Scroll down for an informal pictorial family history
Anthony was born on 11th March, 1949.
Ian arrived in October of 1951.
I did not like to have my photograph taken, so I may have boycotted this one!
Herbert and Marjorie played tennis at Hannays Plantation on Saturday afternoons. Herbert was good at sports but smoking was his undoing.
Marjorie Davis was the daughter of Lawrence (Longfellow) and Amy Farmer. Lawrence was a Planter and owned Walkers Plantation in St Andrew. They would have had similar conservative upbringings. Below is a photo of a picnic in Lakes, St Andrew. I think Dad and Mum are in the front left. Planters wore pith helmets, locally referred to as cork hats, as protection from the tropical sun.
I seem to recall Dad saying that he did not propose to Mum. He made the proposal to his future father in law, Lawrence!
After he was engaged, Herbert went to visit some close family members who had a beautiful rose garden. As far as I can remember the story, Herbert drove there with a few too many drinks on board. He drove his old V8 Ford sports car with its wooden floorboards straight into the rose garden. He then tried to drive out, but his wheels just spun, throwing dirt and digging dreadful ruts. Herbert said he was embarrassed. He was a very sociable person and he was very popular. He got over it.
Herbert and Marjorie were married on 5th January, 1948.
Herbert grew up on a plantation in St Andrew, Barbados. Even though his parents were not wealthy, he lived a privileged life and he never had to take care of himself. His father, Malcolm, had seen hardship as a young man. As an estate manager, Malcolm was cash poor but lived a comfortable life. In turn, Herbert was lucky that his food was cooked, his clothes were washed, and his shoes were brushed by maids. He never washed a dish or mowed a lawn. He spent his days exploring the hills of the Scotland District. He would ride a horse or a bicycle or just run where he wanted to go. Even when Herbert started working as an entry level bank clerk, his great aunts looked after him. Money was always scarce, but he was always catered to.
Herbert remembered riding bareback with his younger cousin Clinton Gill, b. 1929. (Clinton was a nephew of F. F. C. Fitz Gill.) They would ride to Cherry Tree Hill, where he recalls a Mr. Cuke being in charge. He remembers running up and down the grand mahogany stairway. Dad was almost six foot tall but as a young man he was under a hundred and thirty pounds. As a youth he said most of his weight was in his legs which were very muscular.
Herbert’s dislike of firearms stemmed from an early incident with his father, Malcolm. In the old days, windows had no insect screens. Most people slept under mosquito nets which were suspended over the beds. Malcolm lived in a rural area and felt that he should be able to protect his family. He slept with a loaded semi-automatic pistol under his pillow.
One night Herbert felt scared and went to his father’s bedside. He lifted his hands and put them on his Dad’s mosquito net. Malcolm awoke. The shadow of Herbert’s raised hands and body caused Malcom to think that there was a tall intruder over his bed. Malcolm jammed the muzzle of the pistol into Herbert’s abdomen.
“Who goes there?” Malcolm shouted with great emotion. I imagine that the pistol was ready to fire and that his finger was on the trigger.
Herbert identified himself. Even though the danger subsided, young Herbert never forgot.
My late Dad’s birthday is soon approaching, and I thought it would be a good time to publish a memorial to him. I am starting by sharing the earliest photos I have of him. I would be grateful for any additional information on the photos.
Clarence Fitzherbert McCarthy Davis, my father, was born in Barbados on the 25th of October, 1923. His parents were Malcolm McCarthy Davis and (Amy) Kathleen Harding. I think Malcolm was the manager of River Plantation, and Kathleen was a housewife, or home maker. Below is the earliest photo I have of Herbert.
The exact location of the photos above and below are unknown, but the hills in the background suggest the Scotland District. I have a note indicating it was River Plantation, St Andrew which was affiliated with Bawdens, mentioned later. This makes sense as Herbert’s younger brother, Harold, was born at River on 31st July 1926.
The photograph below may have been taken at Bawden’s Plantation in St Andrew, Barbados. It will be of interest to my Gill and Harding relatives, as the caption identifies Kiturah who was a Gill as well as a few Hardings. Herbert is the toddler (babe-in-arms) held by Ermine Banfield. Ermine was my first cousin, twice removed.
Standing: Malcolm and Kathleen Davis (Herbert’s parents), Kiturah (nee Gill, Malcolm’s mother), baby Herbert Davis, Ermine Banfield (dau of Elliot), Rita and Gladys Davis (Malcolm’s sisters), Lolita Davis (unknown), Edgar Welch (married Rita), Dibbon Davis (Malcolm’s sister), Leslie Harding (Kathleen’s brother), Robert Fitzherbert Davis (Malcolm’s father), Clarence Harding (Kathleen’s father)
Sitting: Edith Harding and Elise Ward (Kathleen’s sisters), _____ Bynoe, Lucy Harding and Mildred Harding (almost entirely hidden), Mary Harding, Marguerite Harding (last 3 probably all Leslie’s daughters) and Grace Harding (behind, probably Leslie’s wife, nee Bynoe)
Photo taken by Bob Ward at (I guess) Bawdens and River Plantation, St. Andrew, Barbados. My notes suggest that Bawdens was purchased by F. F. C. (Fitz) Gill on June 22, 1917 for £13,000! Fitz Gill was Granny Kathleen’s uncle.
Back row: Hilton Seale, boy of 13?, old man 65+, middle aged man, Malcolm Davis (about 40?), old man (dark tan) planter? 65+, middle aged man
Front row: Doris Seale, Herbert in lap, with two other small children, unknown 35? yr old lady with child in lap, Amy Kathleen (nee Harding) Davis, Sylvia Streat 40, husband Gordon Harding?
I am going to stick an extra photo here. It is hard to believe that my grandfather once had hair! Can anyone identify the house?
Anthony was a Barbados Scholar and was accepted by Cambridge University in England to study Civil Engineering. He attended Churchill College. As boys, we were always rowing small boats, and at Cambridge he took up rowing competitively.
Around this time he met and fell in love with Sarah Warsap. They were soon married.
After graduating with honours, Anthony secured employment with a Civil Engineering partnership in London, England.
He and Sarah soon had two sons. I believe that at this time he was a deacon in the local Church of England. Since birth, he had always been the good son.
Our father, Herbert, had a wooden sailboat called Aurora. I think it was about twenty seven feet long. When Herbert was tasked with opening a new branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in St. Vincent, he was not going to leave his boat in Barbados!
The above shows Aurora entering the Careenage, Bridgetown. Herbert kept the boat at the Royal Barbados Yacht Club, as it was then known. The boat was brought to Bridgetown to do the required paperwork before leaving for St. Vincent.
St. Vincent was a hundred miles away across deep open ocean. Herbert made the trip navigating with a compass and a transistor radio!
I strongly desired to go on this adventure, but I was only thirteen and I had a habit of falling overboard!
At fifteen Anthony was chosen to crew. The others were Jacques Baldini, cousin Harold Jones and of course, Herbert.
Most of our school days were spent at our grandparents’ home, Windermere, in St. John, Barbados. We did fly to St. Vincent for most vacations. There we had many friends and enjoyed the parties and the fishing.
Barbados was once a British colony, and the dominant culture was English. When we were in school we held British passports, and many Barbadians thought of themselves as English. This influenced the educational system, and we would take exams from Oxford and Cambridge on graduation.
In this vein, Lodge was a boys’ school, based on the English public schools. It was described as similar to Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!
As a little boy, I was very impressed that Anthony always came first in his class. Firstly it was very difficult to get into Lodge. Secondly students were divided into an A stream and a B stream, and Anthony was in the A stream. He became “Head Boy” and was accepted by Cambridge University in England.
Shakespearian plays were the norm at Lodge. Below Anthony is playing Julius Caesar. (On another occasion I recall he played Calpurnia.)
Can anyone identify the supporting actors?
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Above: The third person from the left may be Clive Davies from Britain.
When I was 12, we went with our parents to America. This trip was Herbert’s “Long Leave,” as he was required to travel north every few years.
This photo below was taken at great uncle Leo’s and great aunt Ida’s home in Brooklyn. I was breathing out trying to see the vapour condense from my breath, something that we had never seen in Barbados!
The photo below was taken at Plymouth, Crane, St. Philip, Barbados. In the background is the ravine, then the cliff and then the blue rough sea. We had a flight of concrete steps down to a secluded beach. My grandfather, Laurence, rented Plymouth every year.
This was taken at Bohemia, 10th Avenue, Belleville, St. Michael, Barbados. The steps lead to the front door. The walk gate and driveway gate are visible. Behind the fence is the 10th Avenue with its’ massive “Cabbage Palms.” We are in front of a rose bed. To the right of the photo there is an orchid, and to the left a Periwinkle. The Periwinkles grew wild on my father’s land in St. Andrew.
This is Anthony on the East Coast of Barbados. We loved to explore and run around these beaches and hills.
Anthony Herbert Davis was born in Barbados in 1949. I think he was born in a house with Lodge in the name just north of Bridgetown. Our family was Anglican, so infant baptism was mandated. Here is a photo of Anthony’s Christening.
I have no idea where the following three photos were taken.
I believe this was taken at Constant, Belleville, St. Michael, Barbados. I recall a barber visiting us. He was a Cheeseman, and he was known as Dummy because he was unable to speak.
This is probably Constant, Belleville again. Anthony appears to be feeding Ian.
Here is Anthony holding baby Ronnie.
Herbert died in 1996 and it became easier for his wife Marjorie to travel.
When I (Ian) was exploring Wales, I came across the Ty Cook Farm. It was also a Bed and Breakfast. This old house reminded me of the “Plantation Great Houses” in Barbados. I enjoyed my visit so much that I returned with my family in 1998.
Mummy loved to go on vacations with us. We were headed down to Merlin’s Cave in Cornwall, England when she asked us to take a photo in front of this sign!
In 2002, Marjorie attended the wedding of Summer her eldest granddaughter. This photo was taken at Bakers Plantation which was owned by Summer’s maternal grandparents.
Here we are on the beach of Craigwell. Spion Kop would be on the right. Craigwell and Spion Kop were owned by Kingsland Estates Ltd. Kathy used to live at Spion Kop.
In 2003, Marjorie went with Ian’s family to Yosemite National Park in California. I am looking for those photos.
These were taken on 5th June 2005. Marjorie held a party for her family at the Crane Hotel.
This is Marjorie’s apartment in Barbados. The mahogany furniture is the same that I grew up with!
In late May of 2009, Marjorie flew from Texas to Miami.
Marjorie’s granddaughter married Ben in 2009.
Mummy was always game to try new things. Below we are eating at Rudy’s where there are no plates – the food is served on a sheet of grease proofed paper!
After flying from Barbados to Texas, Marjorie went to Miami, Florida. This was taken at Ian and Kathy’s home in Kendall, Miami. Christine Baldini was visiting and here she is showing Marjorie some photos on her camera.
Marjorie then flew with Ian to London, England to celebrate the eightieth birthday of her brother George. The party was on the 6th of June, 2009.
Marjorie also visited her family in England.
