Thomas Dymes

  General Notes:

The younger Thomas, his son born in 1778, was living in the Arundel area of Sussex by 1803 as he acted as godparent at the baptism of William Hone, son of Jacob Hone and Charlotte Burfield, recorded on the Catholic register there. He married Elizabeth Foothead on 29^th September 1807 at Arundel by licence, both being of the parish, with Jordan Brisby, farrier, as his seconder. Thomas was described as a labourer so may have worked for Brisby. It is difficult to decide which Thomas is the subject of mentions in newspapers between 1813 and 1817. Did the younger man move to Hereford to help his father and then move to Havant taking his father with him or do the items all refer to the father? In September 1813 Thomas advertised in the Herefordshire Journal for "persons having any demands on T. Dimes, Norfolk Terrace, Hereford, farrier," to send in their accounts that they might be settled. By January 1815 at least one Thomas was settled in Havant. He was then listed in the Hereford and Hampshire newspapers as a creditor of William Holyoak, a bankrupt butcher of Staunton-on-Wye. He was described as 'Thomas Dimes, farrier, late of Hereford and now of Havant, Hampshire.' Havant is in the South East corner of the county. The next mention of Thomas is in 1817 when he placed an advertisement in the Hampshire Telegraph offering to let a piece of salt marsh for keeping horses. He was trading as a veterinary surgeon of Havant. Both shoeing and care of horses were expected of country farriers. His father certainly came to live with Thomas and Elizabeth at some stage as he was buried in St Faith's churchyard in Havant on 22^nd September 1820 at the age of 71. In April 1830 the younger Thomas met with an accident when he was thrown out of a gig at West Gate and injured. He continued to place advertisements for the sale of horses and carriages until 1839. In 1841 he was in West Street but he had moved to North Street by 1851 when he was described as a pauper. Elizabeth was buried on 30^th December 1850 aged 85 and her death notice in the newspaper described her as 'universally respected'. Thomas died a year later on 18th December 1851. His death was registered by his next door neighbour Alice Cook. The certificate says the cause of death was hydro-thorax (congestion of the lungs) and it calls him a horse farrier. Thomas preferred the term veterinary surgeon and probably did both jobs. This would appear to be the end of the Dimes name in the descent from Thomas of Guildford, 1643-1715.

Thomas married Elizabeth Foothead on 29 Sep 1807 in Arundel, Sussex. (Elizabeth Foothead was born in 1785 and was buried on 30 Dec 1850 in Havant, Hampshire, England.)

  Marriage Notes:

Both Elizabeth and Thomas were 'of this parish for several years' at time of marriage. Thomas was a labourer for Jordan Brisby, a farmer at time of marriage.