My friend Diana was having a sort-out and came across this small group of old photos that she bought ages ago so she very kindly sent them to me earlier this year to research. She had done a little research on them herself when she originally bought them, to identify the family, so that was really handy as she passed on her findings to me.

What a dear little girl and such a lovely photo with her Grandfather.

I started a family tree on Ancestry as I usually do, with John Pollexfen and his parents Thomas and Margaret, I managed to gradually build up the family confirming the details written on the backs of the photos.

Rev John Hutton Pollexfen was born on 6 May 1813 in Kirkwall and St Ola, Orkney, Scotland as the second child of Thomas Pollexfen and Margaret Hutton. He had four siblings, James Riddoch, Margaret, Janet Young, and Thomas Henry.

John I found was an interesting chap. He was a renowned coin collector, plant collector and algologist (who studied Algae). I found this written about him in a publication titled ‘Scottish Coin Collectors’ from the British Numismatic Society website: “The collection formed by the Reverend. John Hutton POLLEXFEN (1818-99) sold by Sotheby’s in June 1900 contained one of the largest and most thorough collections of Scottish coins formed in the nineteenth century. Pollexfen took a degree as a Doctor of Medicine at Edinburgh University, but later studied theology and was ordained in 1844. From 1851 he was Rector of St Runwald, Colchester, moving to Yorkshire in 1870 where he became vicar first of East Witton, Bedale, and then from 1874 until his death of Middleton Tyas, Richmond. Burns knew him well and held him in high esteem. In the Glasgow Exhibition Catalogue of 1876, Burns describes Pollexfen as a ripe and accomplished numismatist, who has long made Scottish coins the subject of loving study. He was greatly handicapped by very poor sight in his right eye. In 1877 it looked as if he would have to sell his entire collection. He wrote to Cochran-Patrick: ‘My time is so fully occupied that I am unable to open a book on Numismatics, & I have been so plundered by an unprincipled builder who has dragged me into the Law Courts, that I intend to take the earliest opportunity in my power of disposing of my collection’. He was anxious to sell the collection as a whole, preferably to someone like Cochran-Patrick: ‘There is no one to whom I would rather that my coins should pass than yourself, for I know you would fully appreciate them’. The case was settled out of court, however, and the danger of having to sell his coins was evidently somehow averted. Not long after, in the Nobleman sale of 1880, we find him paying high prices for a two-thirds bonnet piece 1540 (ex Cuff) and a Mary testoon 1553 that had come from Pembroke and Addison.” 

This is John’s record from Cambridge University Alumni, 1261-1900, Ancestry: Admitted at a College at QUEENS’, Feb. 27, 1840. Matric. Michs. 1840; B.A. 1844; M.A. 1847. M.D., Edinb., 1835. F.S.A., 1881. Ord. deacon (Ripon) 1844; priest (Winchester) 1846; C. of Eccleshill, Yorks., 1844-5. C. of Clapham, Surrey, 1846-8. Sec., C.P.A.S., 1848-51. R. of St Runwald’s, Colchester, 1851-70. V. of E. Witton, Yorks., 1870-4. V. of Middleton-Tyas, 1874-99.
John married Anne Taylor, daughter of Robert Taylor 1780-1841 and Jane Burnside of Broomland, Kirkcudbright. John and Anne had eight children:

John’s wife Anne died in 1870 while they were living in Colchester, Essex. After her death, he became Vicar of East Witton and then Middleton Tyas in Yorkshire until his death on 6 Jun 1899. As you can see below two of his sons also became Vicars.

John and Anne‘s granddaughter, Laura Pollexfen Burton, pictured with him in the photo, was the only daughter of their sixth child Emily Margaret Pollexfen 1856-1915 and James William Burton 1859-1895, who Emily had married on 4 Jun 1890, Laura was born the following year on 19 March, they had no other children, James was an Episcopal Clergyman at St Porter’s Church, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire at the time of Laura’s birth. Laura was just four when he died at the age of 36. Was this when the photo above was taken? She looks about the right age.

I’ve not found Laura in the 1939 register, she was the heiress to her aunts and uncle, but she never married and died in Farnham, Surrey in 1958.

So now we turn to the next three photos that are all connected, Dorothy Pollexfen Ranken is the young baby in the first two.

Dorothy‘s parents were Rev Thomas William Ranken 31 May 1848-17 Sep 1911 and Mabel Fanny Alberta Greenland 13 Mar 1876-5 Sep 1922, Thomas was the Sheriff Clerk of Orkney. Although the family on the 1911 census were staying at 27 Willsons Road, Ramsgate, Kent. Thomas gives his address as 4 Broad St, Kirkwall, Orkney. Thomas died in September of 1911.

The photos of Dorothy with her parents look like they were taken on the occasion of her baptism, she was born on 13 April 1904 in Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland. Dorothy was a second cousin to young Laura in the first photo.

While researching the family on the Orkney Islands I came across some really good old photos online, if you are interested in The Orkney Islands, this website is just fabulous with many images of past times including more photos of her father when he was the Sheriff Clerk of Orkney at the time of her birth: Orkney Communities

I found Dorothy in the 1939 register living at ‘Clothedge’ Cranbrook Road, Kent, she is an Artist and first on the register is Elsa Mary Helen Smith 1904-1994 a Writer that Dorothy is living with, neither lady ever married, were they a couple?

Dorothy died aged 74 in 1978 at 71 Mount Road, Bath, Somerset. Elsa also died in Somerset, in Keynsham she was 90. I’ve not found out a lot about either of them but I did find that Elsa was elected to the local parish council of Broomfield, Taunton in March 1946 and she also founded the Hanham Art Club in 1969 and it’s still going today.

Dorothy studied a one-year art teacher training course at the IOE 1930-1931

Some of Dorothy Pollex Ranken‘s work was exhibited at the Exhibition Of Industrial Art by Students of the principal art schools maintained and aided by the L.C.C., held at the County Hall from 6th to 20th March 1935. A Substantial part of the exhibition was subsequently displayed by his Majesty’s government in the British Pavilion At The International Exhibition in Brussels.

There is a photo of the property ‘Clothedge’ (plus lots more of Kent) where Dorothy and her friend Elsa lived in 1939 on the Kent Photo Archive website, link here: Kent Photo Archive, Clothedge. Church Road.

Initially, this next photo was a puzzle but once I had added Dorothy I realised this was her mother Mabel Fanny Alberta Greenland, the photo being taken before she had married.

Mabel married Thomas William Ranken on 22 April 1903. She died on 5 September 1922 in France at the age of 46.

Mabel Fanny Alberta Greenland was born in 1876 in India, her parents were Albert Greenland 1840-1883 and Sarah Minnie Knott 1855-1892. This is Sarah‘s digital death certificate below. Her father Albert was a Colonel in the Army.

Here’s the small family tree I have compiled for these family photos on Ancestry: John Pollexfen Family

Of course, if you do know of the family or you are a descendant please get in touch!

Till next time then…….