John James Walne (c1868-1939) of Foster, Lott and Co and Lott and Walne
Born at Lenham, Kent, the son of John Warne, a farmer.
1911 Residing at 6 Cornwall Road, Dorchester: John James Walne (age 42 born Lenham), Mechanical Engineer and Iron Founder and Agricultural Implement Maker. With his wife Edith Emily, two daughters and two sons.[1]
1920 Elected Mayor. 'Alderman John James Walne was elected Mayor for the ensuing year....The new Mayor is the only surviving son of the late Mr. John Walne, farmer and hop-grower, of Lenham, Kent. On completing his education he entered the engineering profession, and prior to coming south he held the responsible position of works manager to Messrs. Hayward Bros. and E. C. K. Stein, constructional engineers, of Union-street, Borough. Considerations of health led him to seek a country life, and his choice of residence fell on Dorchester., He cams here on November 2nd, 1894, and entered the firm of Messrs. Foster, Lott, and Co., of The Foundry. Afterwards he entered into partnership with Mr. J. G. Lott, and eventually a limited liability company was formed under the style of Messrs. Lott and Walne, Ltd. This has now become a powerful and influential commercial enterprise, the firm’s operations having been vastly extended and the number of employees doubled. Alderman Walne has been the "driving wheel" of the firm, and a man who can make his own business go is certainly capable of being entrusted with the conduct of the town’s affairs. Originally he was engaged in constructional engineering ; but, as is well known, the making of agricultural implements forms the staple industry at The Foundry. In this direction Mr. Walne has attained considerable success, and the reversible tyne harrow designed and patented by him has won numerous showyard successes, notably a silver medal at the Royal Agricultural Society’s show at Gloucester in 1902, and a similar honour in 1909 at the Stafford Agricultural Society’s show at Tamworth and the Durham Agricultural Society’s show at Darlington. Silver medals have also been gained at minor shows. Just before the outbreak of the war Mr. Walne was appointed engineer to the Wingham Engineering Company, and numbers of steel-frame buildings were constructed from his designs.'[2]
1939 Died. 'Mr. Walne, who was 71 years of age, died on Tuesday. He came to Dorchester 45 years ago to join the firm of Messrs. Lott & WaLne, and for over thirty years was the managing director. He served on the Borough Council from 1908 as a representative of the East Ward, and in 1920, the year of his Mayoralty, he was elevated to the Aldermanic bench. Mr. Walne will beset be remembered for his work on behalf of the borough electricity undertaking. From the formation of the undertaking in 1919 he was the chairman of the Committee, and he played a prominent part in the development of what has now become one of the town's greatest assets.'[3]