Charles Tomkinson
Charles Tomkinson, d.1906
Charles Tomkinson was St Asaph’s postmaster until he was found to have embezzled money after indulging in betting.
He was born in Congleton, Cheshire, in 1849. As a young man he worked for a businessman in Wigfair, south of St Asaph, and joined the choir of St Asaph Cathedral. He had a “rare and rich” alto voice. When he became the cathedral’s alto lay clerk, he set up in business in St Asaph as a hairdresser, tobacconist and newsagent. Anglers went to him for fishing licences for the local rivers.
He continued the business after becoming St Asaph’s postman in 1877. He was appointed postmaster in 1892. It was said that under his management, the local post office was one of the best in the district. He was always polite and helpful.
In 1899 the General Post Office in London sent an investigator to St Asaph, and Charles was soon taken into custody. At Ruthin Assizes (equivalent to today’s Crown Court) he was convicted of embezzling £100 which a Mrs Starbrick had asked him to invest so that it would return 5% or 6%. He told the court he had made a very good investment, by using the £100 to maintain his son as an apprentice in Liverpool! He had repaid Mrs Starbrick, partly by borrowing money from a Mrs Roberts.
He admitted gambling, which he regretted. He was sentenced to three years in prison. The judge said it was particularly important to protect the public from dishonest men who presented a fair exterior.
Charles died on 20 March 1906, the same day as Miles Ralph Partington, the choir’s tenor lay clerk, who is buried nearby. Charles left a wife and seven children.