Dorothy Eleanore Digby "Dolly" COTES [486]

   Cause of her death was pneumonia.

  General Notes:

Dorothy Eleonore Digby Cotes
Baptism year1877
Birth year1877
PlaceKarachi
PresidencyBombay
MotherIsabella Frances Louisa
FatherDigby Henry Cotes
Baptism date25 Apr 1877
Birth date20 Mar 1877
Archive referenceN-3-51
Folio103
Parish register transcripts from the Presidency of Bombay, 1709-1948.

Dolly was cared for in her last years at her cousin Josephine's convent, at Chiswick London.

Death Notice : COTES - On 6th Dec 1962, at St Marys Convent and Guest House Chiswick, Dorothy Elenore Digby Cotes, wife of the late John Charles Cecil Cotes, of Fowey. Funeral at Lanteglos-by-Fowey, on Tuesday 11th December at 10.30 am.

Adria Fenn in a letter to her brother Harry (7 th Dec 1962) on the occasion of Dolly's death says she is buried with Aunt Isabella and Jack Cotes at the beautiful but remote Cornish village of Lanteglos (Highway)

Sparling Benham and Brough,
Solicitors.
3 West Stockwell Street
Colchester
Essex
24 April 1963
Mrs D.E.D. Cotes deceased
Dear Mr Fenn
Thank you for your letter of the 16th instant. I confirm that I have been instructed by Westminster Bank Ltd, the sole executor of the late Mrs Cotes will, Mrs Cotes having died on 6 December 1962 her will having been proved recently in the Ipswich District Probate Registry
I received a letter a short time ago from the bank asking me to write to the various beneficiaries, and I was just about to write to your son and your daughter informing them of the money bequeathed to them under the will.
The particular paragraph under which your two children benefit reads as follows;
(5)" I give free of any duty is some equivalent to the net proceeds of sale of the ground rents of my leasehold properties in Upper Norwood London SE19 now under contract for sale to be divided as to one third share thereof to my cousin Edith Nancy Alston Hadwen of 10 Bathgate Road Wimbledon SW19 as to one third share thereof to my cousin Adria Margaret Fenn of 17 College Road Cheltenham in the County of Gloucester and as to the remaining one third share thereof to be divided equally between my cousins Edward Liveing Fenn and Katharine Julius Fenn both of Hadlow Number 4RD Timaru New Zealand or the survivor of them. Provided nevertheless that if my said cousins Edith Nancy Alston Hadwen or my said cousin Adria Margaret Fenn shall die in my lifetime then and in that event the share of the legacy as aforesaid shall be given to such cousin shall be divided equally between the said Edward Liveing Fenn and the said Katharine Julius Fenn or the survivor of them."
The four named persons to benefit under this paragraph of the will are in fact alive, and your son and your daughter will each receive one half of one third share in the net proceeds of the sale, and the ground rent which amounted to L5825 3s 3d i.e. they will each receive L970 17s 2p I believe your daughter is under the age of twenty-one and the bank has asked me in the event of any of the beneficiaries being under 21 to let them have sight of such beneficiaries Birth Certificate for purposes of the records and perhaps to save postage your son could bring a copy of the Birth Certificate to England when he comes. I should be grateful also if you will confirm that their Christian names are in fact correctly shown and spelt in the will.
I should be very pleased to meet your son and can certainly make all the necessary arrangements for him to receive his legacy whilst he is in England, and if he likes to drop me a line and let me know what arrangements he wishes me to make I will carry out his instructions.
I was very interested indeed to learn of your old connection with my family in Colchester. Gurney Benham whose book you still have, was my grandfather, my father, having practised for many years in Colchester, died last July, my Brother and I now helping to carry on his practice. The Essex County Standard is managed by my step uncle, so the family still take a fairly active part in the town's life.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
Peter Benham.
Written on an Air Letter.

Cotes Dorothy Eleonore Digby of St Mary's Convent Guest House Burlington Lane Chiswick London W4 widow died 6 December 1962. Probate Ipswich 27 February 1963 to Westminster Bank Ltd. Effects L21,240 8s 2d
National Probate Calendar.

  Other Records

1. Dolly Cotes: Various images over her lifetime.
On Left aged 2yrs 18mths, dated 9 Feb 1878 ? - ? on right 1938

2. Dolly Cotes: Confession, Jun 1891.
Dolly in her youth was possessed of a Victorian "Album of Confessions" autograph book given to her by her mother. In it she recorded the "Confessions" of her many cousins, a glimpse into Victorian teenagers. This book is in the possession of Adrian Hopkins (2006)

DOLLY'S CONFESSIONS June 1891
MY FAVOURITE VIRTUE: Unselfishness
MY IDEA OF HAPPINESS: Doing what I like and bathing
MY IDEA OF MISERY: Tooth ache & practising Going to school
MY FAVOURITE OCCUPATION: Tennis boating cricket
MY FAVOURITE COLOUR: Pale blue
MY FAVOURITE FLOWER: Roses camellias lilac lilies
MY FAVOURITE POETS: Milton Longfellow A Proctor
MY FAVOURITE PROSE AUTHORS: Rider, Haggard, Miss Yonge
MY FAVOURITE PAINTER: Vicat Cole, Lin F Leighton
MY FAVOURITE FOOD: Strawberries & cream apricots
MY FAVOURITE NAMES: Ethel Elsie Harry Cyril
MY PET AVERSION: Cold potatoes Parnell, O'Brien
MY FAVOURITE MOTTO:Work wait win

3. Dorothy Cotes: Album of Confessions 01, 1890's.
Some 16 of Confessions Dolly collected have not been placed as family or friends.
Here are eight of them:
E.J.C. 26 Jun 1891
H M Ward June 1891
G Bianca Talbot Harvey.
A.N.O.N. Sept 1 1893
P.H.C.
M Musker Oct 27 1891
Ethel M Ringer
F S Bradshaw May 1902

4. Dorothy Cotes: Album of Confessions 02, 1890's.
Some 16 of Confessions Dolly collected have not been placed as family or friends.
Here are the second eight of them:
R.E.E.K [?]
Laura B F Allen
B C M Cantor (Bertie born c1874 India ?)
F E Cantor 26 Apr 1898
Montague Grant Cantor. (Born c1873 India ?)
A search for the Cantor family suggests the father may be Col Charles Henry Cator, Indian Army, who died 1920, mother Annie Janet Gingell.
Charles Lous Duval.
Douglas Inglis
Francis J Brown

5. Dolly Cotes: Letter to Harry L Fenn, 27 Oct (1890), 1 Mt Ararat Rd Richmond SRY.
Fenn Archive.

1 Mt Ararat Road
Richmond
Dear old Hawar
Thank you so much for the stamps you sent me, I was so delighted with them. 14 I had not got but the rest will come in nicely for swaps - I am sending you some postmarks, what do you do with them? I have not been to school for a whole week because I had a horrid tooth ache, so instead I have to take the most disgusting medicine. I can't think of anything to say as mother has told you all the news the other day Baa was to have a great treat - Miss Annie Proctor told him that if he was very good he should sail his boat in the Vicar's Bath - just fancy! On Sundays now as it is too cold to go in the Vicarage garden they assemble indoors and sing hymns - I have not been present at one of these performances yet - I am dying to see Sequa - nice man - he seems to be a great favourite here - I will send you some more stamps if you think you can swap them.
Your loving Dolly
October 27 (1890)
Written on two sides of a sheet of notepaper

6. Census: England, 5 Apr 1891, 1 Mt Ararat Rd Richmond SRY. Dorothy is recorded as a daughter aged 14 born India (British Subject)

7. Census: England, 31 Mar 1901, 1 Mt Ararat Rd Richmond SRY. Dorothy is recorded as a daughter single aged 24 born India

8. Census: England, 2 Apr 1911, 50 Mt Ararat Rd Richmond SRY. Dorothy is recorded as a daughter unmarried aged 34 of private means born in Karachi India.

9. Dolly Cotes: Letter to E Vanderzee Fenn, 15 Oct 1893, 1 Mt Ararat Rd Richmond SRY.
Fenn Archive.

1 Mt Ararat
Richmond
October 15th, 1893
Dear Vandy,
I am so glad to see from the letter that you wrote to Linnie that you like your school so much - you seem to have a lovely lot of holidays. It is so warm today quite hot in fact - the Vicar is away, and we had Mr Booth to preach this morning. The Vicar has gone to Eastbourne with the Miss Proctors for three weeks, though he says that he does not like holidays, they always make him ill - I have not heard from Harry this term, though I wrote to him some time ago - I expect that I shall have a letter tomorrow - we were expecting Harold Hand over this Sunday, but he has not turned up, and we have given him up. Yesterday Aunt Isabella and I went over to Wimbledon to see Aunt Lucy. Of course the three boys are away, so Kitty was the only one at home - we had writing games all the time. I did not see Charlie while he was here - he came up one day with Jack, but I was out. Rees writes the most comical letters. The spelling is wonderful and he writes very often Aunt Lucy says. He said once that he was " joyful" oh quite as happy as it home, and also that the hose keeper (house - keeper) was very kind to him - it must be quite a puzzle to read the letters - E Lewes is at Yarmouth by himself, and one day he wrote a letter assisted by Cyril. Think what the spelling must have been, if Cyril had anything to do with it. The harvest festival here was last Tuesday week. The church was rather prettily decorated
Arthur Dudley has grown such a big boy - we saw him in the Post Office a little while ago - the Bateman's are well. Guy has had influenza rather badly, and went down to Brighton with Mr and Mrs Bateman and Laura to get some sea air. The Hopkins and Guy came to have some games in the park sometime ago. We had a lovely hide and seek amongst the break. Guy and I were never found, though the seekers stamped on Guys toe,
With best love from Aunt Isabella and myself
From your loving cousin
Dolly
P.S. I never told you that I went down to Hearn Bay at the end of the holidays for eleven days without mother - was it not a wonderful event?
You remember Hearn Bay don't you when you went with Nancy and Baa, I have just remembered you were not there with them, but you went down before school began some time ago did you not? We had great fun it was too cold to bathe, but we took long walks on the cliffs, and played tennis, and had a great deal of whist in the evenings - sometimes till 11 o'clock! Mother was shocked when I told her - there was splendid sea-fishing and my cousin Willie Coates the one who Charlie is with in London now, offered to take me out sailing and fishing, but I was too bad a sailor to venture. One day some friends of his went out, and caught over 400 fish, tabs, whiting, re, in a few hours, was not that splendid? I should like to have gone if it had not been the sea! We used to listen to the niggers too, and 3 men with black masks on, who sang and played beautifully.
I believe that Mr Edgar is going to leave Temple Grove next term, and Mr Alan will take his place. Then Victor Crump is going to Temple Grove to his great delight - I think that he was very sorry when you left.
Written on 7 sides of 2 sheets of letter paper folded in half
Written on two sides of a sheet of notepaper

10. Dolly Cotes: Letter to Harry L Fenn, 23 Sep 1941, Cheltenham GLS.
Fenn Archive.

Glenmore
Cheltenham
23 Sept /41
New address is
96 Southbourne Rd
Bournemouth
Dear Harry
Amazingly early though it is I suppose the Christmas mail will be going soon. Let's hope it won't go to the bottom of the sea! All good wishes to you and the family - in the snapshot you sent me, Edward Liveing looks very bonny - he must be a great interest to you both. I am very busy packing up - I give up this flat on the 29th inst store the furniture, and am taking a room in Boscombe, or rather Southbourne, till we see what happens. It is very tiresome having to move about in wartime, but if I stayed on here I should be a rheumatic cripple. Mother loathed the Cheltenham climate, and apparently it affects me the same way but I am sorry about it because of my Aunt, who I came to be near, also moving is a big expense and I have all these years, only moved to Fowey and Boscombe. Alston Court had the military for a time and is now empty I hear - Adria is still in Cheltenham and I hope will stay here. Ailwyn is also here - R.C's generally hang together, Aunt Bertha is near Olive at Eastbourne, but finds it very cold and thinks now Boscombe!! She was bombed out of her London flat. I had quite a shock when I was in town having heard nothing about it I went to call on her she had gone, with her furniture and the porter took me round to see the damage. Aunt B was not hurt. Surrounded by smashed glass. She was plucky - the people in London are perfectly magnificent. I had not been up since last year till I went up last June and I never heard one grouse. Even from people who had lost everything. I went to see the Todd's - they looked very fit, Grace wrote and told me she had just had her 80th birthday1! I had a nice little stay with Muriel Julius in the spring in Cornwall we . . . . . Remainder of the letter is missing.
On the front page is the closing. "had quite exciting nights! Love and best wishes for Xmas, again. Your affectionate Cousin Dolly" and a letter head "Readymoney Kennels, Readymoney, Fowey, Cornwall". struck out with the note. "Jack's & my paper comes in useful now!"
All written on two pages of letter paper
Written on two sides of a sheet of notepaper

11. Dolly Cotes: Letter to A Alston Fenn, Cir 1950, 23B Hamilton Rd Boscombe HAM.
Fenn Archive.

23B Hamilton Rd
Boscombe
Hampshire
(c1950)
Dear Alston
I was so pleased to hear from you I was only thinking of you the other day - but it was ages since I had heard. But I am very bad at writing these days so I ought not to expect it!
When Cyril and I had nothing better to do, we used to walk over to Studland, to see Gt Uncle George's grave! Mother used to stay at Studland quite a lot when two Smythies were young - Miss Smythies married Gt Uncle George for her second husband. I did not know Edith Nugee was still alive. I remember so well mother taking me up to see Bishop Smythies consecrate Bishop Hornby it was at St Paul's Cathedral and Bishop Smythies insisted that mother should take me to the lunch which followed the consecration and I had the seat of honour between the two bishops. I was very small but I quite enjoyed the honour! - Hope I behaved properly. Adria is going up to Scotland for her holiday. Rather bad just at the festival but she has evidently got rooms and Edinburgh is always lovely - she ought to see it. A good thing you have a big house I have always loved every bit of it. Mother and I used to go down in August every year for my summer holiday and did'nt I love it. I have got a large picture of Great Grandmother too, she certainly looks very forbidding you'd better have it when you're I'm gone - anything else you like including Grandfather's picture of Dieppe Castle if I have not sold it!
Much love to you both and to Olive.
Your affectionate cousin
D Cotes
Written on 2 sides of a piece of note paper with the closing squeezed in on the top of the front page. Attached was a Family Tree of the descendants of George Alston & Isabella Smythies.
Written on two sides of a sheet of notepaper

12. Dolly Cotes: Bequest, 24 Apr 1963.
Sparling, Benham & Brough, Solicitors.
3 West Stockwell Street,
Colchester, Essex,
England
24 th April, 1963.

Mrs. D.E.D. Cotes Deceased

Dear Mr. Fenn,
Thank you for your letter of the 16th inst. I confirm that I have been instructed by Westminster Bank Limited, the sole Executor of the late Mrs. Cotes' Will, Mrs. Cotes having died on the 6th December 1962 her Will having been proved recently in the Ipswich District Probate Registry.
I received a letter a short time ago from the Bank asking me to write to the various beneficiaries, and I was just about to write to your Son and your Daughter informing them of the money bequeathed to them under the Will.
The particular paragraph under which your two children benefit reads as follows:-
5. I GIVE free of any duty a sum equivalent to the net proceeds of sale of the ground rents of my leasehold properties in Upper Norwood London S. E. 19. now under contract for sale to be divided as to a one third share thereof to my cousin Edith Nancy Alston Hadwen of 10 Bathgate Road Wimbledon S.W.19. as to one third share thereof to my cousin Adria Margaret Fenn of 17 College Road Cheltenham in the County of Gloucester and as to the remaining one third share thereof to be divided equally between my cousins Edward Liveing Fenn and Katherine Julius Fenn both of Hadlow Number 4 R.D. Timaru New Zealand or the survivor of them
Provided nevertheless that if my said cousin Edith Nancy Alston Hadwen or my said cousin Adria Margaret Fenn shall die in my lifetime then and in that event the share of the legacy as aforesaid given to such cousin shall be divided equally between the said Edward Liveing Fenn and the said Katherine Julius Fenn or the survivor of them".
The four named persons to benefit under this paragraph of the Will are, in fact, all alive, and your Son and your Daughter will each receive one half of a one third share in the net proceeds of sale, and the ground rents which amounted to £5,825. 3. 3., i.e. they will each receive £970. 17. 2. I believe your daughter is under the age of 21 and the Bank has asked me in the event of any of the beneficiaries being under 21 to let them have sight of such beneficiary's Birth Certificate for purposes of their records, and perhaps to save postage your Son could bring a copy of the Birth Certificate to England when he comes. I shall be grateful also if you will confirm that their christian names are, in fact, correctly shown and spelt in the Will.
I shall be very pleased to meet your Son and can certainly make all the necessary arrangements for him to receive his legacy whilst he is in England. and if he likes to drop me a line and let me know what arrangements he wishes me to make I will carry out his instructions.
I was very interested indeed to learn of your old connection with my family in Colchester. Gurney Benham, whose book you still have, was my Grandfather. My Father,having practised for many years in Colchester, died last July, my Brother and I now helping to carry on his practice. The Essex County Standard is managed by my Step-Uncle, so the family still takes a fairly active part in the Town's life.

With kind regards,
Yours sincerely
Peter Benham

H.L. Fenn, Esq.,
Hadlow 4 R.D.,
Timaru,
New Zealand.

Dolly married John Charles Cecil "Jack" COTES [487] [MRIN: 139], son of Rev William Eastwick Henry COTES [2061] and Maria Anne MASON [9688], 1 Qtr 1925 in Reg Christchurch HAM. (John Charles Cecil "Jack" COTES [487] was born Mar Qtr 1890, died on 23 Mar 1925 in Beach Cottage Fowey CON and was buried in Lanteglos by Fowey CON.). The cause of his death was was heart failure after influenza.