A family photograph of Nan Fenny and Sewels. My Nan at one time lived at 135 High Street, Yarm known as Winpenny House.
Photograph and details courtesy of Sean Fenny.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A family photograph of Nan Fenny and Sewels. My Nan at one time lived at 135 High Street, Yarm known as Winpenny House.
Photograph and details courtesy of Sean Fenny.
Yes they owend most of Skinner Street I used to work for them as a machine fitter, good days and good times I was only 16 when I started there.
My name is Paul Fenny my grandfather was Gordon Fenny and his father was Joseph Fenny of Yarm Road Stockton. Joseph was a painter and decorator in the area. Gordon worked for ICI Billingham and moved to Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales in the late 50’s to work at the ICI Dowlais plant. Gordon’s father Joseph moved with the family (Gordon, wife Edna (nee Tailorson) Derek, Ian, Keith) to South Wales. My father, Derek was at Hexham Grammar at the time and moved to the County Grammar School Merthyr Tydfil.
Family Relationship
Paul Fenny 3rd cousin 2x removed
Derek Fenny Father of Paul Fenny
Gordon Fenny 1915-1993 Father of Derek Fenny
Joseph Fenny 1887-1939 Father of Gordon Fenny
Matthew Fenny 1865-1936 Father of Joseph Fenny
Joseph Fenny 1842-1919 Father of Matthew Fenny
Samuel Fenny 1811-1879 Father of Joseph Fenny
Thomas Fenny 1852-1922 Son of Samuel Fenny
Margaret Fenny 1881-1962 Daughter of Thomas Fenny
Roger Lee Hymer 1918-1989 Son of Margaret Fenny
Michael Hymer Son of Roger Lee Hymer
Peter Hymer Son of Roger Lee Hymer
Can you tell me the names of the people on the photograph please?
Sewell Family :
Back Row – Lilian b1904 ; Anna Mary (aka Fenny) b1900 ; Isaac b1899
Front Row – William b1871 ; Jemima (maiden name Cowper) b1864 ; Ada b1906
Anna Mary Sewell 1900-1979 (wife of 2nd cousin 1x removed)
John Francis Fenny 1897-1944 (Husband of Anna Mary Sewell)
John Fenny 1873-1941 (Father of John Francis Fenny)
John Fenny 1839-1909 (Father of John Fenny)
Samuel Fenny 1811-1879 (Father of John Fenny)
Thomas Fenny 1852-1922 (Son of Samuel Fenny)
Margaret Fenny 1881-1962 (Daughter of Thomas Fenny)
Roger Lee Hymer 1918-1989 (Son of Margaret Fenny)
Michael Hymer (Son of Roger Lee Hymer)
Anna Mary Fenny nee Sewell – wife of 2nd cousin 1st removed
Margaret Fenny – grandmother b.1881 d.1962.
Thomas Fenny – great grandfather b.1852 d.1922.
My cousins worked in the Fenny’s Brush Factory.
Dorothy Jean b1918 and Margaret Louise b1919 Fenny are my 3rd cousin 1st removed ; Father – Arthur William Fenny b1866.
Does anyone have any news of Alan Fenny? He was the son of Mr Fenny who ran the Brush Works on Skinner Street in the 1930s. Alan was a great school friend of my father Gerald Danaher, son of Dr Jim Danaher from Harewood Terrace in Thornaby.
Thanks
My gran lived at 60 Skinner Street and I used to stay with her at weekends when I was 8. I remember the Fenny’s and also the Palais, I would sit on the doorstep on a Saturday night and watch the teddy boy’s going to the Palais with their girls.
Does anyone remember their logo at all, I’ve tried recreating it from an old brush and wish to know if it’s the correct logo. I hope to put my Fenny Ancestors on the map so to speak.
My father Jacob Wilson, was probably one of Fenny best customers for the very wide brushes which he sold to the railway companies for sweeping station platforms, he also sold them to breweries with Vaux and Cameron’s being amongst his buyers. He once called at Vaux Breweries, Hartlepool, to meet with the buyer for them, during this sales conversation my father remarked he had served in the DLI, and that Colonel Vaux had been his Regimental Commanding Officer, after this remark the deal was soon clinched and, before leaving their premises, the buyer had his secretary type up a letter for him stating that my father was “The Official Brush Supplier to all Vaux premises and pubs, adding any and all orders for brushes for public house use had to go to him.” This was a goodwill gesture on the buyers part to a former DLI soldiers. In 1927, the DLI regiment served in India guarding the Khyber Pass. For strategic reasons, after the First World War the British built a heavily engineered railway through the Pass. The Khyber Pass Railway from Jamrud, near Peshawar, to the Afghan border near Landi Kotal was opened in 1925; it was guarded by British troops, my father served in India for three years.
(References) Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Vaux, CMG, DSO, VD, DL (5 March 1865 – 21 November 1925) was a British Army officer and businessman. A member of the Vaux Breweries family, his grandfather Cuthbert Vaux, established the brewery in 1806. Vaux was born in Bishopwearmouth. He was mentioned in despatches 7 times, received the Queen’s South Africa Medal with four clasps, and was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in November 1901.The DLI fought in every major battle of the Great War.Vaux was an extremely popular commander. The 7th DLI was recruited in Sunderland and many of the men under his command he knew personally. In his first letter from the front he wrote to his wife ” so my dear this is our first night on the front line. It is now past midnight, I have see the men and made sure they all have had a hot drink and dry socks…. I very much fear that this is a war such as we have never seen before”. He believed in leading by example and took part in many major actions. His letters home, confirm that ‘Chancellor’ his favourite hunter and the horse he had brought with him from his home in Yorkshire to the battles field of France, as his companion and War Horse travelled back with him after 4 years of War. Chancellor, live out the rest of his day in the fields of Brettanby Manor. Colonel Vaux was recommended for The Victoria Cross in 1918. However the dispatches where lost and the award was not received.
Rita that is correct. Browns Sheet Iron Works in Prince Regent Street had a fire and the Sheet Iron section where I was an apprentice moved to a large warehouse in Skinner Street opposite Fenny’s. They employed a lot of women and girls we had some young lads so there was a lot of intermixing, one of the men married a girl from Fenny’s and live not far from me a real Derby and Joan couple.
Those women had a hard and often dirty job yet sang all day, go into the street and you would here the brush factory chorus belting out the latest songs.
We also met up in the Palais dancing to Jack O Boyle and many a lasting friendship. We finally moved Back to Prince Regent Street cutting the intimate proximity and ending some close associations.
The war was still going on in the far east at that time and Fenny’s did work for the MOD so as with most factories at the time were classed as war work. no matter we all knew how to have fun and those girls were great.
Any relation to Fennys that lived on the corner of Turton Road opposite Longleys shop? I remember Lolly Fenny. & she had an older sister.
Is that Turton Road in Yarm?
Yes Mervyn, Turton Road in Yarm, as stated above there was Fennys brush factory in Skinner St. Stockton but I don’t know if there was any relation.
Did you know the Barber family who lived in Turton Road? Jean and I went out for a while.
Did you live in Clapham Road ?
That would be Judy Fenny, – Lolly & Judy were my cousins.
I think Fenny’s also had a brush making factory in Skinner Street, Stockton.