Transcript

of

Thomas White Windeatt [Obituary]

Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. XXXV, (1903), pp. 43-44.

by

J. Brooking-Rowe (Ed.)

Prepared by Michael Steer

The obituary was read at the Association’s July 1903 Sidmouth meeting. The Windeatt family has been long established in Totnes. They originally resided in Bridgetown, where in 1596, a Thomas WINDYET was christened. Early family members were non-conformist traders and manufacturers. Descendants moved to Tavistock, America, Canada and Tasmania but the core of the family remaned in Totnes. In the nineteenth century, they were founder members of the respected firm of Solicitors there. Mr Windeatt’s 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.

Thomas White Windeatt. The Society has sustained a great loss in the death of Thomas White Windeatt. He was always keenly interested in the Association and its work, and contributed from time to time papers of interest and value. At both the meetings of the Society at Totnes, in 1880 and in 1900, he did his best to make the gatherings successful. At the last meeting he was the mayor of the town, and welcomed the members of the Association with a dignity befitting the office, and a kindness and hospitality which were all his own. He was a solicitor by profession, practising in his native town of Totnes, succeeding to his father's business. He was mayor in 1900 and in 1902, and there were few public bodies and fewer public movements in the borough with which he had not been associated. The hobby of his life was volunteering. From private he became lieutenant of the Totnes company of the 5th Haytor Volunteers, and afterwards captain. In 1898 he was granted the honorary rank of major, and received the long service medal in 1899, retiring in 1901. He was a good man, and, as was well said by one after his death, "Whether a mayor, churchwarden, sidesman, councillor, volunteer officer, or manager of the church schools, he did his duty faithfully and honourably, and left beliind him a name and reputation untarnished and unsullied." Thomas White Windeatt died on the 20th April, 1903, in his fifty-ninth year.