Heirs to James Fewell at The Goth

Surfing the net has its paybacks, and we were well delighted when one Douglas Sutherland of Hoddesdon Hertfordshire contacted us out of the blue following a family tip off!

But that was not the real start of the tale; seems the Fewell's are a tortuous clan and they got Patricia's husband, Derek Powell, to do the original family searching or rather encouraged him further as he did it anyway. Derek spotted James Fewell in our Autumn 2003 Brushstrokes and the tale we there told of Patricia's maternal grandfather's tenure of office as Foundation Manager 1908-1927 at the Trust Tavern as it was then known in Prestonpans. Patricia herself sent off one email to the Gothenburg then rang Eric Sutherland, her bachelor cousin, with the news. Next Eric phoned his brother Douglas and Douglas sent the critical and second email that triggered the chase from the newshounds here at NewsNet. [Said they were tortuous!]

Well, a quick phone call by the newshounds to Douglas eventually revealed to them that Douglas' brother Eric lived much closer, in Edinburgh in fact, and that Patricia 'Fewell' Powell herself lived in Forfar, Angus, with husband Derek that original net researcher.

And so it was that on December 17th at 11am Patricia and her cousin Eric took their place behind today's James Fewell Bar where their famous ancestor once stood. And later they all posed outwith the entrance with Kate Hunter who holds the commission to paint an indoor mural of the Fewell reign at The Goth well before re-Opening Day in 2004. She will be helped in the task by more than a few old photographs and by the portrait of James Fewell that still hangs at Thorntree Masonic Lodge in Prestonpans where he once served as Master.

Click on images to enlarge



The earliest photographs of James Fewell at the Trust Tavern were presented to Prestonpans Historical Society in 1984 by Maggie ('Mother Meg' says the family connection )Fewell together with an excellent account of life at that time as recorded on pages 3-6 of The Gothenburg Historical Booklet # 13.

Or click here to read those few pages.

Post Script: Clan Gathering Looms

Following the initial appearance of this NewsNet item, what now reads above is an amended version thanks to Patricia. But she is about more than simply putting their tortuous record straight here! She's gathering the Clan from north and south with the firm intention to have a Fewell Day once we have the Prestoungrange Gothenburg's doors open again. She's been in contact with Shelagh (Fewell) Fraser, a second cousin now living on Skye, who was born in the Pans and lived there with her brother Bruce Fewell in Wilson Avenue in the 1960s. And there are surviving grand children of 'Papa' Fewell living down south and great grand children too of course.

Rising to the challenge both the Barons and the entire Gothenburg team are going to join with Patricia to get a formal invitation card printed and posted for a suitably memorable date and stand back to watch the action.