Jack - John Ernest Lamin 1870 - 1945

Harry’s brother Jack  was born in 1870 to Henry Lamin and his wife Sarah.  He was  17  years older than Harry.  In 1891, the census tells us that he is an assistant schoolmaster, living in Awsworth. We can only assume that he was teaching at the same village school that he attended as a child. 


One of the photographs I have looks about right for a young schoolmaster in his early twenties.

I have quite a few photographs of Jack as his career progressed, but now, thanks to Frances, know little more of the detail of what happened to him.  After some impressive research, Frances said...

On the 1911 census, he was living at 149 Church Street, Kimberworth. He was a lodger in the property, and living alone. His occupation is recorded as “Clerk in Holy Orders, Established Church.”

I consulted Crockford’s Clerical directory for various years, which gave me some more information on Jack’s career.

He went to St Catherine’s College in Oxford, where he got his BA in 1905. He was awarded his MA in 1916.   By 1916, St Catherine's wasn't yet a "proper" Oxford College. It was set up to permit less affluent students gain a degree without the great expense of attending the University as a full undergraduate.

He became a deacon 1905, and a priest in 1906. From 1905 until 1911 he was Curate of Kimberworth, Rotherham. In 1906, his address is recorded as 98 Regent Street, Rotherham.

From 1911 – 1912, he was Curate at St Marks, Broomhall, Sheffield.

From 1913 – 1915, he was Vicar of Grimethorpe, Barnsley. His address (unsurprisingly) was the Vicarage.

From 1916 – 1923, he was Curate of St John, Newland, Hull. His address is recorded as 20 Ryde Street, Beverley Road. Hull. There is a reference in the East Yorkshire archives for St John’s dated 8 December 1916 which reads “Licence for assistant curate John Ernest Lamin.”

From 1923 – 1936, he was Vicar of North Dalton, again living at the Vicarage. North Dalton is small village south west of Driffield, in the East Riding of Yorkshire (where, coincidently, some of my ancestors lived).

From 1936 onwards, he was at Newton-on-Ouse, again in Yorkshire, this time north west of York. His address is the Vicarage. In 1938, he became the Officiating Chaplain at the nearby RAF Linton-on-Ouse. From June 1937 until April 1940, the Station was also home to Headquarters No 4 (Bomber) Group, which controlled the bomber stations in Yorkshire.
May 14, 2010 

Thank you Frances. Fills many of the gaps.   to my efforts. BL
By the 1901 census he was an “elementary schoolmaster” (Not an assistant)  living in Oxford, with young Harry staying with him. Oxford is mentioned in quite a few of Harry’s letters so Harry must have stayed there for a while.

By 1917 John had been ordained into the Anglican Church and was was a curate, a  novice clergyman, living in Newland, Hull, Yorkshire.

He spent quite a time in Hull and was, at some time, was given title of  Canon (an honourary title in the Anglican Church, given to senior, well respected members of the clergy) attached (probably the wrong word) to York Minster. I have discovered that the Canons attached to a Cathedral or Minster (as York) are allocated a pew – a seat in the church – that is for their use whenever they attend a service. Maybe that is where the family story of him having a plaque  came from.

I know that he retired with Agnes to Rugely in 1943.  He had married her  in late 1917, aged 47.  It was the same Rugeley where Harry did his basic training before the Flanders battlefields.

Willie knew "uncle John"  quite well and always referred to him in a respectful manner.  Jack officiated at Willie, my father’s wedding, in 1941. He died in 1945 aged 75.

The “Bill” referred to in Jack’s letter to Kate, is Willie, my father. I don’t know if he made the visit.

The Vicarage,

Brereton,

Rugeley

Staffs

27^th Feb 1944

Dear Kate

We made a mistake over the date of my birthday – we made it the 24^th instead of 25^th.  Your pork pie came on the right day and we are enjoying it very much. We are expecting Bill on next Sunday. I hope we shall have better weather than it is (to)day for it has been snowing very heavily all day!

I see they have got a new vicar at last at Newton – when are you thinking of coming to see us? The Curry’s …… We are both very well just now and  we both   send our best love.

Yours affectionately

J.E. Lamin






I can't really give a better picture of John Ernest Lamin. I have no access to anyone who knew him apart from Willie, and I'm afraid his memory gives us no help.


More information from blog follower Veda.

The remaining piece of information missing from your added comment to the blog is that he was Canon and Prebendary of Husthwaite from 1940.


"Prebendary" means that he was given this honorific title as a senior parish priest. The connection with Husthwaite will have been non-existent, and simply a random title which became vacant and which the cathedral Chapter decided to bestow on Jack. In the medieval period it seems to have been fairly significant, with legal jurisdiction:
   Link to guide 1
  Link to Guide 2
Although some canons have a specific role in relation to a cathedral which means that they live in cathedral houses and are part of the cathedral's day-to-day life, a canon with a title like Jack's had been given this office pretty much as an honorary distinction in recognition of long and faithful service. He might have been involved in some of the Minster's business as member of a council or committee, and may have been invited to preach very occasionally. As you said of his Oxford degree, well done Awsworth!


Thank you, Veda.


I'm really grateful that Jack kept Harry's letters safe so that they could be handed on to Ethel. Followers of the blog owe much to him and to Kate.

Photographs and images (Click to enlarge)
There are no dates with any of the pictures so the reader can make their own judgement.  The only exception is the last photograph,  taken at Willie's wedding to my mother, Nancy Satterthwaite, in 1941.

Thanks to readers' efforts and the Church of England's detailed records, we seem to have arrived at a good account of Jack's career.

The next post - Willie