John Fisher

“Dingley Lodge (as pictured) was built by Viscount Downe's estate workers for John and Hannah Fisher in 1888. John Fisher was an estate manager of some renown and he said he would come to Dingley to work for Lord Downe only if a house was built big enough for his family. John And Hannah, attempting to follow a Fisher 'tradition' of having two sons in order that the first could be called Robert and the second John, had first nine daughters, so that when they moved into Dingley Lodge they had ten children! Another daughter followed before their second son was born. Hannah died giving birth to child number thirteen. Her husband died in 1914 and both are buried near the door of Dingley Church.

When the estate was divided and auctioned in 1924 following Lord Downe's death Dingley Lodge was sold with 243 acres of land for the princely sum of £8,300 to the Co-op who stripped it of most of its land and sold it again two years later.”

Viscount Downe’s main estates were in Yorkshire – Dingley Hall was a rather grand hunting lodge.

John Fisher shipped cattle down from his native Yorkshire by train, and fattened them up on the rich Welland Valley grass for the midland markets; he was so successful, that he was able to send all his daughters to Cheltenham Ladies College!

John Fisher was born 03 Jun 1843 in Leconfield near Beverley Yorkshire.