The photographs in this post are screenshots from the Punnetts Town website. https://mic600.wixsite.com/punnetts-town/history
On the site, if you hover over the pictures names are revealed, and several are Punnetts.
Wherever Punnetts might have originated, we know that the Caribbean and American Punnetts left from England. But, we Caribbean Punnetts don’t know whether we have any direct connection to Punnetts Town.
According to Sara Thornton on South East Today LIVE from Punnetts Town 2021, https://youtu.be/BJmmQPMjXpU?t=153, Punnetts Town’s origins were in the 16th century. Carpenter James Punnett was the first Punnett on record in the town, and he arrived in the mid-1700s (after we were already in Barbados). The town was only named in official documents around 1800.
One interesting coincidence (?) is that the other name associated with Punnetts Town is Dallaway ~ a name in our extended family because Grandfather John Langley Punnett’s maternal grandmother was a Dallaway.
I found this in my notes, uncredited, and cannot recall from whom it came. If you wrote the following, do be so kind as to let me know so I can make proper attribution.
It has been said that the first Punnett to arrive in the location now known as Punnetts Town was a smuggler, a Frenchman who was escaping the law by hiding in the now Punnetts Town and fell in love with a local maiden.
Another story I have heard is that he was not precisely a smuggler, but a privateer, who was hired by the English king to help French aristocrats escape to England, presumably during the French Revolution.
My romantic nature fancies these stories a lot, but if the BBC is correct, James the carpenter arrived before the French Revolution. Of course, perhaps James’s relatives did the smuggling of aristocrats and/or goods and joined him in the un-named town, which was then named in their honour? Howzatt? But it wouldn’t have anything to do with us, since we had already been in the Caribbean more than one hundred years.
from Victoria Punnett in New York, via Betty Jane
I might mention that the legend in my branch of the family is that James Punnett who first came to the area, settling 1 ½ miles down the road on the edge of Heathfield, was a smuggler. That's a long way from being a priest. Or maybe not such a long way since priests were often the beneficiaries of the stolen goods! As the records show, James was born and raised in nearby Hooe, which was known as a seaside center for smuggling.
As to the name of the town, that's not certain either. Molly Beswick who wrote the little book on Punnetts Town thought it was named after the family because they were early settlers who lived in the center of the village and were carpenters involved in constructing many of the early buildings.
Somewhere I came across information that Victoria’s great-great grandparents went to Rochester, New York from Punnetts Town in 1842.
Our departure
from Britain was so much earlier that we may not even have Punnetts Town in our
family story. But, it doesn’t mean those
Punnetts weren’t our people... could be we moved on to warmer climes and relatives made their way somewhat later to the locale of Punnetts Town.
Does anyone in the family have a copy of On The Edge - The Story of Punnetts Town by Molly Beswick?
Betty Jane and Patricia attended a 2008 gathering of Punnetts in the town organised by Victoria Punnett of New York. I am hoping they might tell us more about it… how long they were there, what they did and learned, were the locals interested in the family in diaspora, were there stories or origin theories that differed from ours, did townspeople have contact with any Punnetts who had moved to other parts...? Are there any photos from the gathering? Do the Americans say PUN-IT like the Brits, rather than Puh-nett like we do...?
Below is a news clip about that visit…
https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/american-visitors-return-to-their-roots-1291858
American visitors return to their roots
A GROUP of 25 Americans are visiting Punnetts Town to trace their homes of their ancestors who emigrated from the village in the mid 19th century.
Tuesday, 8th July 2008,
Reuben Punnett left Punnetts Town in 1843 and the American visitors are hoping to meet some of their English cousins.
They will get together for a celebration lunch in the Barley Mow pub at 12.30pm on July 20.
The visitors will have a history talk by Molly Beswick and a tour of the village to see where their ancestors lived.
They also plan to visit the school and the village hall.
Following are a couple of Punnetts Town video clips from the web
The Maplesden Magnolia Punnetts Town, March 2012 https://youtu.be/udtqiTItBTg
Punnetts Town Mummers - New Year's Day Procession https://youtu.be/J_urFkxL__E
and a musical rendition of THE MAD WOMAN OF PUNNET’S TOWN by L. A. G. Strong.
Leonard Alfred George Strong (8 March 1896 – 17 August 1958) was a popular English novelist, critic, historian, and poet, and published under the name L. A. G. Strong. He was born of Irish parents in Devon, so it’s intriguing to think of what might have inspired him to write about The madwoman from Sussex….
Family, do, please, weigh in with any thoughts, insights, witticisms, information, pics…
The Caribbean chapters await.
Go well, be happy...
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