Preston-Whyte, Miss Joanna, The Bungalow, Instow
Joanna Preston-Whyte[1] (1883 – 1947) was the daughter of Robert Preston-Whyte and Caroline Edith, formerly Anderson. Robert Preston-Whyte was a significant landowner in North Devon. His seat was Leigh House, Chulmleigh, and he was also lord of the manor of Ashwater Alverdiscott, Meeth and Meshaw. Caroline Anderson, herself born in India, met and married Robert in Instow where the Preston-Whytes regularly lived, in order to pursue their sailing interests. They were at Instow at the time of the census in 1881, but in 1891, at the first census on which Joanna appears, they were at Leigh House, Chulmleigh. Joanna and her two cousins, Edith Chatfield and Catherine Chichester were all there, and a resident teacher was employed.
Joanna’s father Robert died in 1904 and the estate passed to her elder brother, Robert, who let Leigh House to Lady Gertrude Rolle. Joanna and Caroline Preston-Whyte then appear to have settled in Instow, first at Hillsleigh, and then at The Bungalow.[2] Joanna was an enthusiastic member of the Taw and Torridge Sailing Club, regularly competing in local regattas.[3]
Caroline Preston-Whyte was a long-standing supporter of the Primrose League, and had been Dame President of the Chulmleigh Habitation. In Instow she and Joanna both supported a dance in the local ward, of which Miss Chichester was the Warden.[4]
At the census in 1911 Joanna and her mother decided they would not complete the form sent to the cottage. One of them wrote across it ‘No votes, so do not fill in this paper’, and then diagonally across that ‘No votes, no census. The form has been partially completed by the registrar, who notes at the bottom that he has done this ‘on the authority of the Registrar-General in a letter dated 9 April 1911. He lists: ‘Mrs Preston-Whyte, head; Miss Preston-Whyte, daughter; Mrs Anderson, visitor; Miss Anderson, visitor; Blanche McKay, servant, under-housemaid’; and four other un-named servants whom he lists as ‘housemaid, ladies’ maid, cook. kitchen-maid’. The Andersons were probably relations of Mrs Preston-Whyte.
As part of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies recruitment drive, Miss Norma-Smith paid a visit to North Devon in June 1911, visiting Barnstaple, Bideford, Appledore and Instow. At Instow, she described how ‘Mrs Preston-Whyte gave an afternoon meeting in her delightful drawing-room. The meeting proved a great success and quite a number of people gave in their names as willing to join a local society.’ She and Miss Preston-Whyte also went visiting and ‘collected more members’, thus enabling a branch to be formed in Instow. Mrs Preston-Whyte became President and Joanna treasurer and secretary.[5]
In February 1912, Miss Davenport and Miss Willcocks (q.v.) visited Instow as part of a South-West Federation tour of North Devon where they addressed a meeting at which ‘the suffrage resolution was carried’.[6]
Preston-Whyte continues to be listed as secretary until July 1913 and was evidently in Instow up to August 1913 when she organised a Fancy Dress ball in aid of the Instow Detachment of the Red Cross Society.[7] There is no further reference to the Preston-Whytes in Instow during 1913 or 1914 and Kelly’s Directory for 1914 lists Lady Chichester (a family connection) at The Bungalow.[8].
In January 1915 Joanna Preston-Whyte volunteered as a Red Cross nurse at Exeter’s Temporary War Hospital No 2 where she remained until April 1919.[9] She returned to Instow after the war and by August 1919 was sailing again with the Taw and Torridge Club.[10]
Joanna Preston-Whyte died at Glendossil, Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, on 8 May 1947. She left almost £6000.
Entry created by Julia Neville, December 2018
[1] Family and census information from www.ancestry.co.uk
[2] Western Times (WT), 11 Nov 1910.
[3] WT, 23 Jul, 25 Aug & 13 Sep 1912.
[4] Devon and Exeter Gazette (DEG), 24 Jan 1913.
[5] Common Cause (CC), 28 Jun 1911, 212.
[6] CC, 1 Feb 1912, 738.
[7] DEG, 22 Aug 1913.
[8] Kelly’s Directory of Devonshire, London, Kelly, 1914, 366.
[9] https://vad.redcross.org.uk/ Joanna Preston-Whyte, accessed 22 Dec 2018.
[10] Western Times, 7 Aug 1919.