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| High Street Arksey early 1900's |
A Rainbow Of Trouts
During the course of researching the history of Arksey, I've found several prominent families, who have all made their mark on the village in various ways, none more so than the 'Cooke' and 'Trout' families.
The Cookes were wealthy landowners, and contributed to the community of Arksey by providing the 'big stuff', like almshouses for the poor, a school for the children, and various charitable trusts.
By contrast, the Trouts were ordinary, hard working village folk, but proved themselves invaluable to the people of Arksey during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. They were the 'go to' people in the village - if you wanted a shoe for your horse, you would go to a Trout, if you wanted a pint of beer after a hard day in the fields, you would go to a Trout, indeed, if you wanted to post a letter, have some joinery work done, or even bury your Grandmother, you would invariably go to a Trout. They did so much for the people of Arksey in solid, practical ways that the name is still well remembered in the village today, even though it is more than 30 years since the last of the name made the final journey to the cemetery next to the railway.
My ongoing correspondence with Edwin Trout, which has continued since he assisted me with the Plough Inn article, has brought me in touch with much of the family history. Edwin's excellent genealogical work has made it possible for me to explore many of the family members who have made their mark on the village.
I cannot possibly write the whole history of the family here, so I have chosen to concentrate on three family lines which have made important contributions to the village. All stemming from one common ancestor, Robert Trout. One line were known for their blacksmith and publican trades, a second line moved away from Arksey, but culminated in a man who made a written record of Arksey's history. The third line was known for working in the wheelwright and carpentry trades, as well as running Arksey's Post Office.
We start at the very beginning, with the earliest known Trout to live in Arksey, Robert Trout.
Contents
- Robert Trout (1702-1760)
- William Trout (1733-1812)
- Robert Trout (1766-1824)
- William Trout (1811-1863)
- Thomas Trout (1744-1814)
- John Trout (b.1748)
- Thomas Trout (1785-1832)
- Henry Dowson Trout (1824-1859)
- Henry Ridgill Trout (1849-1914)
- Archie Ernest Trout (1879 - 1962)
- John Trout (1788-1865)
- John Trout (1820-1900)
- James Henry Trout (1857-1933)
- Ellen Beatrice Trout (1891-1982)
- Outline Family Tree
Robert Trout (1702-1760)
Robert Trout, the son of Joshua Trout, was baptised on the 17th of September 1702 in Dronfield, Derbyshire.
He arrived in the parish of Arksey in 1727, first residing at Bentley, and by 1729 at Arksey where he set up as the village blacksmith. He had married his first wife Maria, at Aston in South Yorkshire in April 1726.
Robert was married three times altogether, and produced nine children, these are summarised below:
1. Maria Rushby (1704 - 1729), married in 1726.
- George 1727 - 1727
- Maria 1729 - ????
2. Elizabeth England (1698 - 1743), married in 1729 (four months after the death of Maria).
- Elizabeth 1731 - 1741
- William 1733 - 1812
- Ann 1737 - 1841
- Robert 1740 - 1762
3. Hannah Hesslewood (???? - 1753), married in 1743 (four months after the death of Elizabeth).
- Thomas 1744 - 1814
- George 1746 - 1828
- John 1748 - ????
Of these children William, Thomas and John (in bold above) formed the three branches of the Trout family of which we are most interested in and will come to in turn. Robert's son George has an extensive family tree, but as the family left Arksey early on, it is not covered here.
It was during Robert's third marriage that he started acquiring land in the parish. He held deeds for lands in Sprisholme Close, the two Carr Gap Closes and a messuage (dwelling) in Ash Hill, Bentley. His son's William and John extended the family holdings over the following decades.
Robert remained the village blacksmith until his death, working on the church of which he was a churchwarden. He was also overseer of the poor in the year 1750/1 and 1760.
Robert died on April 25th 1760. He was buried on the 6th of May in the southeast corner of the churchyard. Unable to be read today, the memorial (which includes family members over the following four generations) is recorded as follows:
In Memory of
Robert Trout who died
May 1760 ....66th year of his life
Also William Trout who died Nov 10 or 16 1812
Aged 79 years
Also William Trout grandson of the above
William Trout who died April 17th 1863
Aged 53 years
....
Also Joseph Trout son of the above
Who died July 4 1866
Aged 21 or 27 years
Also Jane
Relict of the above William Trout
Died June 9 or 16th 1896
Aged 82 years
Robert's eldest son, William, we have met before in the article The Plough Inn, but for the purposes of continuity, we will examine his family branch, in brief next.
William Trout (1733-1812)
William was born in 1733, and was brought up in the blacksmith trade and probably took over the smithy from his father in 1760. In 1759, he married Jane Harman of Kirk Bramwith.
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| 1892 map showing the location of the Plough Inn and adjoining smithy |
By the 1770's William was also publican at the adjoining 'Horseshoe', latterly 'The Plough Inn'. By the end of 1781 William owned the property outright, providing an inheritance for at least one of his six children. His wife Jane had died in 1780, at the age of forty, before which she gave William the following children:
- William 1759 - 1793
- Elizabeth 1759 - 1800
- Ann 1764 - ????
- Robert 1766 - 1824
- Mary 1769 - 1769
- Thomas 1769 - ????
William's eldest son, William, married Mary Burkinshaw and lived in Arksey. He worked in the family smithy and fathered two daughters before his untimely death in 1793, at the age of 34.
Of the other children, Elizabeth stayed in Arksey where she married William Greenough, and produced four children. Like her brother William, she too died at the relatively young age of 39. Her sister Ann married John Riley in Arksey, where they lived and brought up their four children. Robert was the next child, and as William's heir, we will come to him later. The last two children were born in the same year, presumably making them twins. Thomas survived, but nothing more of him is recorded. His sister Mary though died soon after birth.
William died in 1812 and the Horseshoe passed to his second surviving son Robert, whom we shall examine next.
Robert Trout (1766-1824)
William's fourth child, and second son Robert, was brought up in Arksey, but during his early 20's he spent some time in Bradford, where he helped his Uncle Thomas to build his house and Post Office. It wasn't until he was aged 42, in 1808, that he married Martha Hemsworth in Arksey. They had two, possibly three children as follows:
- Martha 1808 - ????
- Mary 1809 - ????
- William 1811 - 1863
There is some ambiguity over the existence of Martha, born in 1808. She only seems to be mentioned in one source, and nothing more is known about her. There is no further information on Mary either.
Robert entered the blacksmith's trade, like his father before him, and on the death of his father in 1812, he took over as victualler of the village pub.
Robert died in 1824, leaving his estate to wife Martha, and son William. And it is William, Robert's heir, which we come to next.
William Trout (1811-1863)
With his mother Martha in charge at the Horseshoe, following Robert's death, William followed in the family tradition by becoming the village blacksmith.
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| The 'new' smithy, probably built in the 1850's. Photo from 1992 |
It was during Martha's time at the pub that the name changed to The Three Horseshoes, and then The Plough in 1834. Martha died in 1842, and The Plough passed to William. It was during William's time at the Plough that a new smithy was built on the corner of High Street, opposite the church, thus separating the two concerns once and for all.
William married three times and produced ten children in total, these are summarised below:
1. Sarah Wood 1813 - 1842, married in 1835.
- Robert 1836 - ????
- William 1837 - 1900
- Thomas 1840 - 1894
- Elizabeth 1841 - ????
John Sidwell b.1833, illegitimate child of Charlotte.
Emma Sidwell b.1837, illegitimate child of Charlotte.
- Joseph 1845 - 1866
- Martha 1846 - ????
- Mary Jane 1848 - ????
- Sarah 1849 - 1850
Thomas Barker b.1834, child of previous marriage.
John Barker 1836 - 1886, child of previous marriage.
- George Sidwell Trout 1854 - 1916
- Charlotte 1857 - 1921
William's third wife Jane was the sister of his second wife Charlotte. They married in Hull under dubious circumstances, as it was then illegal to marry one's 'deceased wife's sister'.
William died in 1863, leaving The Plough in the hands of his widow, Jane. Jane stayed on at The Plough until 1888, when she handed over the running of it to her daughter-in-law, Ann Barker, widow of John (b.1836). Jane moved into the almshouses to see out her days, finally dying in 1896.
Ann continued at The Plough until 1891, when she left to live in Balby. Ann Barker was the last link with the Trout family to be involved with The Plough.
In 1896 The Plough was acquired by the brewery Whitworth, Son & Nephew. They wasted no time in knocking down the old building and replacing it with a large red brick and mock-Tudor property in 1904 (see photo below).
In 1896 The Plough was acquired by the brewery Whitworth, Son & Nephew. They wasted no time in knocking down the old building and replacing it with a large red brick and mock-Tudor property in 1904 (see photo below).
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| The Plough Inn after the rebuild in 1909, after the Trout's left. |
William's son George Sidwell Trout married Maria Taylor in Arksey, where he worked in the smithy. They had 3 children before George eventually died in Doncaster, in 1916.
Two of William's first sons also followed in the family occupation of blacksmith. William (b.1837) ran the forge until the mid 1870's. He married Harriet Hanson, and produced a large family of twelve children. By 1880 the family had moved to the Sheffield district, passing the smithy on to other owners. His brother Thomas continued in the blacksmiths trade, working in premises in Almholme Lane. Thomas lived with his sister Elizabeth, and records show that he was a blacksmith in Arksey until 1894.
The rest of William's large family dispersed and we come to the end of this particular line. Next we take a detour to Buckinghamshire and Bradford to examine another of Robert Trout's sons, Thomas.
For a fuller history of The Plough Inn, go to the article The Plough Inn.
Thomas Trout (1744-1814)
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| Thomas Trout |
Thomas was born on the 29th of August 1744, the eldest son of Robert Trout (1702-1769) and his third wife Hannah Hesslewood. Raised in Arksey he was apprenticed in 1756 until 1763, but into which trade is not known.
Later that same year, in September, Thomas set out for London, and some months later entered the service of Sir Francis Dashwood, Baron Le Despencer, politician and one of the founders of the notorious Hellfire Club. Thomas is thought to have been a butler at Dashwood's baronial seat in West Wycombe Park, Buckinghamshire.
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| Sir Francis Dashwood |
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| West Wycombe Park, Bukinghamshire |
Thomas married Jane Rudd on the 18th of April 1768 in West Wycombe. Even though Thomas had left home and entered the service of Lord Le Despencer, he remained the legal responsibility of Arksey, should he fall on hard times. With his marriage to Jane, the Overseers of the Poor in West Wycombe would not have welcomed the possibility of his wife, and any children they might have, becoming a burden to them. Therefore Thomas was required to apply to Arksey for a Certificate of Settlement for Jane there. The settlement proved difficult to obtain, but it survives today, along with an interestingly spelled postscript from Thomas's brother William, as set out below:
'Sep:y 11 1768 arksey Dere brother and Sister I have Send you ye Setifect and has had a Deale of trubel toe gitt itt and Desire that you will Send mee a Leter as Soon as you Can Posebeley and that whe are all Whell and your brothers Remembers ther love to you and hoop that you [both?] ye same Sonomore att present from you everloving brother [and S?] Trout. T....beth'
The marriage produced no children and although there are no records, Jane appears to have died sometime before 1806. This is because of the existence of an Archbishop's marriage bond for the 11th of August 1806, between Thomas Trout and Anne Rudd, in Bradford. Thomas was certainly living in Bradford at this time, having been appointed to take over the running of Bradford main post office in 1779.
The fact that Thomas's second wife shared the same maiden name as his first wife has lead to some ambiguity over the marriages; however it is probably the case that Thomas married a younger relative of his first wife.
Thomas and Jane's first home in Bradford was the old Post Office in Wood Street (later Millergate) in Bradford. It was in 1780 that he purchased a property in Kirkgate, a more prosperous area. Nine years later he built a new house and Post Office in Mann's Court, off Kirkgate, employing his brother John, carpenter of Arksey, to oversee the building work. His aforementioned nephew Robert (b.1766) also assisted in the building work, and five years later, helped with whitening it.
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| The Millergate Post Office |
Thomas was a man of means, and assisted various members of his family financially. He also owned a brewhouse, and was a keen Methodist.
As neither of Thomas's marriages produced any children, when Thomas died in 1814, his nephew Thomas (b.1785) took over as postmaster (see below). The rest of Thomas's estate was bequeathed to other family members, and his widow, Anne.
We return to Arksey now, to examine Robert's youngest son, John.
John Trout (b.1748)
John was born in Arksey in 1748, the last child of Robert Trout (1702-1760) and his third wife Hannah Hesslewood. Following the death of his father Robert in 1760, John was taken into the care of William Addiman. His apprenticeship began on the 30th of May 1761 with wheelwright Jonathan Battye of Wadworth, near Doncaster.
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| John Trout's Indenture and Apprenticeship to Jonathan Battye, 1761 |
John married Mary Law, of Wadworth, on 12th December 1774, and they settled in Arksey. John worked as a carpenter and wheelwright, and in 1790 he took on Daniel Miller (or Mellor) as an apprentice. They had seven children, as listed below:
- Sarah 1775 - ???? (married John Dowson in 1804)
- Thomas 1776 - 1777
- Hannah 1778 - 1780
- Hannah 1780 -???? (married Richard Ridgill in 1807)
- Mary 1783 - 1788
- Thomas 1785 - ???? (married Rachel Ridgill in 1807)
- John 1788 - ???? (married Jane Wragg in 1819)
In 1789 John spent three months in Bradford, rebuilding his brother Thomas's house and post office, for which he was paid the sum of £5.5.0.
Between 1786 and 1817 John, who was described as a 'yeoman', made some considerable property transactions in Arksey, these included various lands, a messuage (dwelling) with brewhouse, four cottages, a messuage converted into three cottages, a messuage with a yard, garden and orchard, and other premises.
No record for John's death could be found.
It is John's eldest son, Thomas and his descendants who we come to next.
Thomas Trout (1785-1832)
Thomas was born in Arksey on the 8th of August 1785 to John Trout (b.1748) and his wife Mary Law. In 1807 he married Rachel Ridgill and in 1814 they moved to Bradford, where Thomas was appointed as Post Master of Bradford on the 18th of May, taking over from his Uncle Thomas (see above).
Thomas and Rachel had eight children, as below:
- Mary Ann 1810 - 1875 (their only child to be born in Arksey)
- Thomas 1811 - 1832
- Sarah 1814 - ????
- Emma 1816 - 1816
- John Ridgill 1817 - 1849
- Richard 1819 - 1844
- Henry Dowson 1824 - 1859
- Rachel 1827 - 1875
Thomas's post office moved twice during his time there, first to Bank Street, and later to Bridge Street, Bradford. He was closely associated with the new Christchurch, and served as churchwarden. Thomas had landholdings in Crowle, North Lincolnshire, which had been inherited by his wife Rachel; these were enclosed in 1812 - 1822.
Rachel Trout died in 1828; her funeral cost just over £14.10s.
Thomas suffered from financial difficulties at one time, and this led to him borrowing £100 from his brother in law, Richard Ridgill.
Having resigned from the post office in 1832, Thomas instead worked as an appraiser and auctioneer. His daughter Mary Ann failed to secure the role of Post Mistress after his departure, and later that same year Thomas died.
Thomas's seventh child, Henry is the next descendant of interest.
Henry Dowson Trout (1824-1859)
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| Henry Dowson Trout |
Henry was born in Bradford on the 14th of May, 1824, the fifth child of Thomas Trout (1785-1832) and his wife Rachel Ridgill. After a short time in Sheffield, Henry moved to St Ledger Place, Doncaster, where he was a waterman and sloop owner.
He married Margaret Laister on the 4th of May 1846, at St George's Church, Doncaster. Three children followed, these were:
- John Ridgill Trout 1849 - 1914
- Emma 1851 - ????
- Richard Henry 1853 -1854
The youngest child, Richard did not reach the age of two.
Sometime following the death of son Richard, Henry moved the family to the Hull district, which is where Henry died, aged only 35, on the 21st of September 1859.
It is Henry's son, John Ridgill whom we go to next.
John Ridgill Trout (1849-1914)
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| John Ridgill Trout |
John was born in Doncaster in October 1849 to Henry Dowson Trout (1824-1859) and his wife Margaret Laister. Following the death of his father Henry in the Hull district, his mother Margaret re-married.
John spent a short time working as a wood carver, but most of his working life was spent on the railways. He married Caroline Harman Mortimer in January 1872, in Sculcoates. They brought up a large family, as listed below:
- Minnie 1873 - 1922
- Ettie 1874 - 1954
- Walter Henry 1876 - 1876
- Richard Ridgill Trout 1877 - 1969
- Archie Ernest 1879 - 1962
- William Henry 1881 - 1940
- Harold 1884 - 1969
- Annie 1886 - 1886
- Eva 1887 - 1949
- Herbert Laister Trout 1890 - 1975
John Ridgill Trout died on the 22nd of September 1914 in Hull. Caroline survived until 1933.
Of John and Caroline's eight surviving children it is Archie Ernest who is of the greater interest, and who we will look at next.
Archie Ernest Trout (1879-1962)
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| Archie Ernest Trout |
Archie was born on the 2nd of September 1879 in Hull, the fifth of ten children born to John Ridgill Trout (1849-1914) and his wife Margaret Laister. Like his father before him, Archie went to work on the railways, firstly as a junior in the Goods Department, but later was promoted to clerk, before becoming Collector of Accounts.
He married Florence Helen Dixon on the 18th of September 1901 in Hull. Their son Cornelius Ernest was born in June 1902. There was another child born later, who did not survive.
Archie was a keen collector, writer and member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, to name just three of his many interests. But it is for his work on the Trout family history he is remembered most. During his research, his travels took him to Arksey, where he became so interested in the village of his ancestors that he embarked on a history project of the village itself. His handwritten notebook entitled Notes on the Parish of Arksey, which was compiled in 1913, was left at Arksey vicarage, and following its discovery was loaned to me early in 2013 (one hundred years after it was written).
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| Archie Trout's 'Notes on the Parish of Arksey' notebook, found at Arksey Vicarage. |
Archie, Florence and Cornelius moved to the village of South Cave in 1910, and Archie became interested in the history of that village too. In fact, Archie wrote widely on the subject of local history, and gave talks as well as historical tours around the neighbouring villages.
It is impossible to cover the full extent of Archie's achievements in writing here, but his works extended to war diaries, poetry and many articles for local newspapers.
Despite his many interests, Archie had suffered from ill health for most of his life, and was often troubled by 'haemorrhage of the lungs', which brought him down for weeks at a time.
In 1934 Archie was promoted to the position of Chief Accounts Clerk at the LMS Railway, and the family moved to Bradford until Archie retired in 1939.
Following retirement Archie and Florence moved back to their old home in South Cave, where they remained for the rest of their lives. Archie's interests in postal history and stamp collecting became his chief hobbies in those years, with many more articles published in newspapers and The Philatelist.
Following more ill health, for both Archie and Florence, Florence died of broncho-pneumonia on March 2nd 1959.
Following her death Archie was cared for by his housekeeper, Mrs Rignall, until he too died, on the 20th of June 1962, at the age of 82.
Archie's family line eventually leads to Edwin Trout, consultant to me on this article and compiler of the 'Trout' family history.
To read more about Archie Trout's notebook go to Exciting find at the Vicarage, which links into a series of posts transcribing the notes.
To see scanned images of Archie Trout's notebook go to the page Notes on the Parish of Arksey, Scans.
Archie's family line eventually leads to Edwin Trout, consultant to me on this article and compiler of the 'Trout' family history.
To read more about Archie Trout's notebook go to Exciting find at the Vicarage, which links into a series of posts transcribing the notes.
To see scanned images of Archie Trout's notebook go to the page Notes on the Parish of Arksey, Scans.
We have now reached the end of this particular family line, and must now turn our attentions to the other son of John Trout (b.1748) and Mary Law, that of John Trout (b.1788).
John Trout (1788-1865)
John was the younger surviving son of John Trout (b.1748) and Mary Law. He was born in Arksey in 1788 and was apprenticed into the carpentry and wheelwright trade as his father before him, working up to being a Wheelwright Master by 1851.
John married Jane Wragg on the 22nd of February 1819, when he was aged 31. They had eight children, all born in Arksey, as follows:
- John 1820 - 1900
- Sarah 1821 - ????
- Thomas 1823 - ????
- Mary 1824 - 1840?
- Hannah 1825 - ????
- Elizabeth 1828 - ????
- Jane 1829 -1873
- Rachel 1831 - ????
John rented three properties from Sir William Bryan Cooke, Bart. These are listed as: "Ho. Carpenter's shop, Homes and croft" of 2 roods, 1 pole; Carr Croft of 2 acres and 6 poles; and Ings Croft of 5 acres, 8 poles. John is also listed as the keeper of an unnamed beerhouse in White's Yorkshire Directory for 1837.
John died in 1865, and Jane moved into the almshouses, until she too died in 1874.
Three of John and Jane's eight children went on to provide further generations of Trouts in Arksey, John and Thomas, and also Jane through an illegitimate line. However, we will keep to just one line here, and examine the family of John and Jane's eldest son, John (b.1820).
John Trout (1820-1900)
John was born in 1820, in Arksey. The eldest child of John Trout (1788-1865) and Jane Wragg, he too followed the trade of his father and grandfather by becoming the wheelwright and carpenter of the village.
He married Susannah Burkhill in 1840, in the Doncaster district, and they had eight children as follows:
- Mary 1841 -1919
- Annie 1845 -1945
- Richard Charles 1847 -1947
- Elizabeth 1851 - ????
- Rebekah 1853 - ????
- Thomas 1855 - 1825
- James Henry 1857 - 1933
- John 1861 - 1928
All of the children except Elizabeth and Rebekah were born at Arksey, Elizabeth was born in the Wortley district of South Yorkshire, and Rebekah was born in Ecclesall, Sheffield. This was during the time that John and Susannah lived in Bradfield, near Sheffield, where John was listed as a publican.
The family were back in Arksey when Thomas was born in 1855, and John had returned to the family business, but by 1877 they had moved to Bentley.
John was admitted to the Doncaster Workhouse in 1900, when he suffered senile decay. He died on the 20th of May that year. Susannah died three years later, also suffering from senile decay.
Of all John and Susannah's children it is James Henry who continued the family line in Arksey, and it is to him that we turn next.
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| Doncaster Workhouse at nearby Balby |
James Henry Trout (1857-1933)
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| James Henry Trout |
James Henry, known as 'Henry', is one of the best documented of the Arksey Trouts. There is quite a considerable amount to say about him, and I may return to his story at a later date, but for now, I give this brief outline of his life and work in Arksey.
Henry was born on the 21st of November 1857, the seventh child of John Trout (1820-1900) and Susannah Burkhill. He grew up in Arksey and Bentley and soon joined his father and brother Richard in the family carpentry business, his chief occupation throughout his life. However, he also turned his hand to other trades over the years, describing himself as a 'wheelwright', 'joiner', 'builder', and 'undertaker'.
Over his life he carried out work on Arksey School, built some stairs for a cottage, made alterations at the Hall, and in 1914 he made a pair of oak gates for the church, which were a gift to the parish.
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| Henry Trout's gates at Arksey church |
Henry married Martha Ann Hardcastle in 1891 in Arksey church. They lived in Bentley at first, before moving to 59 Station Road, Arksey. They had three daughters, as follows:
- Ellen Beatrice 1891 - 1982
- Sybil 1894 - 1976
- Dorothea 1897 - 1977
Tragically, Martha died in 1900, and her sister Sarah Elizabeth Hardcastle (known as 'Aunt Sallie' to the girls) moved in to look after the house and children.
Henry took a keen interest in Arksey church; he was a churchwarden, chorister and bell ringer. Henry belonged to the Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers who in 1912 rang an impressive 5040 peal of changes in two hours 53 minutes. The occasion was commemorated with a Peal Board and a photo which are kept in Arksey church.
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| Henry Trout (second right, seated) with other members of the Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers and the Peal Board commemorating their achievement in 1912. |
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| The Peal Board now hanging in Arksey church |
In 1923, Henry was honoured with a presentation by Rev. A. Rhys James, in recognition of his contribution to the village and the church.
Henry lived out his retirement with his daughter Ellen at Arksey Post Office. He died on the 5th of September 1933.
We end the story of the Trout family with a look at Henry's daughter Ellen Beatrice aka 'Miss Trout', who is still fondly remembered in the village.
Ellen Beatrice Trout (1891-1982)
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| James Henry, Ellen Tout and 'Aunt Sallie' Hardcastle (poor photo). |
Ellen was born on the 19th of September 1891 to James Henry Trout (1857-1933) and his wife Martha Ann Hardcastle in Bentley, where she spent her early childhood. She was only eight years old when her mother Martha died, while her sisters Sybil and Dorothea were even even younger. Their Aunt, Sarah Elizabeth Hardcastle moved in to take care of them, and 'Aunt Sallie', as she was known, would become a life-long companion to Ellen.
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| L to R; Sybil, Ellen and Dorothea Trout. Photo courtesy of Linda Butler |
Sometime before 1920, the family moved into 59 Station Road. Ellen (popularly known as Nellie), became sub-postmistress at Arksey, and is quoted in a letter as saying:
"The Trouts appear to have a fancy for the Post Office, but it's a trying business and small pay."
Ellen's sister Sybil left home in 1914 to work as a probationer nurse in Huddersfield, and in 1922 married Sidney Smalley from Grimsby, and settled in Thorne, with their three children, Freda, Alec and Roland.
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| Sybil Trout in her nursing days. Photo courtesy of Linda Butler |
Dorothea (Dot) started work at Doncaster Post Office in 1913 and spent a few years in Beverley during World War 1 and after, returning to Doncaster in 1921. Dorothea married Dennis John Blomfield in 1926, and had a daughter.
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| Post office building (left) |
In 1920 Ellen took up residence at Arksey Post Office on High Street, her father Henry and Aunt Sallie moved in with her. The building was described as:
"A tall, gaunt building in the local style, two storeys leading back from the street, with a side lean-to and long rear extension. The roof was pantiled, with a chimney."
Ellen commented:
"Not a very modern place, but neither is the sub-postmistress."
It is remembered as a sort of general store, which sold sweets and had loaves of bread in a large wooden chest by the door. It was said to be a thriving business, which kept Ellen very busy.
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| The original shop scales from Ellen's Post Office and shop, now in the care of Linda Butler who kindly allowed me to photograph them. |
Below is a photo of the old Post Office/shop in about 1910. The trees behind were in the grounds of Arksey Hall.
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| The Post Office, Arksey, from the church tower about 1910 |
The Post Office had a large adjoining garden, which Ellen enjoyed immensely. She could be seen out in the garden, which was full of old style flowers, most summer evenings until dusk. In a letter from 1936 Ellen writes:
"Auntie and I live very quietly here and enjoy our garden which has been lovely this summer."
Around 1956 a new house was built in the grounds of the Post Office. This was 6 High Street, and it became Ellen and Sallie's new home for their retirement. In 1958 Dorothea returned to Arksey, and moved in with Ellen and Sallie. She had divorced from Dennis, and her daughter was married to a vet and living in South Africa. Dorothea had become mentally unwell.
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| 6 High Street today |
Ellen was very involved in the church, for which she had worked in her younger years. She was deeply religious, and attended services regularly. She also left money to it in her will.
Aunt Sallie died on April 19th 1964, and Dorothea died on the 22nd of January 1977, both are buried in Arksey's cemeteries.
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| Sarah Hardcastle's memorial in Arksey Old Cemetery |
The Post Office business had been transferred to premises on Marsh Lane, and then Station Road following Ellen's retirement, and the old building on High Street was pulled down in the 1970's with a new detached house built there in 1978.
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| Sampler stitched by Ellen Trout in 1905 |
In her latter years, Ellen became frail and housebound. She was eventually taken in to 'Owston View' residential home in Carcroft, where she died on the 15th of July 1982. She was buried beside her sister Dorothea in Arksey Cemetery. She was survived by her other sister Sybil, who died in 1986.
Outline Family Tree
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Many thanks to Edwin Trout, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for providing information and many of the photos for this article.
To contact Edwin for further details of the Trout family, please use the contact form, email me at arkvillhistory@yahoo.co.uk, or leave a message on the facebook page.
Further thanks go to Linda Butler for information and photographs relating to the family of James Henry Trout.
Alison Vainlo
First written 2013, updated 2020 and 2022
Alison Vainlo
First written 2013, updated 2020 and 2022
