1888 Sep 23 Born (he never married in his army time). Coniston Hall, Bellbush, Yorks
1891 census. The children are without any parents at Coniston Hall.
1901 census living with his widowed grandmother at Woodlands Hall Hall, Adwick le Stret, Doncaster, Yorkshire.
1903 - 1907 in Uppingham OTC Entered Uppingham, Tottie, Richard. [S.] Sept. 1888. Son of J. G. B. Tottie, Coniston Cold, Bell Busk, Leeds.
1907 Sgt in East Kent Mounted Rifles
Went to Argentina and managed a large horse ranch there
1914 Oct 10. Arrives in England from Buenos Aires travelling 3rd Class on the RMS Alcantara. Occupation Land Steward.
1914 Oct 24. Enlisted
1917 Jul 1. Household Cavalry. R.H. Gds. Richard Tottie, from temp. Lt., Guards M.G. Regt., to be Lt. : 20th June 1919, with seniority from 1st July 1917.
1919 Jul 8. Mentioned in Disparches Tottie, T./Lt. R., R.H. Gds. Bn. Guards Machine Gun Regt
1919 Oct 26 released to Special Reserve of Officers.
1920 Jul 16. The undermentioned to be temp. Lts. whilst specially empld.: Lt. R. Tottie.( late R.H. Gds., Spec. Res.). Also is AH Carter
1921 Apr 1. Resigns his commission. Temp. Lts., and retain the rank of Lt
1931 Inherited Coniston Hall, the family home
The original hall was built in 1851 for James Garforth, whose father was a wealthy silk mill owner in the area, and backer of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. Rich but unlucky, James Garforth never lived in the hall. He died in a fall from a stairway during the mansion's construction. His daughter married John William Tottie, of Leeds, whose grandson, Richard Tottie, inherited Coniston in 1931.
Dick Tottie had grown up there with his seven sisters, all of them being educated at the family's school adjacent to the house. None of them had children. Richard Tottie presided over a huge collection of stuffed birds, cabinets holding thousands of eggs, a 24-acre lake and an estate which he maintained undisturbed for wild birds. He shot only rarely. Among his avian residents were some black swans, a gift from Bradford Council, now all gone, and a heronry, still thriving.
The house deteriorated over the years and was impregnated with dry rot, woodworm and "other agents of destruction", according to Leeds Museums and Galleries Review: the city acquired 84 of the cases of birds in 1995. At his death, Col Tottie was pretty much living in the kitchen, such was the state of the structure.
The Vauxhall Cadet was introduced at the 1930 Motor Show, and was the first true high production Vauxhall after the General Motors take over in the late 1920's. The Cadets have a 2048cc 6-cylinder engine with overhead valves, rated at 16.9hp. From 1932 synchromesh was introduced on 2nd and 3rd gears, the first in the UK and the voltage went from 6v to 12v. Maximum speed was stated at 62mph and fuel consumption at 21mpg, which it will attain today. KG 2708 was first registered in Cardiff, but spent most of its life at Coniston Hall near Skipton, Yorkshire, owned by a Mr Richard Tottie. In later years, Mr Tottie could be seen driving the car down the drive to the main road where he would sit in the lay-by waiting for someone to talk to about the car. The car was purchased by Eric Butcher at Wakefield in 1992 and fully restored.
1968 Nov 28. died and the estate was sold..
Coniston Hall was sold in 1969 by order of the executors the late Richard Tottie. The Hall was demolished by the new owners.
