William ‘Barney’ Dickinson
From the collection of Wilton Atkinson - exact date of photograph unknown, perhaps 1880
This characterful photograph from Wilton’s collection is our earliest – found so far - of someone who lived at Sunderland Point . Dickinson is a well-known family name at the Point and records state ‘Barney’ was born at Sunderland probably in 1813. However he gives his birth year variously as 1811, 1813 and 1814, and in the 1871 census as early as 1809. The Parish baptism record for William Dickinson provides the date 21st of November 1813.
We think he married Alice Woodman in 1842 and there appears to have been no children. The 1861 Census places them living in the Summer House at the top of the Lane.
Turning the photograph over we see he was also known as ‘Billie’ and that he would carry passengers up to, and from Lancaster in his boat the ‘Tormentor’.
We don’t know much more other than he gives his occupation as a pilot. It’s almost certain he is the William Dickinson, described in Hugh’s history, who won or narrowly lost rowing races in the Regatta’s of 1851, 1852 and 1853. The Lancaster Gazette of June 12th, 1852, noted “the four oared match was won by John Gerrard’s ‘Pilot’ beating William Dickinson’s ‘Tormentor’”
His older sister Elizabeth married Miles Pennington whose children through the female line lead down to the Wilsons at the Ship Inn and the multiple Gardner families. Richard Gardner (1822-1903) remembers ‘Barney’ Dickinson, describing him as a ‘big drinker’
Little snippets such as this can be misleading even cruel, so we investigated. We find he appears in the newspapers.
On the 24th of March 1832 at the Petty Sessions William Dickinson - then aged 19 - along with three other local fishermen, were convicted for ‘wilfully trespassing on the Skear Balk Fishery’ rights which belonged to the Lordship of Cockerham. They were ordered to pay a fine and costs and if they defaulted - they were to be ‘Imprisoned in the Common Gail at Lancaster for 5 weeks’
On the 6th of June 1846 the Lancaster Gazette reported that William Dickinson - now aged 33 – had issued a summons against a William Speight and James Buck of Lancaster, with having assaulted him the previous Sunday at Sunderland. The magistrates at the Petty Sessions in Lancaster found in favour of ‘Barney’ and both men were bound over for six months and told to pay costs.
Then in 1851, five years later, again in the Gazette we are startled to see this.
Reproduced with the permission of the Lancaster Guardian
What do we make of this shocking occurrence? Ladies knee deep in water! Looking on the same page of the Lancaster Gazette, on the same date, a bit further to the right, we see an article on the 1851 Sunderland Point Regatta. An event attended by numerous ‘Belles and Beaux’ of the district, it lists the outcome of races, and one quickly catches the eye
Reproduced with the permission of the Lancaster Guardian
Both the Regatta and the incident are reported as having taken place ‘on Monday last’ so was this skulduggery before the race, or possibly revenge arising from flared tempers during the Regatta. We don’t know.
The deliberate damage to the boat was highly dangerous and a surprise if it were fisherfolk whose livelihoods and well as lives depended on their boats. We keep an open mind.
Sadly, we find nothing else about ‘Barney’ other than he was buried at St Helens in Overton on the 9th of September 1886. His age is given as 75. Or so he said.
We are again indebted to Elizabeth Hampson who tracked down the newspaper articles and burial record.