E-mail from Len Townsley in North Wales 2nd August 2010
Having lived in Guernsey for many years and now retired to North Wales, I was delighted to find the Methley Village site, which revived childhood memories for me. I am truly amazed at the amount of material on view.
My maternal Grandmother, Mary Elizabeth BUNN, lived at the end of the plantation behind Dunsford House, as a tenant, I think, of the Lumb family who occupied the nearby farm. As a child, during the war, I was quarantined there for some time with mumps, which, as I recovered, didn’t stop me from roaming the woods and fields in the area and where I took in more about nature than I have since, including the “niff” of Huddlestone’s “muck piles”.
The most exciting adventure of all was to ride with Rip’ Huddleston on his big, bright yellow, track laying tractor, which also produced great hard boiled eggs suspended in a string bag in the radiator header tank. I’ve never seen a tractor like it from that day to this. Sadly, Health and Safety in the work place denies kids such pleasures today.
Some years ago I did visit the village during a holiday trip from Guernsey only to find that the old house at the end of the plantation had gone, although I was able to revive one other memory in shouting for
the “BOAT” at the end of Boat Lane and visit Allerton Bywater for a short while. I would dearly love to obtain a copy of any photograph, from the village archive, or any other source that anyone can direct me
to and to hear anything (good or not so good) about the BUNN family in Methley.
Once again my thanks in producing such a wide ranging and interesting site for the benefit of others.
Sincerely…… Len Townsley.
Dear Bill, (24 Sep 2016)
Thank you for taking the trouble to forward the pictures relating to the Plantation Cottages from Jennie Turner, and if you would be kind enough to pass on my thanks to the lady, together with a request that she might be kind enough to forward any other relative item she may discover in her archive.
My childhood memories of Methley are a source of great pleasure to me still and I would very much like to visit with your membership who are doing such a wonderful job in preserving and promoting it but, sadly, I’m not up to making the trip these days and, needs must, be satisfied with using my computer and the good offices of kind folk, such as yourself, to assist me on my virtual travels.
One way and another my genealogical journey has taken me back as far as a Robert CLARKE – 1134 – and given me a great deal of satisfaction but I have one outstanding problem which, having tried my very best, I’ve been unable to resolve. The first wife of my maternal grandfather – George BUNN was Hannah. M. ??? born Dewsbury 1873 who was present in the 1901 Census in Dover. Grandad Bunn was a Shaft Sinker who next moved to 55 Robinson Street, Allerton Bywater, and is remembered by some in respect of a working called “Bunnies Drift”. About this time Hannah disappears from the scene, said by family, to have been committed to an asylum, Menston being the prevalent institution. All enquiries in this area have come to nothing, so I’m left with a lady who I’m unable to close the file on. I wonder if Glenys, the Methley Genealogical Wizard might have any suggestions as to how I might be able to resolve this matter, which is a persistent itch which I’m unable to scratch.
Thank you once again for your kind remembrance of my enquiry and my very best wishes to you all in future endeavours.
Sincerely…… Len’ Townsley.