our parents had eight children in all, but Peggy had died young. Reginald died in Steynsburg of pneumonia in November 1936, and is buried there. Dagmar moved to East London after Reginalds death, where she stayed until 1961. She then moved to Durban and finally to Scottburgh where she died on the 21st December 1978 at the age of 91, having been a widow for 42 years.

From Bronkhorstspruit Donald moved to Ventersdorp, Transvaal, where he married his second wife Florence Gatt. There were no children from either marriage.

Donald Arthur Leman Scott
He owned and ran a successful malt manufacturing business in the town. As a major employer, he involved himself in the upliftment of the indigenous population, taking part in and sponsoring sporting events and functions in the townships. He was admired and loved by the township dwellers, and often visited their houses to meet and be entertained by their families. As a child I was taken with him on many of these visits, and still remember the respect with which he was regarded. He was a kind man, having had no children of his own he tended to spoil us with generous presents. He died in Ventersdorp in 1945.