Admiral Henry Thomas Davies

Who was this naval officer whose Memorial Tablet is in St Katherine’s Chapel in St Alphege Parish Church?

 From his career profile, sent to me by the National Navy Museum in Portsmouth, we can establish that Henry Thomas Davies at one time lived in Solihull, but we have been unable to find out exactly where. The earliest census return record found shows him living at Lansdown Place East, Bath in 1861. Probably he had moved there for his retirement to 'take the waters' as was fashionable at that time - echoes of Jane Austen.

We can confirm that his son Henry Cartier" Davies was born in Solihull on the 20th April 1804. Examination of the registers of St Alphege confirm that he was baptised in the church the following day. He was educated at Rugby, Brasenose College, Oxford and Sidney Sussex CollegElf Cambridge.

Henry senior joined the Navy in 1794, became a Captain in 1814, and retired in 1846 as an Admiral. He died in Bath on the 21st February 1869 and, from an examination of burial records, his body was not returned to Solihull for burial.

Here is an extract (in the language of the time) from information supplied by The National Museum, Royal Navy:

 DAVIES (Captain 1814)

Henry Thomas Davies entered the Navy, 3 March, 1794, as captain's servant, on board the TRITON 28, Capt. John Elphinstone, lying in Portsmouth harbour; and, on soon after removing with the same Officer to the GLORY 98, Dore a part in Lord Howe's action of the of 1 June. He continued to serve with Capt. Elphinstone - as Midshipman and Master's Mate of the BARFLEUR, MONARCH and QUEEN CHARLOTIE, flag-ships of the late Lord Keith, and of the DIOMEDE SO - until March, 1800; during which period, while in the MONARCH, he assisted at the reduction of the Cape of Good Hope in 1795, and was present at the surrender of the Dutch squadron in Saldanha Bay, 17 August 1796. Mr. Davies returned home from the East Indies early in 1800, on board L'OISEAU 36, capt. Sam Hood Linzee; and on 24 December in that year, after again serving with Capt. Elphinstone in the HECTOR 74 and with Lord Keith in the FOUDROYANT 80, was promoted to a Lieutenancy in the WINCHELSEA 32, capt. John Hatley. In the course of 1801 he obtained a medal for his services in Egypt; subsequently to which we find him appointed- in December of the latter year, to the ZEALOUS 74, Capt. S. H. Linzee, whom he accompanied to the West Indies - 19 March, 1801, after 18 months of half-pay, to the RUBY 64, Capt. Charles Rowley, employed in the North Sea and off Cadiz - 18 January 1805, to the MATILDA as Flag-Lieutenant in the river Thames to Hon. Henry Edwin Stanhope ¸and, 6 February 1806, in the capacity of First-Lieutenant, to the BLANCHE of 46 guns and 265 men, Capt. Thos. Lavie. For his conduct, and the strong recommendation of his commander, at the capture, 19 July follOWing, off the Faeroe Islands, of the GUERRIERE, French frigate, of 50 guns and 317 men, which struck her colour at the dose of a warm action, in which the British lost only 4 men wounded, and the enemy 50 killed and wounded, Mr Davies was rewarded with a Commander's commission, dated on 28 of the same month. He assumed command, in January 1809, of the TYRIAN 10, on the Channel station, where he removed, 3 August 1811, to the ALBACORE 18; and, on 18 December 1812, he particularly distinguished himself by the gallantry with which, in company with two or three smaller vessels, he pursued and engaged, with a loss to the ALBACORE of 1 Lieutenant killed and 6 or 7 men wounded, the French 40-gun frigate, LA GLOIRE, who ultimately effected her escape. Capt. Davies attained Post-rank 19 February 1814; and, from 9 June following until 10 July, 1815, further commanded the NIAGARA 20, and PRINCE REGENT 56, on Lake Ontario. He accepted the Retirement 1 October 1846.

The memorial is inscribed thus:

To the Revered Memory of Admiral Henry Thomas Davies

who died at Bath February 21S1 1869, aged 91 years.

"Then are they glad because they are at rest: and so he bringeth them unto the haven where they would be."

Also in memory of the children of the above mentioned Henry Thomas Davies and Mary Anne his wife. Elizabeth Augusta Davies died at Southampton

September 26th 1826, aged 19 years.

Charlotte Letitia Davies died at Southampton

March 9th 1830, aged 23 years.

The Revd. Henry Cartier Davies M.A. died at Tetbury

August 5th 1836, aged 32 years.

Marianne, wife of T. Charles Bell Esq.

died at Bath August 3rd 1852, aged 35 years.

His only son, the Rev. H. C. Davies, of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, died 5 Aug. 1836.

Research by Allan W Evans

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 CATALOGUING SOLIHULL'S OLD BUILDING PLANS

SMBC’s Planning Department has passed many of the original plans of buildings which sought planning permission frm 1880 to 1936 to the Library. Peter & Edna Handley volunteered to list them and since March 2007 have spent a morning each week doing so. They and two other volunteers have now completed  this work. There are over 5,000 plans in the index and this will be a valuable source for researchers.

        NOTABLE BUILDINGS PROJECT

This project was launched in December 2005 when History Circle members were asked to nominate buildings in Solihull and Olton (not Knowle, as the Knowle Society already does invaluable work there) which justified retention if developers threatened them with demolition or major alteration. Members nominated 62 buildings of which 13 were already Statutorily Listed (on two of which we have done a little extra work), 2 Locally listed and 5 were in Conservation Areas. Two, the original Methodist Chapel at Blossomfield/Streetsbrook Roads and Tudor Grange, had already been researched by Edna Handley and Allan Evans respectively. 

This left 40 buildings which appeared to justify research. So far, up to January 2009, we have completed research on 15 of these. Betty & Bob Smith did a wonderful job on Ulleries Farm including maps and photographs; Edna Handley researched Sandall's Cottage and The Cottage, both on Warwick Road; and Allan Evans investigated Alderbrook Lodge (now demolished). Adam & Helen Pearce have examined buildings in Olton outside the Conservation Area, Ros Rafnson has researched The Barley Mow, and Nigel Cameron an Arts & Crafts house in Broad Oaks Road.
Examination of a further 13 buildings continues, but there are still 12 to be allocated to a researcher. We would welcome your help

 This project continues - with the photography now undertaken by Adam Pearce -  and some of the results are shown on another page of this website.

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ORAL HISTORY        

When Edna Handley finished editing her book “Memories of Solihull Village”, using recorded reminiscences of people who had lived here in the past, names were still being forwarded to her of those who would be willing to give an oral history. I offered to help out with the recordings, although I had never done anything like it before.

I read a book on the subject, bought a small tape recorder and started in November 2000 with a Mr Oliver.  The people I have interviewed were so thrilled that we were taking an interest in their former life style and welcomed me into their homes.

One of the discoveries I made in this work was that it is better to meet the interviewee and get to know them before producing the equipment at a later date.  I was able to give an idea of what was required and they had the interim period to reflect and order their thoughts. 

Some of the subjects had less to say about Solihull than others, but usually there was other interesting information to be had, such as Mrs Pitkeathly’s experiences of the WAAF in the area during World War 2.  Some memories were personal, like the christening of two babies Elizabeth and Philip at the time of the Queen’s marriage, but others had wider repercussions like the demolition of central Solihull for the building of Mell Square. 

Over a period of six years I have gradually got together a collection of fifteen recollections of Solihull and the surrounding area from some older people with memories of former times. When Edna Handley finished editing her book “Memories of Solihull Village”, using recorded reminiscences of people who had lived here in the past, names were still being forwarded to her of those who would be willing to give an oral history. I offered to help out with the recordings, although I had never done anything like it before.

All these were taped and then transcribed on to computer and printed out. Since then, Adam, our Treasurer, has put the recordings and transcripts on to CDs so that they can all be handed over to Solihull Library and the Warwick Record Office for preservation.

The transcribing of the tape on to the computer is a painstaking business and at first I was doing this in an exact manner from the speech.  One can also adjust slightly the conversation to make it more readable, which I have done of late.  Now I am working on my last tape, and having done a dozen I hope shortly to deposit the discs, and hard copies of the histories, at the Central Library and Warwick Record Office, for the possible enlightenment of future generations.  It has been very rewarding to meet such interesting and lively people.  
Copies of the oral histories will be available to borrow during the next season of the Solihull Local History Circle.

  Helen Pearce

       Roads photographed so far: 

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Updated 27/03/2012