Transcript

of

John Fleming [Obituary]

Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. XLII, (1910), p. 43.

Prepared by Michael Steer

The obituary was read at the Association’s July 1910 Collumpton meeting. The Church of the Holy Trinity at Buckfastleigh was gutted by fire in 1992, and now only the outer shell of the building remains. The original building had a memorial window erected by the late Mr. and Mrs. John Fleming, of Bigadon, to their daughter. In 1897 the chancel had been renovated and re-floored, and a new altar presented, the cost was defrayed by “the late John Fleming esq. of Bigadon”, (Extracted from UK Genealogy Archives.) Mr Fleming was a Conservative Party politician who sat as a Member of Parliament for Devonport for less than a year before his election was overturned. He first stood for Parliament at the Devonport by-election in June 1865, when he was defeated by the Liberal Party candidate Thomas Brassey.  At the general election in July 1865 he won the seat, but an election petition led to the election of both Devonport MPs being declared void on 9 May 1866.  He did not stand again until the 1874 general election, when he was an unsuccessful candidate at Barnstaple (Wikipedia). The obituary, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers

John Fleming. Mr. Fleming, who died in London on 1 March, 1910, at the age of eighty-three, was one of the oldest Devonshire magistrates, and in 1877 filled the office of Sheriff. He was head of the firm of Robinson, Fleming, and Co., merchants, of London, and a Justice of the Peace for the county of Middlesex. He became a member of the Association in 1876, and took a large part in the public life of Devonshire. His Devon residence was at Bigadon, Buckfastleigh, and his golden wedding was celebrated there in 1909. Although in later years he was not an active politician, an older generation will possibly recollect that, as a Conservative, he was returned as Member of Parliament for Devonport forty-five years ago, but a petition against his return was successful. He was one of the Dart District Fishery Board, and took much interest in the fishing. He owned the Weir and Mill property at Totnes, and gave the Board facilities for improving the fishing by placing a pass on the Weir. He leaves two sons and several daughters.