Nellie Margaret Dengate

KEY DATES:

Born: 25 February 1910, Sedlescombe, East Sussex

Baptised: 27 March 1910, St John the Baptist Church, Sedlescombe, East Sussex

Died: 22 February 1994, St Leonards-On-Sea, East Sussex

Buried:  St John the Baptist Church, Sedlescombe, East Sussex

BIOGRAPHY:

Nellie Margaret Dengate (known as Meg) was born to James and Naomi Dengate on the 25 February 1910 in Sedlescombe and was baptised on the 27 March 1910 in St John the Baptist Church, Sedlescombe.

St John the Baptist Church, Sedlescombe, 2002

The 1901 Census shows Nellie's parents and her brother Jim and sister Evelyn living in Brickyard Cottage, Sedlescombe, the likely place of Nellie's birth in 1910.  During the First World War the family were still living in Brickyard Cottage, and it was here that they learned of their son Jim's death in Karachi, Pakistan.  Nellie later told a friend that the family used to bake bread in the sheds behind Brickyard Cottages.

Brickyard Cottages, Sedlescombe, 2002

Sometime between the First World War and 1927, the family resided in Springfield Cottage, Brede Lane, Sedlescombe.

Springfield Cottage (right), Sedlescombe, 2002

In 1927, Frank Dengate and his dad James built a home for the family called 'The Haven' beside the road in Sedlescombe with commanding views of the surrounding countryside.  Nellie Margaret, Rosa May and Frank lived in the house their whole lives.  When the house was bought from Nellie in 1992, the new owners found a piece of board with "Built by Frank Dengate, 1927" written on it.  Frank helped his dad with the family business, working around Sedlescombe from a 2 wheel cart they pulled along.

'The Haven', Sedlescombe, 2002

"James set himself up as a joiner, builder and undertaker with his son Frank in The Haven, the house they built together for the family beside the road, North of Little Castlemans with workshop beside it and surrounded by a garden filled with flowers, vegetables and fruit, planted by the green fingers of Frank, it was a haven indeed, for the family had been turned out of one of the Brickyard Cottages where they had lived for 25 years when it was wanted for the Oaklands Pigman." ¹

Francis William Dengate died 1 June 1979 in Sedlescombe, aged 75 years of coronary thrombosis, cerebral thrombosis and arteriosclerosis at his home in The Haven, Sedlescombe.  Nellie Margaret Dengate was present at the death and was the informant of Francis' death.  He was buried in St John the Baptist Church, Sedlescombe alongside his parents, Naomi and James Dengate.

Nellie and Rosa continued to live in The Haven all alone, living old fashioned lives.  They had no hot running water or electricity and no telephone.  They cooked food on three pump paraffin heaters and used one cold tap which used to freeze on the inside during winter.  According to a close friend of theirs, Mrs. Sally Martin, they lived for their family and were intensely private people, but were "the kindest, gentlest, most wonderful friends we could have...how I wished I'd met them years ago."  They were a very religious family, Rosa attended the Methodist Chapel in Staplecross when she could whilst Nellie regularly read the Bible at home.  She was very fond of an American preacher called Dr. Bob Jones and the Rev. Ian Paisley.  Apparently their father James had had an altercation with the then vicar of Sedlescombe church and the family stopped attending.

In February 1986 Nellie and Rosa suffered a terrifying burglary in their Haven home, which was reported in the local paper.  The perpetrators were never caught.

Nellie's sister Evelyn had moved into St Peter's Grange Rest Home in 1981 and, upon the death of Rosa May, Nellie sold The Haven and moved into St Peter's Grange where she died on 22 February 1994 age 83 peacefully in her sleep.  She was buried in St John the Baptist Church, Sedlescombe near to her brother Frank, sister Rosa and parents.  She had previously shown Mrs. Sally Martin where she would like to be buried, next to her brother Frank, but this space was taken before Nellie died.  

Nellie Margaret Dengate's grave, 2002

The grave inscription reads, "In loving memory of Nellie Margaret Dengate passed peacefully away 22 February 1994, aged 83 years.  Taken to the presence of the Lord and reunited with her beloved family."

¹ Twenty Centuries in Sedlescombe by Beryl Lucey, p. 382

© Copyright N. Goodwin MMII