Churchill Family - Tyneham : Where time stopped in 1943

Job Churchill (1848-1931)

by Ruth Lancaster

Job was one of several children of Henry Churchill of Greenland’s Farm, Studland and a grandson of William and Betty Churchill of Rempstone. Henry had started off working for his father-in-law, John Read, and inherited a lot of land and the farm through his marriage to Harriet Read. Their eldest son, Isaac, was not interested in farming and was a shipbuilder (however Isaac died quite young) and it was left to Job to farm alongside his father, Henry, at Greenland’s Farm for the best part of his life, where his main job was a dairyman.

Job married Roseanna Eeles, daughter of Thomas Eeles, the Police Superintendant of Wareham. When Henry Churchill died in 1899, Job carried on at Greenland’s until buying Povington Farm around 1902.

Job and Roseanna had 6 children, including Tom who was a Policeman in Wareham, Ted who helped on the farm and married into the COOPER family, Harriet who married a cousin from the Harris family, Evelyn, who married Arthur Cooper and lived at Steeple and my great grandfather Christopher, a shepherd at Povington Farm working for his father and who married Olave Hilda Greatwood.

Olave had come to Tyneham, from Frome, for work with her family, she worked at Tyneham House with her mother, her father was the mechanic. Christopher and Olave lived in a cottage close to Povington farm, with their own 3 young sons, one being my grandfather.

Job’s wife Roseanna died in 1912 and is buried in Tyneham Churchyard.

In 1916 there was a scandal, the elderly, widowed Job Churchill and all his local family went to Wareham market, leaving Christopher (aged 29, married with children) alone at Povington farm with just the local farm servant girl Eva Diffey. Nature took its course and the girl fell pregnant, the local newspapers had a field day & I have read all the reports, it seems that there was a lot of debate as to whether she was 15 or 16 at the time, however she did report to the court that she “enjoyed” kissing him!!

Eva’s father took on old Job…. can you imagine all this going on in a small place like Povington. Eva Diffey’s baby didn’t survive and all this, as you can imagine, caused a big family fall out.

Old Job refused to speak to Christopher again and Job put Povington Farm up for sale, rather than leave it in his will and in 1917 S W Cottee auctioneers of Wareham sold the farm and all the contents and Job moved to Steeple to retire.

Job lived to the ripe old age of 83, eventually moving to Sussex to live with his son Ted who had moved there some years earlier and that is where Job died.

Olave stood by her husband, they moved from the area and farmed several Dorset farms before settling on the Longleat estate in Wiltshire, where Olave had lots of relatives.

Chris and Olave both lived long and happy lives, celebrating a platinum wedding anniversary (70 years married) and both died in their nineties. I spent many happy times with them both and it was they who installed in me the family history stories. I have an extensive family tree and my name will often pop up when anyone researches the Churchill’s of Studland, Rempstone, Corfe, Wareham, Povington/Tyneham and other local families.

Sidney George Churchill (1900-1975)

In 1939 was farming West Cruxton Farm near Maiden Newton. Took over Tyneham Farm from Walter Case Smith not long before the evacuation.

Edith Laura Churchill nee Pitcher (1901-1973):

Page last updated: 25 June 2021