Life History

Notes

• From: Heron Cottage <<email address>>
  Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 13:13:01 -0800
  To: <<email address>>
  Subject: Woollet Family UK
  
  Dear Sir & To Whom It May Concern: I am , Charles, Philip, Barrington, Woollett: Great, Great Great, Great  Grandson of Philip Woollett, father of engraver, William Woollett of Maidstone, Kent. Circa 1648. William Woollett , as you may well be aware, was noted for his earliest work from the age of 12 (on record at the Maidstone Museum) to his later works as engraver to King George the III. He died, May 23rd 1785 and is Memorialized in the Clloisters in Westminster Abbey. The only engraving in my possession, is a self portait , dated : August 12th 1784. The family name history  derives from  "Wulfgeat" of "Wolfat" composed of "wulf " meaning wolf and  geat the name of Scandinavian people who settled in England.  One of the earliest references  to this name  or variant is Wluiet and Vlfeit, who are mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1066. (I'm not sure that is'nt a far fetched stretch?) The family crest iis however,  the same as the arms: Argent, a winged wolf rampant sable and langued guless, holding in the dexter forepaw a fleece or armed unguled and banded gules. Its origin is of course, England. From what I know the family was long descended from Dutch refugees who settled on the Weald of Kent. My Grandfather, Charles Woollett, was a well respected Antique dealer in Maidstone who later moved his busniess to Wigmore Street, London.  Where one of his four sons, Elmer Barrington Woollett, continued the family worldwide reputation for selling and buying fine antiques. The family resided in Hern Bay at the family home "The Danes" and later at Ascot in "Kings Ride House", as well as 69 Sloane Square. My Father, Walter (Babe) Woollett OBE, the babe of six children, was a Fighter Pilot with the RAF and later went on to form the back bone of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan known as the 'Air Observer Schools of Canada', for  which he was awarded his OBE. From there he was one on Canada's formost 'Bush Pilots' and later played an intigrual part in the forming of Canadian Pacific Airlines. He also pened an auto biography called "Have a Banana" which chronicles his years 1906-1949. He retired from CPA at age 70 in Honolulu where he remained until his death in June of 1998. He married my Mother, Phylis Mary (Pattie) Pring, of Philip Pring, Sydney, Australia, a prominent NSW family. My Great Great Great Grandfather, Philip Pring was Gosvenor of New South Wales. As the only son, age 47, I now reside in Vancouver (my place of birth) with my wife Birgitte (Danish) with her son James, by a previous marriage.
  My only surviving direct Woollett family member,  Miss Nora Woollett, (99)(sister to my father and my Godmother) now lives at a nursing home in Staplehurst, Kent.
  
  I hope this information is of interest. I would be most grateful of  any additional family history & or comments you may have. Thank you for your attention in this matter.  I will be away in the Caribbean for the next three weeks, but look forward to our communicating upon my return.
  
  Yours sincerely,
  
  
  Charles P.B. Woollett
  
  Dear Les:
  
  Thank you for your last note. I did'nt quite get the reference to another Chips, unless this happens to be your nick name? "Have a Banana" is winging its way to you as I write. By the way its an old phrase from the '20's which means HAVE FUN! Which I hope you and your mother will have reading this autobiography...1906-40's. Babe wanted to write a follow up book on his years with Canadian Pacific Airlines and his days with friends around the world. Alais, those stories are kept with me and his friends. The family all but to disappear after I join the feathered choir, as Birgitte and I have no childeren of our own except for Birgitte's son, James, Alexander Gage, Brickenden ( apparently a long time old English family from Kent.)
  
  I mentioned my second cousin Mary (wife of Cmdr Paul Anthony, "Wheatsheaf Farm" nr Sittingbourn), she also works for the Magistrates Court in Maidstone, when not tending their sheep farm or her catering business. Her two sons, Angus a Detective with the London Police and Nick a Cmdr with the SAS. The later just received an OBE for his work in Kosovo. All this just filler for your information.
  
  As and when you have time to sift through all the family related information coming your way and should there be any relevant News on the Woollett side, I'd be most grateful of your passing it on. Until next we e-mail, TTFN.
  
  Chips
  
  ps: Alternate e-mail address if easier is: <email address>     Cheers!