Daniel Dimes

  General Notes:

DANIEL DIMES (1792-1874) Daniel was baptized at Crondall Church on 30th May 1792 when he was 39 days old. He was the fifth child (and 4th son) of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Dimes. His baptism was recorded on the Paupers Roll. On 29th April 1815 he married Sarah Miles at Crondall. Sarah was the sister of Martha Miles who married Daniel's older brother, both being local girls and the daughters of Thomas and Sarah Miles.

Daniel and Sarah had seven children: Ann (1816-1880), George (1819-1842), Sarah (b. 1822), Henry (1825-1894), David (1827-1902), Emma (b.1830) and Thomas (1832-1899). (There is a marvellous photograph of all six surviving siblings taken outside the Priory Odiham in March 1873 on the occasion of the funeral of Ann's husband, William Coles, who was Odiham's parish clerk.)

In May 1823, Daniel's circumstances forced him to request help from the Overseers and he appears in the Poor accounts almost continually until 1831.The amounts vary from 2s. 4d. to 10s. per month. In January 1831 the records state, 'Daniel Dimes daughter for clothes - 5s.' - perhaps an outfit to enable Ann to go into service.

The Swing Riots
The 1820s and '30s were a time of considerable social unrest as the agrarian economy was changing rapidly and this culminated in the 'Swing Riots' of 1830-1; the name given to the widespread rural incendiarism, and destruction of threshing machines, that spread over the counties of Kent, Hampshire, Berkshire and Sussex.

Agricultural labourers demanded increased wages, reduction in tithe payments and the removal of machinery that caused unemployment. Of the nearly 2000 prisoners who were caught up in the riots, 19 of the ringleaders were executed and 481 transported to Australia. Although much of the unrest was centred in Hampshire, Crondall escaped the worst of the disturbances largely due to the sympathetic benevolence and practical assistance of the local squire, Charles Lefroy of Itchel Manor supported by the resident curate, the Rev Edmund Yaldon White, Gilbert White's nephew.

Daniel's brother, Thomas, died in August 1832 followed shortly afterwards by his widow, Martha, leaving a young family of 8 orphans. Whilst the Smith family fostered the youngest 6 children, Daniel and Sarah took in the second son William and gave him a home. He was fourteen at the time, and, from time to time, needed support from the Overseers. Sarah was allowed 2s a week for his keep and managed to get the Overseers to pay 7s towards a pair of shoes for him. William was still living with the family when the 1841 census was taken.

Enclosure Acts
The burden of the tithes, and the introduction of more productive farming methods gave momentum to the movement for common ]and to be enclosed and tithes to be commuted and bought out. The Tithing Commutation Act of 1836 was modelled on the Poor Law structure of 1834, whereby commissioners were established to draw up detailed maps on a parish level and make awards of land to individuals at a price that reflected the rate of tithe. These maps, which are available at the County Record Offices and the Public Record Office at Kew, are often the first large-scale maps made for a given area and show who owned the land and the size of individual fields.

In the tithe map of the Crondall area of 1846, Daniel is shown as the owner and occupier of a house and land at Doras Green measuring 2 roods and 4 perches. (A rood is 1/4 acre: a perch is 1/40th of a rood.) His annual tithe payment to the vicar on this land was 2s. 6p.

In the private enclosure act of 1847 for the tithing of Dippenhall in the parish of Crondall, the Valuer Edward Hewett allocated some 70 acres of land in Doras Green, Dippenhall Riding and Warren Corner to 31 landowners. Three individuals received in excess 10 per cent, namely George Birch of Clare Park (20 acres), Robert James Chaundler (l6 acres) and Charles Edward Lefroy of Itchel Manor (6.5 acres): Daniel Dimes was amongst the remainder and was awarded a piece of ground adjoining his garden to compensate him for the loss of his common rights. He also bought 9 perches at the southern end of his garden for £1 and 1 rood and 7 perches on the eastern side for £5 7s.

In the 1851 census Daniel and Sarah were still living in Doras Green with two of their children, David, 25, and Thomas, 18, but nephew Charles another son of Thomas and Martha, had replaced William as part of the household.

By 1861, the family household was reduced to three - Daniel, Sarah and Thomas: the former a herdsman and the latter a gardener. In December 1861, Sarah died and was buried in All Saints churchyard and a few months after this Daniel made his will.

By the time of the 1871 census, Daniel had become blind. Thomas had married and his wife Ann and their four children lived at Doras Green with Daniel.

Daniel died on 29th March 1874 and was also buried in Crondall. His gravestone reads, "Many years the faithful and valued servant of Major Birch by whom this stone is placed as a mark of the great esteem in which this true servant of God was held".

Daniel's will instructed that his cottage and garden be sold and the proceeds divided into six parts to be shared by his six children. The will was proved on 22nd April 1874, his effects being under £100.

Daniel married Sarah Miles, daughter of Thomas Miles and Sarah Baigent, on 29 Apr 1815 in Crondall, Hampshire, England. (Sarah Miles was born in 1795 in Crondall, Hampshire, England, christened on 12 Apr 1795 in Crondall, Hampshire, England, died in Dec 1861 in Doras Green, Crondall, Hampshire, England and was buried on 11 Dec 1861 in Crondall, Hampshire, England.)